I am finding that they don’t seem to make these anymore?
Anyone purchase anything similar?
Anrees: the balancing rein?
Anyone able to find something in the US that sells this?
I couldn’t find anything more recently than 2011 that even mentioned it, and those were folks talking about “really old” used ones. Yeah, I don’t think they make them anymore. I’ve never heard of them. What is it and what does it do? Is it similar to a German Martingale? That should be fairly easy to come by. Try eBay and Tack Trader.
Thank you Courture TB - that is where I was going to end up purchasing but I would love to get one in the US if at all possible to save a few $$ in shipping.
Mondo - a couple people in my barn have them for various reasons, all more than capable of riding properly in them. I have a young green gelding that I am trying to find something to “aid” in what we are teaching at this point. In my research and watching some horses go in them, it is great for horses that lean or take and pull on the bit. It also works well on kindly educating youngers to come in to working on the bit. Through my research, the horse can still resist it and they don’t HAVE to work round in it, it just helps place the horse in a correct position and releases once they are there. Some people are saying its harsh and others aren’t but quite honestly, all the horses I have seen go in it are all long and low and quietly and willingly moving forward. There certainly seems to be a release point to me and none of the horses ever look “stuck” in this, unless draw reins.
Holy cow. If ever there was a “gadget” looking for a short cut - that is it. Whomever invented this is focused solely on getting the horse’s head down. That is the absolute antithesis of correct dressage training. Until you have control of the horse’s hind legs, the head won’t come down, end of story. It reminds me of an old cowboy gadget for getting the “headset”, called a running W. Same concept. Pulling your horse’s head down will never take the place of correct training. And yes, I feel the exact same way about draw reins, although they have their uses on occasion as I assume this thing does. Thank you for explaining as I had never heard of this (in 40 years of riding). Good luck. I hope you get the results you are looking for. 
[QUOTE=Mondo;9016505]
I couldn’t find anything more recently than 2011 that even mentioned it, and those were folks talking about “really old” used ones. Yeah, I don’t think they make them anymore. I’ve never heard of them. What is it and what does it do? Is it similar to a German Martingale? That should be fairly easy to come by. Try eBay and Tack Trader.[/QUOTE]
This looks like a German martingale to me. Perhaps with some elastic added?
Whew, thank-you SO much Mondo for speaking up. I don’t have a lot of cred here, but I know enough to know this gadget is a very bad idea. I wish it had stayed buried.
And that the thing sold in catalogs, for hooking horses up to a harness with fixed reins for use in round pen – I wish there’d be a law against it. Thanks to that thing I’ve seen people jumping horses with a frozen neck set; they can’t balance their front legs, body, or hind legs over the jump, landing on their front heels and causing osteoarthritis of coffin bone.
And sale horses advertised as 1st or 2nd level going round and round in videos, with the frozen neck and no collection. (Prices being charged for the training, which at best needs to be undone).
Aye :no:… thanks for the ones that provided me with actual answers to the question.
If you think its the best aid ever or its the worst thing ever, that is simply up to you. I have seen many horses go very very, nicely and very, very correctly with the aid of it. It is a stepping stone to assist the horse, and it is NOT meant to be the only way the horse learns proper carriage. Not obvious to all, but it is only meant to be used for short periods at a time and does not substitute proper flat work. It is not a shortcut, it is an aid. Again, that is not obvious to all.
It’s a short cut. Sure, it’s an aid. But it’s also a short cut.
Is this the one that attaches to the horse’s tail? If so, ghastly thing.
In my research and watching some horses go in them, it is great for horses that lean or take and pull on the bit.
which is most horses…and why you should follow a different path to correct it, especially with a young horse.
[QUOTE=raisethebar;9016524]
… I have a young green gelding that I am trying to find something to “aid” in what we are teaching at this point. In my research and watching some horses go in them, it is great for horses that lean or take and pull on the bit. It also works well on kindly educating youngers to come in to working on the bit. Through my research, the horse can still resist it and they don’t HAVE to work round in it, it just helps place the horse in a correct position and releases once they are there. Some people are saying its harsh and others aren’t but quite honestly, all the horses I have seen go in it are all long and low and quietly and willingly moving forward. There certainly seems to be a release point to me and none of the horses ever look “stuck” in this, unless draw reins.[/QUOTE]
Looks like a german martingale with pulleys for the elastic instead of having the auxiliary reins go thru the bit rings.
I actually prefer a young horse that “leans on the bit” than one that ducks behind the bit. Leaning on the bit is easy to fix…ducking the bit, not so much.
