A case for a pelham???

You should not be using leverage with either of them, but with the draw reins, very few people don't don't use force. You can always tell when a horse has been ridden in draw reins, the curve of the neck is broken. This doesn't seem to happen with running reins, mainly because you can't get the horse in the artificial very low head carriage that you see with the draw reins.

The running rein goes through the bit rings and to the top of the girth/girth straps, which is a different action on the bit, head and neck.

Side reins are fixed, saddle to bit, but with the running reins, you can play with the bit and encourage the horse to drop his nose.

A rider that has an independent seat and doesn't hold on by the reins, can use the running reins to a good effect, but with the draw reins, all you do is pull the head down.
 
Ros.
I used running reins, attached to the girth straps, under the saddle flap, through the bit ring, and then to my hand - under the supervision of a very well qualified, and experienced instructor.

In no way at all, did I pull star's head down. I want to show her that she can carry it there on her own, and forcing her will not accomplish that. The whole idea was to show her a comfort zone, with her head in the normal position. When her head was where it should be when she is relaxed and working more correctly, there is NO pressure on this rein at all, but when she puts her head up, that is when it comes into play, and I do not pull, but simply play with the rein (like a curb rein), until her head came back down into the comfort zone, where she was working on the snaffle again. When she stretched down, my hands followed, and maintained a light contact. The running reins were working like a Harbridge attachment, but with more feel because theywere attached to my hands.

Tumbleweed
I went riding last night, and she was a different horse again! Gorgeous! The joggin bit lasted for 5 minutes, and then we worked on relaxing, and she became light in my hand, with her nose pointing where she was supposed to be going, with lots of stretching. This goal is by no means achieved, but we are getting there. Our next goal, is to do transitions, without the heads going up, and becoming very tense
 
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They used to be closed Fridays Jannette, have they changed?

We used to say that the school horses and ponies worked a 5 day week, and we worked 6 with at least 3 times the hours a day. These school horses and ponies are very pampered.

Well done, it is a lovely feeling when they start to get it right.

Tumbleweed used to be a nightmare to get him to drop his head and I didn't have anywhere to work him, just trained when hacking out. I found the best way to get him to lower his head was to trot up a steep hill, and there are plenty round there.
;)
 
Ooops..............my comments about the abscess!!

I wasn't suggesting that the problems were brand new - in fact in my last 4 yrs experience with my horse I had absolutely no idea she had intermittent excruciating pain (from an abscess + underlying cause which may well have been with her since birth. I didn't own her for her first 11 years in life and in the time I have owned her, vets and etc etc had not, until Dec 03, identified the real problem; yet I always knew that there must be a physical problem.

I'm very happy indeed to report that following fairly major surgery to her jaw she's now constantly the loving and kind horse I always knew she could be rather than this way every now and again.
 
Absesses can take a very long time to build up and in some cases they can come and go, and not fully develop for several years.

The main problem when a horse has a puncture wound in the foot, is absesses can develop and come out at the coronary band about a year later. This is why puncture wounds are left open and you have to keep them open.
 
Hi Janette,

Kerry's was in her jaw - ooo the pain!! She had a completely abnormal tooth root and unerrupted tooth (and she's 13'ish). So for years, as I said perhaps since birth or before birth she has intermittently developed an abscess. Whilst the abscess is the symptom not always the cause - can you imagine the pain?? It has explained in our situation her absolute intolerance of anything at all sometimes, her subdued acceptance of anything at other times and also, of course, her brilliance at others.

I suppose I was hoping for you, in a small and strange way I guess, that you had identified a real cause for your problems. However, they are all different and maybe our situation is nothing at all like yours. I just felt I should share our experience in case it helped.

Poor Kerry had to suffer general anaesthesia and her jaw being drilled through from outside in - yes through all the bone - and having her abnormal tooth plus root punched out......... Then of course when we brought her home she just had a big gaping hole from outside to inside, i.e. below her jaw through into her mouth.

I managed to deal with the external wound and healing and I'm jolly pleased to say she seems to be managing to lay down new jaw bone herself.

Sandra
 
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