Side reins for lunging...yea or nay?

[outerbanks77]

I use these, but on higher rings than shown in the photo: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Busse-Leather-Cord-Lauffer-Reins-Sliding-Side-Reins-Lunge-Training-Aid-/272189123437?_ul=IL

On rare occasions, but never elastic or donut side reins. This type of running rein gives the horse more options for comfortable head positions, but still gives a little more of a channel to work in vs. no side reins. Current horse I avoided using them at all but she is one that will push into pressure and was getting very difficult to get cantering under saddle. A few minute a day in the side reins and she is a different animal now with agreeing to go forward and cantering so much better. I don’t think I would have gotten the same result if I’d tried to use them before she had enough long lining and under saddle work to understand the reins and bit somewhat though.

I also agree that Manolo and others do a great job building good posture without side reins, but in the case of this particular horse, it was easier on everyone involved to use them to get us past a rough patch. When I see regular side reins used, it is usually improperly, positioned to bang the bars of the mouth, and the horses end up going BTV and avoiding contact. I’m sure they can be used to better effect, but I think the running rein is, of course not fool proof, but not quite such a fine line to get a positive effect.

[lenapesadie]

@blue_heron

But IMO long lining requires a feel that most people don’t have. (not saying they don’t work for you)

I think part of the discourse with side reins is that people think they stay one length for the duration of the session. I change the length of my side reins probably 3-4 times in the 1/2 hr I longe.

I hear you and I am not offended! Long lining is a bit of a skill. I find it’s less complicated if the horse has a solid, prompt forward response to a verbal cue.

And I completely agree that issues with proper adjustments of the side reins is the biggest pitfall and IMO it’s the walk that suffers the most for it. Particularly with greener horses.

[danhelm441]

@blue_heron

I like using side reins to “teach” and cement the idea of contact because they will always be steady. There’s no possibility of banging hands or weird avoidances. You go straight into the hand and everything will be stable.

Does that mean they’re only useful at the trot? I’ve never seen a horse lunged with them, tbh, but would imagine there would be slack at walk and canter.

[blue_heron]

Well, as mentioned the downside is that the walk can become lateral if the side reins aren’t used properly. But of course you can ride a horse into a lateral walk as well if your hands aren’t forgiving and the horse is tense. I’ve seen a lot of trail horses with timid riders that have lateral walks and a lot of Grand prix horses with tight reins and poor toplines that have lateral walk.

I choose to do my first walk circles on the longe with no side reins. My longe routine looks like this:

1. Walk warm up, no side reins. We walk around the whole ring a few times and then do a few circles on the line.
2. Attach side reins “loosely,” walk and warm up trot both directions, looking for forward and down/out.
3. Tighten 1-2 holes, canter circle both directions.
4. Tighten 1-2 holes again, actual work in one direction (usually the weaker side). Usually this is a lot of transitions between gaits, mostly trot and canter. Make the gait bigger and smaller using my body language, the whip, and voice aids.
5. Loosen 2-3 holes, walk/trot break in other direction. Look for stretch and relaxation.
6. Tighten 2-3 holes, transition work in the direction I haven’t done yet, mostly trot and canter.
7. Undo side reins, let horse stretch at walk and trot without side reins. Walk horse out.

My horse is fit and comfy wtc in a 3/4th level frame. On a lower level horse, the canter circles and a few trot canter or canter trot transitions might be the only “real” work we do on the longe and I would probably only adjust my side reins once.

ETA: I also do leg yields in hand, piaffe, and walk piros in side reins and a cavesson to keep the shoulders in line.

ETA 2: I just realized I never actually answered your question. They are useful in every gait, but the walk is the one people are advising you to be careful in. Sometimes they can go a little slack/tight at the canter, but ultimately they should be pretty steady in the outside rein, so the farthest side rein from you. I’m okay if the inside rein comes looser. I do want to reduce the floppiness though, hence why I said not to get the heavy ones. The side reins with elastic will also help.

[SuzieQNutter]

@lenapesadie

I think it’s far too easy to eff up the walk with side reins

You never walk in side reins it can cause a lateral walk.

Side reins do not kill and maim horses. People using side reins incorrectly kill and main horses.

Lunging in sidereins is a skill and you go up the levels the same as in dressage. It is also just as fascinating as riding and is not boring to horse or rider.

There is no point lunging without side reins, you are just running a horse around at the end of a rope.

You must be taught how to lunge a horse correctly.

You do not lunge for long. The saying is ‘10 minutes of lunging is equal to an hour of riding.’

The horse should be responsive to voice aids and be able to walk, trot and canter quietly on command without them.

You always warm up without side reins. You always put the reins on extra loose as the horse must always go forward in side reins, they must never take even one step backwards. You put them on loose to make sure they are thinking forward and that they have not got a grass seed or something in their gum overnight that will affect them wanting to go forward that was not seen whilst grooming.

