Does anybody else have this problem? What the heck am I doing wrong?! Every time I ride, especially when we are cantering, my reins get wedged under the front of my saddle pad. Super frustrating as I will get my mare cantering, get her balanced and round, and then have to quit a few strides later because my reins are wedged under my saddle pad. Last night I had my biggest scare to date when my reins got really, really wedged and I lost all steering and had to just slam on the brakes to keep from crashing into another rider. I ride with my reins held english style, and have this problem with pretty much every style of reins I have tried. Right now I am riding in english braided reins, but have had my mohair reins get wedged and my yacht rope reins as well. Help!
I’m having a hard time figuring out how this would happen? Like is it the part of the rein in between your hands and the bit or is it the bight of the reins?
I have the same issue but it’s with my hunt saddle. It’s so weird. It’s like the movement of the horse’s shoulder sucks the bight in LOL. I’ve figured out that if the excess part of the reins is longer, it doesn’t happen as much. Or if you tie a knot in the end of the extra, it will keep it from getting under the pad.
I’ve had this happen in an english saddle. Different length reins seem to fix it. The knot can help.
You could try a roping rein. They’re shorter and one piece.
Depending on the dynamics, a breastcollar might help too, just because the rein might be kept outside of the saddle/pad combo that way.
It’s the bight of the rein that gets stuck. Its like it just gets sucked in under the saddle pad and then gets really stuck there hard. It is very hard to get it unstuck while in motion.
Most of my reins are roping reins, and they get stuck too.
I will try putting a knot in the end, but that might make working on long trot and free walk harder too. :no:
You could go the other way and use longer, wider split reins. Which can be held and operated like snaffle reins with a little creative thinking. The extra length gives them a little more weight and doesnt get caught under the front corner of the pad so easy…if that makes sense…hard to describe but two longer ends can work better then shorter reins with a bight.
The other solution is a saddle pad that’s smaller or has rounded corners…assuming you are using a big square Western type pad? One of the things that crops up when you mix equipment from different disciplines is unforseen problems with things that aren’t really made to work together, like reins with a bight held on contact with a big square cornered pad and Western saddle, tangle with the horn too. They do make schooling type pads for Western saddles that are smaller and fit closer to the saddle edge eliminating that space stuff can end up caught in. Thinner pad can also help. We used to use Navajos, they sat right down on the horse and there wasn’t as much of them in front of the saddle to catch things.
When I find that happening it usually means I need to move my hand(s) more forward…
This is my saddle and saddle pad: http://imgur.com/a/DbRDC I use a CSI pad as my mare is slightly asymmetrical, so that pad with a shim helps me feel like I am not sitting crooked all the time.
I have tried split reins in the past (technically I am suppose to show in split reins) and always gave myself hand cramps. :grief: But, maybe I wasn’t holding them correctly, I suppose I could give them a try again.
They have varying widths and weights for split reins. Not all are created equal.
If you can ride one handed, maybe try romal reins. If you have to use 2 hands, I would try longer, heavier split reins. When I use 2 hands on my split reins, there is not much spare rein between my hands. The reins are bridged with both reins in each hand and I have the tails of the reins out over each shoulder of my horse. This means that the tail of the right rein is over the left shoulder, etc. I use my hands more as if I was riding one handed…both moving more or less together.
How do you hold roping reins? I see that they are all one piece.
I used to have this problem with my mecate. Since I rode with a snaffle bit I used two hands. My problem was allowing too much “slop” between my hands. Turns out I was supposed to coil the excess and hold the loop in one hand. Who knew? Well, not me, till I searched youtube and found a Buck video about it. :lol:
Now I ride with split reins and a curb bit, so as long as I keep my hands forward enough it doesn’t happen.
This, bridge the split reins. The right one goes down the left side, left down the right and both go across between your hands and thru each hand on top of each other. Maybe hard to visualize but it works. Best to get away from thinking in terms of the thinner, lighter reins popular in the English world and get a nice, soft, wider split rein. Heavier is better then lighter so they drop and fall away instead of flopping around getting stuck. Hold them in each hand and bridged between your hands before buying, find what’s comfortable for you.
The horn and swells complicate where/how you hold your hands and any reins trying to put them in the correct position for riding on contact with a low hand and level topline, like in Hunters or Hunt Seat Eq. You have to adjust where your hands are as well as the reins. Generally, a little higher and closer together then you would in a saddle without a horn or lower and father apart.
I hold them like english reins. http://imgur.com/a/Sncv7
In that very test I ended up with my reins caught just as we were suppose to go into free walk. I remember my moment of panic, haha!
I have that happen sometimes too. If I choose to ride with a breastcollar, that prevents my split reins from getting wedged under the front of the saddle pad.
I usually just “deal with it”.
I’ve had that happen too, it’s so weird! I’m not currently riding western often enough to have the problem or to try and fix it. I usually just kept an eye on my reins and readjusted as necessary. I rode one handed on cutting horses so it was pretty easy to readjust. I think it’s the shoulder motion that pushes the rein back into the pad, then the movement of the shoulder helps push the reins under the pad.
A breast collar is a good idea, I would also try either shorter reins such as a roping rein or a weighted split rein. The weight should help keep the reins from flapping around and getting pushed back, plus a high quality pair of weighted splits feels wonderful in the hand once they’re broke in. You can ride two handed in a split rein too
I don’t think I want to ride in a breast collar. She is already an inch lower in the front, and I have made modifications to my pad and got a TSF girth to try to keep things from going up on to her shoulders.
I did finally find an old pair of nylon split reins (I knew I had them around here somewhere!) that I am going to experiment with tonight before I go out and buy leather ones. See if the knot or carrying them split helps things not get sucked up under the pad.
A breastcollar should not be pulling your saddle forward, or you’ve got it WAY too tight.
I can see how the ends of the reins might occasionally slip under the front corner of the saddle pad, but I’m not sure how that means that you lose the ability to steer and stop, since the rein between the horse’s mouth and your hand isn’t stuck? Maybe I’m not picturing exactly what you’re describing. When the tails of my reins get stuck, I just lift them out/away during the next break I take and move on. Do you possibly have any photos or video of the problem you’re having?
If even closed/roping reins are getting stuck, I have to wonder if your saddle is too far forward. Just an idea.
I think your saddle looks too far forward, but the photo angle is not good. I agree with findeight that if you are mixing English and Western tack and methods you may be creating problems. If you are going to ride and compete two handed, you need to hold the reins correctly. There is an imaginary box in front of the cantle and that is where your hands should be.
Breastcollar should never be tight, you should be able to easily slip your hand under the center in front and that won’t pull the saddle forward. It’s more to prevent the saddle from sliding back or slipping off one side or the other, never for pulling a saddle forward.
I used to have the same issue when using light weight split reins or any other type of rein on my horse, getting heavier splits that were a better quality and weighted solved that problem. Depending on what bit I’m using and what I’m doing I switch between 1 and 2 handed riding, once you figure out how to hold them comfortably both ways you won’t need a knot or anything like that on them.