With the disclaimer that I tend to follow the “methods” of the French and/or Iberian schools…below are some thoughts.
It is called a “german martingale” for a reason. Training methods evolved for a reason, typically what was needed for the horse. The older style german horses were heavy horses and required “heavier aids” of which the german martingale is one as it provides leverage on the rein.
If you are in a barn that teaches sending them “forward” then you will have a hard mouth because the horse is being driven on the forehand leaving its hind end behind and is relying on the rider’s hand for balance.
Philipe Karl did a great video with Christoph Hess, head of the instruction department of the German Equestrian Federation, on exactly this concept in the Classical versus Classique DVD…it featured one of Hess’ students with a hard mouthed horse that Karl “fixed.”
A horse leans on the bit because is it out of balance. Helping the horse find its balance is the key to getting it to soften to the hand.
A horse leans on the bit because it is leaving its hind quarters out behind. It is counter-intuitive, but I was able to soften contact on a 1700 lb/17’3" Hanoverian freight train with no brakes by lateral work.
Although I don’t discount the use of such training aids when appropriate, I have found that the French approach with flexions and lateral work to create engagement of the hind end is an excellent way to show the horse how to use its body.
Excellent post, Pluvinal. I have a youngish Hunter type that likes to lean. While this is very different than my former Iberian guy, it is an easier issue to train. It’s been a year of work engaging the hind end and not being tempted to switch bits to achieve self-carriage. I keep telling myself it wouldn’t be self-carriage, but self-preservation if my horse just backs off the contact and it feels light.
I can understand why folks look for short cuts as doing this the correct way requires a great deal of patience and trust that “all will come in time”. Building up a young horse’s muscles, balance, coordination, etc. is years-long in the making. Most people (including myself at times) get impatient.
Pluvinel, my coach trains horses using the methods you describe, no auxilliary aids whatsoever, and the results are very good. However, it takes longer. Compared to the horses that are longed in sidereins and ridden btv while schooling training level, my coach’s horses look less “round” in front even when they are going correctly behind. She uses flexions and lateral work on horses that are heavy.
And from what I have seen, putting gadgets on a horse that is already on the forehand and leaning on the bit, creates a horse that leans on the bit but is btv. Using more bit doesn’t fix the problem (and I would include longing aids as “using more bit” in the sense that things like draw reins are designed to increase the power of the bit).
According to www.sustainabledressage.net/tack/gadgets.php#abbot-davies
It attaches to the tail.
How does that not get you killed on a green horse? Or damage the horse?
I can’t imagine there not being a ‘rodeo’ moment, I don’t want to imagine what that could do to the Nuchal Ligament.
I admit to having used a german martingale on my “no-brakes hanoverian”…all to no avail. I am no stranger to the gadget…that device lives somewhere in my collection of “strap goods” stashed in a rubbermaid tubbie.
But if OP wants such a device, you can buy a german martingale and modify it with pulleys to do what she wants.
With that said, the german martingale is just a pulley rein to give the rider leverage on the horse’s mouth. One should ask “why” one needs this leverage.
There is no ability to reward the horse to work off the simple snaffle and transition from the german martingale reins to the snaffle reins with a light contact.
The only thing that worked to get softness and relaxation with the Hanoverian was a lot of lateral work at the walk and transitions within the walk and transitions such as walk-trot-walk-whoa-reinback. All of this on a soft rein. Eventually we got softness at the canter. But the horse had to develop (a) understanding and (b) strength before you could ask for more.
I will also admit to using draw reins ALONG WITH regular reins. This allows the separation of the aids where the draw reins only act when the horse goes above the bit or leans heavily on the hand.
I have also used running martingales…again with a second set of reins to the snaffle, to allow the rider to reward the horse with a release when the horse finds “self carriage.”
But but after going thru the litany of “gadgets” what I have found most useful with a heavy horse, is the lateral work to show the horse the way to carry itself, to develop the coordination and the strength to carry itself in balance with the additional weight of the rider.
But if OP is set on having/using this “Abbot Davies Balancing Rein”…that item is easy enough to duplicate with an extra set of reins, especially if she has access to a pair she can copy.
Pluvinal: In order not to hijack the OPs thread, I’m going to start a new one - “Exercises to lighten the horse who leans”. Would love for you to chime in with any additional exercises you use. Thanks!
Just for clarification, the OP’s horse is described somewhat differently in this other thread. 
www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?507986-Pessoa-Rig-for-Lunging-Other-lunging-aids
By the looks of that thing you could go down to your local hardware store and make yourself one for under twenty bucks.