Once the reins are on. Halt to trot transitions only. No walk. Changing direction is a form of reward. You want quality not quantity. The horse should stay in each gait without the whip.

You must take the reins off and walk both ways after lunging. Other wise instead of having a calm horse that will walk on the lunge. You have one that will always go straight to trot and that is the fault of the lunger.

I never use and refuse to use and will never ever use elasticized side reins. They can teach a horse to pull and lean. I cut the donuts off and turn them into solid side reins. JMHO.

@sportyspicepony

Side reins don’t give any release on the mouth (as far as I can tell on my own anyway…)

The reins are too tight there should never be a pull on the horse from the reins. They should not be used to pull a horse’s head in. The side reins should not pull on the bit. The release comes when the horse gives to the side reins from going forward into the side reins.

You need to be taught correctly. If you were taught to do this find someone else to learn from.

@gertie06

I have a green horse who needs to develop his topline and stretch down.

Yes my horses are stretching right down in the side reins. The stretching down and then coming up to work is changed by the lunger not the length of the reins. I can take them from stretch to working to stretch again. I do this with my body not the reins.

@sportyspicepony

was that she didn’t seem to really understand the contact they were giving her and it was more effective for me to just ride her.

Horses learn fast. Do not make the mistake of thinking you need to shorten the reins to teach them. You keep them at a length longer than most people use and the horse will learn. Nothing the first day nothing the second day. An inkling the 3rd day and you build from there. They can be taught contact not under saddle.

@Scribbler

Sidereins mimic a low fixed hand, and I don’t feel that’s a useful way to ride.

The more advanced the lunging horse, the higher the side reins are placed. The more advanced a riding horse the higher the hands are held.

Horses lunged correctly have correct muscling and a quiet mind and are a Joy to ride. If lunged incorrectly they are frantic, work the incorrect muscles and can go over backwards and kill themselves.

All the above is the fault of the lunger. Not the side reins, even when solid ones are used.

[lenapesadie]

@SuzieQNutter

You never walk in side reins it can cause a lateral walk.

Yes well I’m not lunging horses in side reins at all. But most green horses do their trot transitions through the walk sooooooo there really isn’t a way for them to be lunged in side reins and avoid walking. And, unfortunately, many handlers do work the walk in side reins (incorrectly in your, mine and many others opinion). So my opinion still stands, far too easy to eff up the walk using side reins; I prefer long lining.

[Scribbler]

My horses longe quietly to voice commands. I can get correct inside bend with a rope halter or cavesson and using a bit of shoulder fore or shoulder in at the trot. My coach can get horses to stretch into bascule and move correctly over the back longeing in a rope halter. Trying to get as consistently good at is as she is. I agree that much longeing I see is frantic and unbalanced. If my horses need to burn off steam they get run and buck turnout. Longeing is not for that.

[SuzieQNutter]

I totally agree however what you did not mention was work. You can work a horse and the correct muscles in side reins. The trainers effing up walk in side reins is not the fault of the side reins.

Even foals in the paddock can do halt trot transitions. It is not a high level movement and is easier for the horse on the lunge than with a rider on top. I have had no problem with that. My horse can do that before being broken in.

Some one suggested a chambon for my medium trained mare. She would stretch down in that but with her hocks trailing and doing no work. I can do both with them in the side reins.

[sportyspicepony]

@SuzieQNutter

The reins are too tight there should never be a pull on the horse from the reins. They should not be used to pull a horse’s head in. The side reins should not pull on the bit. The release comes when the horse gives to the side reins from going forward into the side reins.

You need to be taught correctly. If you were taught to do this find someone else to learn from.

Even on the last hole, the reins still have some contact with the mouth and as someone else said up thread, mimic a low fixed hand, banging on the bars of the mouth.

[lenapesadie]

Foals can do passage and flying changes too. Most green horses do their trot transitions through the walk. As is appropriate for their place on the training scale.

That’s great side reins work for you and your horses. Lots of people feel the same way.

[lenapesadie]

Right.

[J-Lu]

Yes, side reins are good to use when longing if used properly. Some horses longe with their head in the air and a hollow back, and side reins can help show the horse where to put his/her body when longing. I’ve never seen them cause a lateral walk in a horse that wasn’t prone to a lateral walk anyway, but I’ve never seen anyone use them so poorly either.

I use side reins when starting a horse longing. I used them with my current horse when he was young and when I was bringing him back to work (after my not riding for 3 months). I’ve also free-longed him in a roundpen. There’s no reason why a horse should go around in a roundpen unbalanced unless the horse isn’t well trained or developed/balanced yet.

These days, I free longe my horse in the arena. He goes by voice commands and maintains a circle around me. I don’t even need a whip unless he’s super lazy that day. He also stretches and maintains a decent frame most of the time. He does this because he knows (learned) that longing is part of work. Under saddle, he works with a posture (over the back and round), and he free longes in that posture. I’ve also done a lot of ground work with him and we have a very good partnership. When he’s not spooking!

