Your Favorite Side Reins

[knightrider922]

I’m cleaning out my barn and tack room and ran across brand new with tags side reins…the kind that have the rubber donuts.

I’ve been using an old adjustable pair but saw some my trainer (former trainer) had that had snap things instead of a buckle type that I liked better than either of these two…I want something different and thought id get rid of the pairs that I have.

Can you share your favorite type with a link if possible? Or should I keep the old pairs?

[SuzieQNutter]

I will get controversial.

Horses learn from release of pressure.

Side reins with elastic - Horse gives a yank. The elastic/rubber gives. The horse has been given a release. The horse learns to yank and pull and you end up with a horse that leans on your hands.

Without elastic. The horse gives a yank. There is no release. The horse experiences a release when the horse gives. The horse has learned to give. You end up with a horse not afraid of the bit but will give when asked when you are riding.

It is not sidereins that kill and maim horses it is side reins being used incorrectly that kill and maim horses.

So the leather reins with the clips and the rubber rings. If they are like the ones over here they have a solid strap behind. Buckles for around the girth and clips with a lever for snapping onto the bit. You can cut the rings off and you end up with a strong, easy to use, won’t teach your horse to lean pair of leather side reins. JMHO

[keysfins]

I have had several sets made by Gary Mundy, and I’m about to order another set. All leather, no elastic or donuts. Impeccable workmanship, and he even named the side reins after me, :o since we worked together on the design and use.

[Dbliron]

It’s kind of funny that this thread came up now. Yesterday I had to hunt up my side reins for a client, and I hadn’t used them in so long I couldn’t recall where they were. Eventually I found them…mine are nylon, with rings and snaps, and no elastic or rubber rings, in fact, I’ve cut the rubber rings out of leather side reins in the past. I like the snaps and rings, and these have an additional sliding snap which allows them to be connected to turret rings on surcingles as well. They came from Greenhawk, they’re inexpensive, they work well and are long enough for really big horses, they’re light, and they wash in a bucket in no time.

[BWP]

Another for all-leather, mine have snap rings for bit/Cavesson and trigger clips to roller

[crthunder]

All leather with snaps for bit and the leather end loops around surcingle/girth/etc. I won’t use any with donut/elastic anymore for reasons SuzieQ mentioned. My first thoroughbred stretched the donuts on my first set of side reins (and they even had a leather piece to “hold” them. Switched him to all leather at advice of trainer. Never went back! My current thoroughbred has only been in all leather from first lunging off the track to in hand work now.

Becky

[beowulf]

The ones with clips you can reform yourself, it’s what I did -

take your boring sidereins, buy clips at your local hardware store - slide through leather loop feed and buckle back… VIOLA! It’s what I did with both of mine.

However I will say, I’ve used side-reins my entire riding life without much complaint, they’re useful where appropriate, great for teaching green horses basic contact… but I admit I’m finding lately I like the finesse and release-style of the chambon for lunging much better. It’s also much lighter, and much less dangling on the horse’s mouth. Side-reins, I admit, are quite bulky and will bounce up/down on the horse’s mouth while it moves… so I can see why I am liking the chambon more as of late.

As for the leather/rubber debate… Personally… I like the half leather, half elastic ones best - they’re the lightest and IMHO, not so bouncy/dangly as the donuts.

[SuzieQNutter]

The side reins should not be bouncing around.

My mare loved the chambon. She could lower her head, have her hocks way out behind her and not work. She had to work in sidereins.