I’ve noticed several different rein types – is there a clear advantage of one over the other?
Leather split reins with no snaps, regular snaps and scissor snaps. I would drop split reins, doesn’t everyone else? A tie on rein seems more secure than a snap, and a scissor snap more secure than regular snap – is there an advantage to a snap?
Roping reins – one piece (yay), with snaps or slobber straps. Lots of colors. Does the length matter?
Barrel reins - these look like roping reins but they buckle on instead of tie, snap or slobber. What makes them more suitable for barrel racing?
Rommel reins – these are beautiful, but come with an attached over/under – it seems like that would get in the way.
I only ride in a snaffle, no shanks. So does the weight of the rein due to slobber strap or leather thickness make a difference? Some of the rope reins are made of such a light braid they feel like nothing.
Right now I am using my dressage reins which buckle on. They are 3/4 inch. I notice the leather western reins seem be thinner.
I use leather split reins with no snaps with a curb bit. Some western horses are taught to “tie” when you drape one rein over a rail or just drop it on the ground, so you need them to be separate. There are probably other reasons, too - I’ve only been learning real western riding for about a year:) - so I hope someone else will chime in.
I have used mecate (rope) reins with slobber straps (not on your list, jbut you can see one here: http://eclectic-horseman.com/putting…n-your-mecate/.) I like having the lead rope, but I’ve been told that yes, the weight of the slobber straps can be significant.
I have also used one-piece rope reins. You need them to be pretty long so your horse has room to get his head all the way down to the ground - he may need to do this in tricky footing, for example. So then there is a lot of extra rein that you need to keep coiled between your hands (as discussed in the linked article)
when the horse doesn’t have his head all the way to the ground, which of course is most of the time.
My one-piece reins had the scissor snaps. It took Conjure about three rides to figure out how to act like he had an itch and release the scissor snaps.:eek: Stacy Westfall I am not:lol: so I 86-d the scissor snaps.
Back in the olden days, when showing in recognized shows, the type of reins you had dictated your hand position. For instance, with split reins and a curb bit, you weren’t allowed to have more than one hand on the reins. If the reins had a romal, you could hold the reins in one hand and the romal in the other hand. Roping reins weren’t allowed. These rules didn’t apply for barrel racing and other events of that type. Working from memory here–I don’t know what current rules say.
Of course, if you’re not showing, you can use whatever type of reins you like!
If you show some times styles are in the rule book and you have to hold certain reins a certain way. You also hold different styles differently.
The snaps are known to sometimes open up, so that is always a concern. Snaps are just quick to change.
I can’t stand slobber straps. Nothing worse than something bobbing around on the horses mouth. Length would matter if horse had a long neck/reach
I have many sets of Rommel and not sure what you mean by over under. Nothing gets in the way of the ones I have.
Slobber straps are to add weight I believe. I have seen a heavier rein on less trained horses.
Rommel was also called the Desert Fox, was a general in Hitler’s army.
Romal reins are those reins the Californio vaqueros used that were a loop of rein with a tail off the middle.
Romal reins in working cowhorse classes have to be held a certain way and only that way, or you may get disqualified.
Romal reins are generally used on the more finished horses, they are to be held in one hand, the tail in the other.
For horses still in the bosal or snaffle, reins are generally used two handed.
Those in the far West tend to be single rein mecate long enough for a get-down rope, in the SW split reins.
Always if showing is good to read the rule book, there are important differences in rules from one discipline to another and divisions and shows to others.
I ride in split reins 95% of the time. Pretty rare to drop one. Are you habitually dropping reins?
I personally ride with small scissor snaps. I don’t like the weight of larger snaps. I like having snaps on my reins because I’m always playing around with different headgear based on what I am doing for the day, so it makes it very easy to switch bridles with snapping the reins on/off.
I also like split riding for trail riding because if I need to get off to open a gate, I’m not having to flip reins over a horse’s head. Or, on the rare occasion I fall off … I can often still keep a hold of one of the reins so that my horse doesn’t run home (can’t do that with a roping rein).
And once in a while, the split reins are handy to tie a horse quickly if need be. I don’t like to tie a horse with their bridle on, but sometimes the situation calls for it.
You will see these in both leather and nylon options. It’s going to be personal preferance on the length.
Usually the barrel reins are going to be a little shorter than a roping rein. They also come in leather or nylon options. Usually, barrel reins will have some sort of “knots” on them whereas a roping rein will not. This is to give you a “spot” to quickly find on the rein when you go to make a turn. I also put scissor snaps on my barrel reins, because it’s easy to swap out colors. I prefer to barrel race in nylon knotted reins.