[SuzieQNutter]

@sportyspicepony

@SuzieQNutter

The reins are too tight there should never be a pull on the horse from the reins. They should not be used to pull a horse’s head in. The side reins should not pull on the bit. The release comes when the horse gives to the side reins from going forward into the side reins.

You need to be taught correctly. If you were taught to do this find someone else to learn from.

Even on the last hole, the reins still have some contact with the mouth and as someone else said up thread, mimic a low fixed hand, banging on the bars of the mouth.

If the reins are too tight on the last hole create more holes with a hole punch or get longer side reins. They come in different sizes. An experienced lunger can use baling twine in a pinch. It is not the holes in the reins that say the side reins are long enough. It is the horse’s neck and level of training who say how long those side reins should be… There should be no banging on the bars of the mouth at any time, whether the horse is being lunged or ridden. That does not cause confidence in the bit. As also said lunging in side reins is something you need to be taught, not learn yourself or from someone who lunges incorrectly.

As said to the poster who said that. Side reins put on too low will cause the same as a rider with too low hands. Side reins are put on to the height of the experience of the horse. That is what the rings are for on surcingles. The more advanced the horse, the higher the side reins are attached.

As also noted above the horse goes from stretching low to up and working because of the lunger and being forward not because of reins being tightened. This is the difference of working back to front. Tightening the reins is working front to back.

[quote=“lenapesadie, post:30, topic:759408”]
Foals can do passage and flying changes too.[/quote]

Yes and without the weight of a rider. I both lunge and long rein before breaking in. They are doing halt trot transitions before they are backed. As I also said I only do it for minutes a day. Lunging of young horses or really any horse is not good for them if prolonged.

The vaulting horses have seen are usually very highly trained dressage horses and are lunged for longer but not as collected as when they are ridden.

[endlessclimb]

I have side reins, vienna reins, and a chambon.

When I want OUT and down, I use the chambon. It does not impact the tip of the nose at all. Adjust so the tension hits when the poll is 2-3" above the wither. I won’t do a full session in it, because it’s too easy for the horse to get excessively on the forehand.

The vienna reins and the side reins I use based on horse preference. Young horse prefers the vienna reins. Old Man prefers the side reins (though it’s a rare day he gets lunged anymore, honestly). The vienna reins allow the horse to find a comfortable place, and gives them more options in my opinion. I’ve not seen vienna reins with elastic, but I’m sure you could just clip them to a short piece of tubing or something if you wanted more give.

[lenapesadie]

That’s great side reins work for you and your horses. Lots of folks feel the same way.

[SuzieQNutter]

@lenapesadie

That’s great side reins work for you and your horses. Lots of folks feel the same way.

Yes, Mum used to lament when I was a youngster that she wished I would lunge the horses as much as I lunged the dog!

I didn’t lunge much as an ammie. I was too busy galloping around the State Forest.

I learned about side reins working for a Grand Prix Dressage Rider. Then I lost the use of my right arm and had lecture after lecture from Doctors that I would never ride again. I should be at home having babies.

Yeah right!

But the years my arm was really bad I kept the horses in work with lunging and learnt even more from the horses than with the Grand Prix Rider.

I would love to take a course to long rein and lunge like they do at the SRS. I dont know of anyone doing that in Queensland., Australia.

And Ingrid Klimke, who everyone has to admit is one of the best riders in the world and could ride rings around just about all of us on this forum, says her youngsters are lunged solely every second day and ridden every second day. With the lunging them on there own in side reins they get to find their own rhythm and tempo. So even she thinks she can’t do that as well in the saddle and I am willing to bet that her youngsters are better than our horses.

[lenapesadie]

That’s great that side reins work for you and your horses. Lots of people feel the same way.

Including Ingrid and her dad. She certainly could outride me.

Anky could also outride me. That doesn’t mean that I agree that all of her methods are the best.

Not every successful horseman ties their horses’ heads down.

Different strokes for different folks.

[SuzieQNutter]

@lenapesadie

Not every successful horseman ties their horses’ heads down.

Different strokes for different folks.

Who is tying their horses heads down? Lunging correctly in side reins is not tying a horse’s head down. Incorrectly lunging with side reins is tying a horses head down.

[lenapesadie]

No, side reins are indeed a device that ties the horse’s head down. Like it or not that is exactly what attaching reins from the head to the girth/surcingle is doing. Their whole purpose is to prevent the horse from going around inverted with its head up.

[Bluey]

@lenapesadie

No, side reins are indeed a device that ties the horse’s head down. Like it or not that is exactly what attaching reins from the head to the girth/surcingle is doing. Their whole purpose is to prevent the horse from going around inverted with its head up.

Maybe properly used side reins is a skill that some have yet to learn: