Jumping with draw reins

Intermittent use of draw reins can be a great teaching tool for an experienced student who isn’t quite getting the communication to the horse to get in front of the rider’s leg, go more forward, relax the back, and get the nose in a bit. The goal being to help the rider get better at flatting the horse without draw reins. Only good if the draw reins are bettering the partnership.

That is the last thing I would use drawn reins for. If the person isn’t educated enough to get a horse moving back to front and over it’s back, they are NOT experienced enough to use draw reins. IMHO.

4 Likes

On the contrary, the draw reins were a training tool, not a bandaid. A short-term tool used as part of a long term training process that finally resulted in her being able to be ridden quietly and properly in a snaffle with no gadgets, not even a martingale. I’ve had the mare for 10 years, and the period where draw reins were incredibly helpful was perhaps a year or so. Of course I want a horse who does what I want it to do…that is, after all, the goal of training. However, in my opinion, having to overuse the hand (which only causes this mare to overflex and continue to spook) was a much greater sin than a loose set of draw reins that only came into play if and when she chose to fly off the aids and gave a soft reminder to stay focused.

Even DeNemethy used draw reins, and if I’m not mistaken, Steinkraus did as well (though it’s been a while since I’ve read his book so I could be remembering wrong).

You may prefer not to use draw reins, and that’s your prerogative, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some circumstances when they’re appropriate. I agree that most of the time (like 90%) they’re used incorrectly, but there’s a time and a place for them. And in the hundreds of horses I’ve ridden, I’m not sure I can think of another one that I’ve used them on.

I think the height of hubris with horses is to say “never,” and that’s a lesson I learned on this mare, who was incredibly difficult and defied many of the textbooks…but is now a quiet, soft, lovely mare (most of the time, anyway, I mean she is a mare!).

5 Likes

If you read further you will see that I have ridden in draw reins and on a Grand Prix horse in a lesson.

In your case you said you only used the draw reins on the first ride back after a day off. So no I would not have used then in that situation and why I called them a bandaid.

Yes I had a horse who you knew if he had a day off. We used to lunge him first. Nowadays you can get on him with a week or so off without lunging.

Educational responses. Thanks.

Isn’t the longing a bandaid, then, if a more widely accepted one? There’s plenty of people who abuse that practice and many a horse has been broken by its improper use and execution. Longing isn’t always possible or appropriate, either (I’ve boarded at facilities where longing wasn’t allowed in the rings and the use of the round pen was weather dependent). We may just agree to disagree here, but I would argue that properly using each of these tools accomplishes the same goal, as seen in the fact that the same goal was achieved in both horses - a horse that stays on the aids when fresh without longing or draw reins or whatever.

5 Likes

Everybody who “never” does something “never” does it until they have a horse who needs it.

I get a kick out of these threads by people who come on “anti”-anything. A tool is just that - a tool. Draw reins are neither good nor bad, just a tool to help develop a set of skills. If you use them in such a way to create a broken-necked collection/frame, then you’re using them wrong. But like Mac and Supershorty, I prefer to use tools in a way to HELP my horses. If you don’t know “how” to do that then don’t use them. And if you’ve “never” come across a horse who needs something, you just haven’t ridden enough horses :wink:

This is much like the bitting contingent that wants everything to go in a snaffle from day one and for the rest of time. sigh.

16 Likes

Beetlejuice…Beetlejuice…

1 Like

You are right incorrect lunging is detrimental to a horse. Running them around at the end of a rope is using the incorrect muscles. It is not good for their joints.

Correct lunging on the other hand is not done for long. 10 minutes is equal to an hour of correct lunging. Side reins are not classed as gadgets and are used in the Spanish Riding School.

Even Ingrind Klimke who is a much better rider than most of us here. Her young horses are lunged only every second day to allow the horse to find it’s own balance and rhythm. Think about that, one of the best riders in the world thinks the lunge is better than her own riding.

Correct lunging can be used to warm up a horse and to work a horse the same as under saddle. It teaches contact, balance, rhythm and tempo.

Plus the rider can tell if the horse should not be ridden that day if not safe.

Lunging is done to work a horse, even one that is behaving perfectly. I was not using it for a horse that was misbehaving.

Some people long rein instead.

At the moment I am hand walking my boy twice around the paddock before I enter the arena and mount. He is cold backed. That works for him and I get a bit of extra exercise as well. He is coming back from an injury so I am not lunging him yet.

Putting the draw reins on every time the horse has had a day off, there is no predetermined test to see if the draw reins were needed or not, just that it worked so well the time before that it kept being done.

I feel like the people who HATE draw reins never learned how to correctly use them in the appropriate circumstances and therefore say they are bad.

It’s a tool that serves a purpose. In the wrong hands they are detrimental. Used judiciously with knowledge and they are helpful. Like side reins and lunging.

9 Likes

Draw reins set correctly don’t come into play whatsoever unless the horse comes off the aids enough for them to engage. In my opinion they’re perfect for this exact situation because of that because they’re entirely benign until the horse misbehaves. I use them as I would a standing martingale - loose so that they only come into play during a major evasion. Not constantly engaged, not tight to pull the head down, just there to create a parameter, an end point.

However I don’t think we will see eye to eye on this. And that’s okay. :slight_smile:

5 Likes

Lots use them because they are a very helpful tool when used correctly. Like the poster above said, used correctly, they don’t force a horse nor are they constantly engaged. They’re there as a limit that only comes into play if needed and they help teach the horse. Lots use them that shouldn’t and it creates more problems than it solved. Same as any other piece of equipment any rider puts on a horse.

2 Likes

Yes when used correctly. What we are saying on this thread is not that they should not be used at all, but they are dangerous to use when jumping.

I was also taught to never put on a standing martingale for jumping. The horse can’t lift its head if it is going to fall, the same as with the draw reins. But it seems that outside our Club a lot of riders do that as well.

1 Like

I have never noticed a large quantity of horses at hunter shows falling to the ground because they are unable to lift their head if it stumbles or such.

6 Likes

don’t watch morning workouts at the track then. its a regular occurrence and It makes my face boil mad.

I have done it. But we always had the draw reins (if using them between the fore-legs, run under the neck piece of the martingale so they were not flapping in the breeze and causing further chance of them getting caught in a hoof.

We never jumped higher than 2/2’6 with them on and we always used them under light contact o/f. They were only used on a particular mare who was extremely rushy, unconcentrated, unbalanced and often unpredictable to the jumps.

They were not used regularly. We limited o/f work to 1-2x per week and the draw reins were only ever used in our lessons.

Under experienced hands and experienced eyes, they can be a useful tool with helping the green-bean find balance and and control.

However, I believe we as an industry have become reliant on draw reins and they are a norm nowadays. Gone are the days of working horses from the ground in side reins and going through the motions to teach proper balance and working their body. Draw reins are the quick fix! It is now the norm to see Grand Prix riders exit the arena and return with draw reins on their mount for the trophy presentation. We see horses regularly going around the ring behind the vertical even under professional riders.

I think there is a time and a place for draw reins. But I think we need to go back to the days of proper ground work and training from the ground up producing soft and supple horses. Take the draw reins off and 9x out of 10 you are back to square one.

1 Like

I think criticizing a GP rider for using draw reins for the trophy presentation/victory gallop is a little much and NOT indicative of people over using draw reins.

I rarely see or hear of a trainer suggesting draw reins. IMO if a horse needs balance and control over 2’/2”6’ fences, it has holes in its flat work. It doesn’t need draw reins.

As far as race horses, that’s completely unrelated but I know you don’t like to waste an opportunity to trash racing.

5 Likes

I think it goes to show what kind of world we live in now. cant even do a victory gallop or walk into a trophy presentation without the horse in head gear.

You clearly have never been in that situation.

5 Likes

Must be new to the sport…it’s nothing new to add them if high powered, over revved GP horse is known to get excited in the presentation or victory gallop. Or to just ride a different horse in the ceremony. Been seeing it occasionally since the early 70s, also seen what happens if they don’t put something on a known to be difficult horse in the presentation ceremony. Not ideal. but not a bad idea on some of those horses that jump giants for a living. Appreciated by other riders in the presentation ceremony not to mention those on the ground,

5 Likes