They are advantageous in a barrel run because things happen quickly and you need to respond quickly. I keep my competition reins very short. When my horse is walking around with their head relaxed, I can barely reach the reins. But when it’s GO time, they’re perfect in length and I’m not jumbling with excess rein.
No, that’s not an over/under (although you could certainly use it as one). It’s just how the reins are designed. As Bluey said, they are meant to be held with a single hand on the reins, and then the “free” hand holds the tail.
Yes, weight makes a difference. When you are riding a finished bridle horse (in a curb bit), a heavier rein is nicer because you can be even more subtle with your rein cue and the horse will still feel it.
I like a nice heavy harness leather rein when I show, for that reason.
But for barrel racing, I want a nice quick light rein for quick adjustments.
Leather reins come in a variety of thicknesses. You can get 3/4 if you want.
I didn’t notice that barrel reins are shorter – makes sense and since I am a trail rider, won’t be needing those!
Rommel – hehe – love that
Romal reins: if that tail isn’t used as an over/under – what is it’s purpose? Certainly not just to hold?
Split reins: well I don’t know as I would drop them, but I think I would. Trail riding with english reins, I sometimes set them down to take a photo, or to get something out of my cantle bag. I don’t think I could do that with split reins.
Mecate: I forgot those, but am familiar with them. On trail, I would ride with a rope halter under my english bridle, effectvely doing the same thing – maybe that is what I should get.
Snaps: okay, forget all of them, I don’t need them to come undone, and I don’t think I would be changing reins much.
So that leaves tie-on/buckle on reins, which are usually split, or rope reins that would need slobber straps… Or, I suppose I could continue to use my English reins and not worry about it…
I doubt that you’ll drop split reins. It happens, but pretty infrequently. I ride with them bridged with the left rein over the neck to the right and vice versa. Some folks ride with them bridged a bit differently - the tails on one side of the horse and the excess carried in one hand. They took a bit of getting used to when I switched from English riding, but I love them now. They’re handy. Personally, I only use the ones with water loops and tie laces. Not all split reins are made the same. Mine are 5/8" in width and 8’ in length. They can range in width (5/8", 3/4", 1/2" being most common) and length (7’ or 8’, generally). They can also vary in weight.
As far as putting down my reins for a moment, I simply set them behind the horn.
Romals are designed in parts and with purpose. You have the reins, and then you have the romal. The romal is larger in diameter than the reins and designed to give them balance. The quirt on the end can be used as a popper to back up your aids or for moving cattle. Romal reins, too, can vary in length, weight, feel, quality, and material.
There can be a lot of options with English gear. However, I’ve found that there are almost endless choices for Western tack. From purpose, to quality, to construction… it really ranges. A lot of the Weaver Leather gear is pretty decent and not going to shatter your bank account, especially if you’re looking have various workable set ups or experimenting to find your fit.
Romal reins are traditional vaquero holdovers. They are detachable and could have many other uses out on the range from lead rope to hobble. Vaqueros dont throw a lasso and dally rope preferring other methods, including a pic, requiring more use of the hands. You can’t drop and lose a rein with a romal and the whole assembly gives you more length, drops over that dinner plate horn nicely to free your hands.
I am not fond of any extra not very necessary stuff, especially if attached to other, but can see why some may want to have that.
I would at least use a string I could pull the tail off by the horn and turn it loose quickly, if I needed that kind of arrangement.
Guess that would help you be able to let go of the too short reins without losing them up the horse’s neck?
Unless I am showing, I ride with my split reins like bitranchy said. I have them crossed over the horse’s mane. I can set the reins down if need be, and I can quickly and easily adjust slack if I need to ride two handed.
But even if you don’t ride with them crossed, you can hook them over the saddle horn if you need to put them down for a moment.
I’m been riding with scissor snaps for 25+ years. I’ve only had one come undone ONE TIME. It was strange too, because I was actually in the middle of the barrel run and went to cue my horse to set up for the 3rd barrel and my outside rein suddenly gave way. I thought it had broken. But the snap was intact when I stopped and got off my horse. I’m thinking it bounced into just the “wrong” position on the bit that when I picked up the reins, it caused it to open.
Totally freak thing.
I’ve had the leather ties breaks on reins here and there over the years, but never the snaps. So if anything, leather ties are more notorious for problems!!
