The bridle of the horse I lease has reins that attach to the bit by looping through a ring (photo). They are rubber reins, and have a normal buckle at the other end. I would like to buy a new pair, as they are getting pretty raggedy, but have no idea what they are called or where to find them. I have looked at a ridiculous number of tack sites and catalogues (as if I need an excuse!), but no luck. Any help would be much appreciated! TIA 
They look a bit like driving reins. Maybe somebody adapted a set to be bridle reins?
It’s a very old (and good style) that’s hard to find anymore.
You might check with a store that does race horse stuff, like these guys, next to Churchill Downs in KY:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucketts-Tack-Shop/167799346567972
Or this dude, Wayne Rasmussen/The Country Saddler can make you a very pretty set… for some money:
[QUOTE=mvp;6905812]
It’s a very old (and good style) that’s hard to find anymore.
You might check with a store that does race horse stuff, like these guys, next to Churchill Downs in KY:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucketts-Tack-Shop/167799346567972
Or this dude, Wayne Rasmussen/The Country Saddler can make you a very pretty set… for some money:
http://www.thecountrysaddler.com/home.html[/QUOTE]
Ditto this. I’ve only ever seen those on race bridles. There was a shop in KY where I saw a pair for sale…and I saw something similar in SoPines last I was there but instead of the metal ring the reins pulled back through themselves…if that even makes sense.
OP, send that picture to Gary Mundy at gleather@rtccom.net. He doesn’t usually do reins, but he might be willing to copy them using the original hardware. He makes beautiful stirrup leathers and made a lovely belt for my daughter using the hardware from one our dog chewed up. His prices are very reasonable. It can’t hurt to ask, right?
Oops, never mind. I just realized that you said they were rubber reins. Maybe you could buy a pair of rubber reins and ask Gary to put the rings on them.
What is the purpose of the ring on these reins?
The rings are a strong and simple way to join reins to the bit. They are quick to change, too. They are a nice alternative to hook and stud closures or buckles.
The very best of them are rectangular and curve a bit. They make the “joining” very smooth.
As a TO (tack owner) and cleaner, I’d be pleased to have these on all my reins.
Thank you everyone! The reins are apparently almost as old as I am (in my 20s), and the owner has no idea where they came from, and has been unsuccessfully looking for replacements for a while. I’ll start looking around race tack and see what I can find.
Charles Owen makes a pair but the loop is all leather without the metal ring. They’re great reins though!! http://www.adamshorsesupplies.com/Charles-Owen-Red-Line-Reins-P790.aspx
My local, and very British, tack provider gets these in England, and she calls them race reins. You might find her if you google Round the Bend Tack in Hamilton MA. I bought some from her and loved them so much that whenever one of my buckle/ hook and stud reins needs repair, she switches them over to the rings for not much money. (She also does lots of tack repair.)
Easy to clean, easy to change reins between bits or horses (as mentioned above) and a really secure joining to the bit as the entire piece that actually comes into contact with the bit is doubled leather. But then I’m an eventer, and we worry about that stuff.
Big D’s (bigdweb.com) has similar reins - rubber covered with leather loop ends. They carry a lot of racing equipment.
Otto Schumacher seems to make reins with metal ring closures (http://www.os-sattlerei.com/en/zuegel/zuegel.php) and it looks like you can get them on rubber reins. However I’m not too sure if any tack stores would carry them, so you would probably have to contact the company directly…
Okay, so at the risk of sounding like a complete moron … won’t these (the leather-ring and leather-leather) stop the reins from moving around the bit ring? I don’t know how important this actually is, but I’ve always thought it was important.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
KL Select makes a pair like the Charles Owen ones, IIRC.
[QUOTE=sammicat;6909677]
Okay, so at the risk of sounding like a complete moron … won’t these (the leather-ring and leather-leather) stop the reins from moving around the bit ring? I don’t know how important this actually is, but I’ve always thought it was important.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated![/QUOTE]
Meh… no more than the standard leather-meets-bit-ring arrangement.
I have some reins with metal snaps on the ends for easy change outs. Riding in a snaffle, I have never noticed the slipperiness of those vs. leather vs. leather and rings to make a big difference.
With a very broke western horse, this would be a bigger deal.
Great, thank you MVP! That’s one of the reasons, I love this bulletin board - I continue to learn new things.
These are some of the reins Big D’s carries:
http://www.bigdweb.com/REINS-LOOP-END-LEATHER/productinfo/9571/
I love these types of reins, but they’re pretty wide for regular riding. If you can find someplace that makes regular reins with these ends, let me know!
Sam Bozick, the “great” tack/saddle maker in Southern Pines, NC (now Cabin Branch) made me two sets of 5/8 inch leather with rubber covering for my jumpers over 20 years ago!! I LOVE them to death!! So easy to switch bits and they look neat when on the bridle. The leather on mine is still fine, but the rubber is sticky, now. Most competent saddle/tack makers should be able to make them for you…it is just a stainless steel ring with the bit end of the reins double backed and stitched. I prefer the ring over the leather loop end when there is rubber on the reins.
Are you still looking for these reins?
[QUOTE=MillysGirl;6905784]
The bridle of the horse I lease has reins that attach to the bit by looping through a ring (photo). They are rubber reins, and have a normal buckle at the other end. I would like to buy a new pair, as they are getting pretty raggedy, but have no idea what they are called or where to find them. I have looked at a ridiculous number of tack sites and catalogues (as if I need an excuse!), but no luck. Any help would be much appreciated! TIA :)[/QUOTE]
I have bought a new bridle yesterday that came with a set of these reins (black, full size) iI was googling them as I have never seen reins like these before and came across your post! If you are still looking for these reins I will be listing them on eBay shortly and offer global shipping through eBays Global Shipping Service x
[QUOTE=tacksavers;8856546]
I have bought a new bridle yesterday that came with a set of these reins (black, full size) iI was googling them as I have never seen reins like these before and came across your post! If you are still looking for these reins I will be listing them on eBay shortly and offer global shipping through eBays Global Shipping Service x[/QUOTE]
This thread is THREE YEARS OLD?!
