Side reins - w/ elastic, donut, or all leather?

[Invite]

My side reins with donuts are about 17 years old. I don’t lunge all that often, as I prefer to long line, but still these side reins have held up and are still in super condition. I don’t know the brand, as any stamp they may have had has worn off. All I remember is they were made in Germany and have nice thick donuts that are rugged, but offer a little stretch. My parents paid ALL the bills back when I got the side reins, so I don’t remember the price, but I remeber they were pricey. Something in my mind tells me they were in the $75 range. My mom was always big into the “buy the best you can afford b/c it will last if you care for it” and in this case she was so right.

I used my friend’s all leather side reins on one of her horses that I was lunging for her and found the horse wanted to get behind the bit and really curl up his neck in an unnatural manner. I didn’t care for them at all.

I find the elastic side reins to be way too stretchy.

[rileyt]

I have used all three types on many different types of horses. I think the important thing is to pick the right kind for your horse. Here’s my list of pros and cons:

1. Donuts. I think these are good ones for many horses, as they have a bit of give, but don’t encourage pulling (which I’ve seen with the elastic ones). The big drawback is that I don’t think they are a good choice for horses with very sensitive mouths (and/or horses that drop behind the bit). Some sensitive horses (I’ve found especially with TBs) object to the donuts flopping around. So too with a novice horse who is still learning to lunge, it can be unsettling. I do a lot of retraining of OTTBs, and I’ve found that the donuts frequently bother them, but not all of them. I think the donuts work very well on most warmbloods, crossbreds, and bigger/stronger (and perhaps somewhat less sensitive) horses.

2. Plain. I think plain side reins are my second choice for most horses, as I prefer the give in the donuts. The advantage of the plain reins is that they are frequently the lightest, so they can work very well for a horse who objects to the weight of the donuts, or the banging around. The drawback is that there is no give, so they are not a good choice for any horse you have concerns about rearing, feeling trapped, or otherwise getting “stuck” and not moving forward. For these reasons I generally avoid them with horses who are just learning to lunge, or any retraining project where the horse doesn’t have the forward button sufficiently established.

3. Elastic. Generally I dislike the elastic, as I think its gives TOO much. It can encourage a horse to pull, and can encourage a less-than-steady connection. I wouldn’t use it with any hard-mouthed or heavy horse. And I’d certainly never use it with a horse who is disrespectful of the bit (or roots/pulls etc.). There are some advantages however: 1) I like them for a horse’s first few times on the lunge, as they are lightweight, and help avoid that “trapped” feeling that some horses can have. 2) For horses who go behind the bit, and/or are very sensitive in the mouth, the elastic is lightweight, and gives, so it can encourage a horse to stretch forward and seek the contact.

I think its a matter of picking the right side-rein for your horse, his sensitivity level, his training level, and his particular training issues.

[BaroquePony]

Very nice descriptions rileyt and that is basically how I use side reins. You just explained it might better than I did.

[Sister7]

I really like the balancing side reins like this. My sensitive/soft-mouthed TB does not do well with the doughnut reins. I also have a pair of leather/elastic side reins that I use on greenies. They have heavy elastic and I have had no problems with them stretching.