I have seen this product advertised too. I have seen some barrel racers warming their horses up with something similar (a piece of twine is a cheap extension, LOL) but it would be a hinderance to use during an actual barrel run.
I think this piece of equipment would be most utilized in the endurance industry, or with trail riders going on long rides.
I am at a dressage and hunter barn, but I ran into one gal who is switching to western and saw her split reins. They are pretty long and she rode with them crossed over the neck. It didn’t look like they would slide off, even if dropped. What is the purpose of the split rein, anyway? It isn’t like you really tie your horse with one (ground tie or tie rail), or do you?
Do split reins and romal reins imply that you are riding one-handed? And does one-handed riding imply a shanked bit of some sort? I only have experience with a snaffle, so I assumed I would continue to ride two-handed.
I actually used my own boomarein – a backpack cinch strap from REI. I tied it to my bucking strap on my english saddle and would snap it around the reins if I needed to have both hands free for an extended time. Twine or leather string might be a more appropriate idea!
Length and weight are another issue. I understood slobber straps were to protect horsehair reins (ouch!) from getting wet when you let your horse drink. And now have learned they help with a curb/shanked bit. I will have to pay attention to the weights.
I really want a nicely made quirt… I am going to have to research the romal reins a bit more. I have never seen anyone riding in them. Maybe they just are practical for just a trail rider…
As I already stated above, yes they are handy if you do need to quickly tie your horse (either ground tie, or tie them to something solid). On the ranch, you may have to do that from time to time. And yes, they are handy if one falls off, you usually can still keep a hold of one rein while on the ground (can’t really do that with a single roping rein). I just simply find them much more adaptable and adjustable than a single roping rein.
Whatever you do use, make sure it can BREAK. If you would get into a wreck of some kind (maybe the horse steps through the rein when their head is down), you don’t want to make the wreck worse than it could be if the reins are now also essentially attached to your saddle.
Romal reins – one handed
Split reins – either way.
You CAN ride one handed in a snaffle. Riding one handed just means the horse is trained to neck rein and/or ride from your leg cues. You can do that in either a snaffle or a curb.
But not all curbs are good “candidates” to ride two-handed with. Some are okay, and others are not designed for it. Just depends on the bit.
I show with Romal and split reins (I like 5/8" with waterloop ends), depending on the division and horse I"m showing.
But all my snaffle bit horses at home get ridden with laced english reins. It’s just a preference.
I am not at all a fan of roping reins. They are designed to be minimal to stay out of a roper’s way, but I find they teach most riders who are not experienced enough to perch forward and open their fingers to release instead of moving their forearms forward.
Rein types are like tools, you need the right tool for the job and you need to know how to use the tool. Just because you see somebody else using a tool incorrectly or even dangerously, does not mean you should too.
And if you aren’t sure, wait until you research and learn how to use it correctly and safely.
On a personal note, I hate snaps. Found they can get too much movement and irriitate some horses so they are not the tool for me.
This had me chuckling recalling a long ago experience with hot new headstall and rein set that was going to “revolutionize” the way the entire industry used bridles.
I was young and impressionable at the time so just had to have one. Basically, it was a normal headstall with browband and throat latch with matching, good width and weight split reins…and snaps sewn into the cheekpieces and rein ends. Priced about 30% more then a standard headstall and split rein set.
The claim was it was a great timesaver when switching bits. At the time I was riding several a day, all pretty finished training wise, that took different bits, seemed like a good idea. It didn’t work out that way. The bits, curb or snaffle were not held securely in the mouth. Oh, it would be fine until you picked up a canter or did any circles or the horse shook its head or mouthed the bit, then the bit would shift, the horse would shake its head…and the rein snaps would rattle. Had one that gave me the worst ride of my life when he snapped at a fly and set off the rattle effect. I had to get off, scared himself silly and yes I had used rein snaps on him before with no issues.
Had a barn neighbor who was a self styled " Arab trainer", kind of an idiot, I sold it to him for 90% of what I paid. His horses hated it too but he didn’t notice any difference…like I said, his talent as a trainer was questionable.
I am riding in my Engiish laced reins, but I find I am getting the leftover loop caught on the horn occasionally – like I don’t have a place to set them down. But I am comfortable with the leather rein rather than rope.
I think I am going to give split reins a try. In general, what is the benefit of heavier reins when used with a snaffle? A quieter ride, or simply rider preference?
I prefer to barrel race in nylon knotted reins.