Does anyone else hate web reins? Why?

[Fancy_That]

I hate them. Due to all the reasons everyone else said. Lack of feel, the little leather stops, etc.

Interesting thread!

As for me, I show in regular laced reins, use rubber reins for eventing, and for colt-starting and training or trail riding, I like a really good rope rein.

[gortmore]

Love my web reins. I will ride in the rubber ones if I need to. But I also hate reins that are wide and thick. I find I can keep a much more even feel on the reins with thinner reins. I do think part of it is how light your horse is in the bridle. No way would I want to ride a puller or a horse that was heavy in the bridel in web reins but my three are all super light and soft.

[Guin]

Dislike. If I don’t have gloves on they give me blisters. And they’re stiff. I just don’t like how they feel. It’s hard to keep contact with them somehow.

Fortunately the BO doesn’t like them so there are none in the school horse tack at all.

[GingerJumper]

I loved my web reins until I got a pair of Nunn Finer’s SoftGrip reins, which I would marry if I could.

[cadance]

[QUOTE=GingerJumper;6053035]
I loved my web reins until I got a pair of Nunn Finer’s SoftGrip reins, which I would marry if I could.[/QUOTE]

Big fan of those Nunn Finers as well, great quality for the price!

[furlong47]

I hate web reins and rubber reins. My preference is leather all the way!

[Crown_Royal]

I guess I’m in the minority here…I love my web reins I have on my 12.3hh jumper/dressage pony…and to boot, they were only $35! I get a great feel of his mouth with them. I don’t think I would like them on my very very strong TB jumper though.

[WNT]

I had a set of Tory (I think) web reins that I adored. They stayed soft, the grips were spaced well, and at 3/4" were substantial enough to keep a hold of. However, they were the only pair of web reins I ever liked. (It helped that they were red and black, and my teenaged-eventing self thought that was AWESOME!).

I do prefer rubber reins, I feel that leather reins are too soft and thin in my hands. Plus, my horse is a copious sweater, and I need all the grip I can get.

ETA: regarding melting rein rubber, I have heard multiple times that fly spray is very tough on rein rubber. I make sure that I avoid spraying the line of his neck where my reins go to prevent it. Even my cheap-o Treadstone reins are in great shape after eventing in 5 years of hot, humid VA summers.

[Alterrain]

I LOVE web reins!!

I find the stoppers are so handy! For me, at least, always in the right place.

I flat/ school in regular web reins, and show in webs with loops. The loops are one step BETTER than the hand stops

[Dewey]

[QUOTE=Flashy Gray VA;6052710]
And I can’t ride without gloves, period. I’m guessing they might be horribly passe or unstylish, but for schooling I’m a die hard fan of crochet-back gloves. :p[/QUOTE]

I ALWAYS ride with gloves. And I’m with you on the crochet-back ones; I love them and have gone through more pairs than I can count.

[lisann]

My OTTB spooked. Riding with web reins. Tried a one-rein stop - that rein broke. Then the other rein broke.

I’ll take rubber or laced reins anyday.

[englishcowgirl]

I LOVE WEB REINS! I really dislike riding with anything else. The rubber ones are so thick and do not fit well or comfortably between my fingers and the leather ones always feel… wrong? I don’t understand all the hate, I have done really well with them. Each his own I guess!

[JenEM]

[QUOTE=Dewey;6056821]
I ALWAYS ride with gloves. And I’m with you on the crochet-back ones; I love them and have gone through more pairs than I can count.[/QUOTE]

Count me in on this, too, even with my lovely SoftGrip reins. I can’t remember the last time I hopped on anything without gloves. Until the weather gets very cold, they’re crochet-backs, which seem to be getting harder to find.

[ddashaq]

Hate web reins. For me at least, they always slipped and felt awkward. Love leather the best and recently discovered that some of the newer rubber reins are pretty darn nice.

I am another who always wear gloves, a habit I picked up many years ago. I could not say the last time I rode without gloves but it has been a lot of years!

[ljo]

soft thick cotton web reins

I LOVE soft thick (7/8" to 1") cotton web reins. They are also almost impossibe to find. If you can find them, they will be your favorite reins!

[BAC]

[QUOTE=BeeHoney;6050363]
Well, I’m not a fan of web reins, but I love plaited reins. I find it terribly difficult to find a quality pair nowadays, tho.[/QUOTE]

I love plaited reins, Hadfields makes them and so does the Country Saddler. I rode a lot of schoolies in my youth with web reins and never noticed any problem with them, but that’s probably because I was a kid and was just happy to be riding anything.