Should you use training reins or not?
Training reins come in many shapes and sizes, such as:
- Side reins
- Chambon
- Gogue
- Draw reins
- Thiedemann reins
- Etc.
In general, all these training aids are intended to encourage the horse into a long and low (forward-downward) frame. The disadvantage of training reins is that they force a posture, meaning the horse does not carry itself in a correct frame and fails to use its body properly.
Many reasons are often made up for using training reins, such as:
- “My horse won’t go on the bit”
- “My horse is way too strong”
- “My horse refuses to soften or bend on one side”
- “Everyone at my yard rides with draw reins, for example”
- “Etc.”
Working with training reins can be harmful to the horse, and with the right training, it is completely unnecessary.
So, what is the right way?
Straightness training and Academic Art of Riding can help you solve the problems you are experiencing with your horse. Without pressure and at the pace of both horse and rider, give your horse the time it needs to develop.
“You don’t learn to do the splits in one day either.”
Look for the root cause of the problems, which often stems from the horse’s natural asymmetry.
Make sure to continuously educate yourself. Try to find out whether your horse is left- or right-bent and dive into the different types of asymmetry. This will give you much more knowledge and insight, helping you understand why your horse, for example, rushes unintentionally, is so strong, won’t go on the bit, won’t bend, won’t turn, falls inward, etc.
By offering your horse the right exercises, it learns to engage and relax the correct muscles, to stretch and lengthen, and to distribute its weight evenly over its legs.
Through groundwork, work in hand, lunging, and riding, you can immensely support and improve your horse by gymnasticizing it the right way.
Remember that the signals a horse gives always have a reason and are not necessarily a sign of resistance.