Balancing reins - are they draw reins??

nelle

nelle

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May 27, 2005
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I've been away and my YO has been riding my pony for the week, she came to me today and explained she has been using a balancing aid, she called them balancing reins with him as he leans heavily on the right rein. It's kind of like a marigale but has a pulley system which attaches to the bit (I think).

I had a go and he felt amazingly light in my hands not leaning at all. However I'm a bit worried that this contraption is the dreaded draw reins that are so frowned upon on here, I'm a novice rider and looking through past posts on the subject someone has writen that in the wrong hands they can ruin a horse in 20 minutes - can anyone enlighten me please?

PS - they are coming off tomorrow and if they are draw reins they won't be used again.
 
draw reins generally attach from the chest or girth up through the bit and back to the rider's hands - they are normally used to bring the head down and tend to overbend the horse.

if your horse leans on the bit i can't see how they would help :confused:
 
How they work:
The balancing reins are an elasticated version of the draw rein. Traditional draw reins attach to the girth between the horse’s legs, passing through the bit ring and attach back to the roller. They encourage the horse to work in a long and low outline, releasing tension in the back muscles, enabling the horse to swing through his back. These balancing reins are kinder than draw reins, because the elastic has some give and the horse will not be in a fixed position. Take great care, adjust gradually and never over-tighten.

How to fit:
These fully-elasticated reins clip to the ring on the side of the roller then go through the bit ring and back to the girth between the horse’s legs. Three optional loop attachments are supplied in case there are no rings on your roller to attach it to. A plus point is that the horse can’t lean on these reins but he may take a stronger contact or sit behind the vertical if the rein is over-tightened.
Click to expand...

from the webpae Emma put up
 
Oops sorry, I am decorating at the moment so aren't logging on as much at home.

I've taken it off now, I'm not sure what it was but I went out hacking in it on Sunday and wasn't happy. I didn't feel as though I had control and was worried that I wasn't using it correctly.

I spoke to my RI yesterday and decided that in the right hands such aids can be useful, but for me I'd rather learn how it get him working correctly the conventional way.

Thanks everyone for your help.
 
Three things spring to mind, and yes I am going to be a bit blunt.
1 If ANYBODY rode my horse in a gadget without clearing it with me first I would hang them with it!
2 If you don't know what a gadget is, then don't use it. You don't know it's potential risks and drawbacks or how to use it properly.
3 Hacking in draw. balancing etc reins can be highly dangerous as horse can get caught up in something, more so if he dumps you and sets off home on his own.

On a more peacable note it sounds like an Abbott Davies balancing rein and I am told the inventor died due to an accident whilst using them. Oooops!!!
 
I AGREE WITH MOSSEY,

THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY GADGETS AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET THAT COME WITH LITTLE OR NO INSTRUCTIONS , THEY USED IN HARD OR INEXPERIENCED HANDS CAN LEAD TO UNCHANGEABLE DAMAGE TO HORSES
iT IS SUCH A PITY THAT PEOPLE BUY THESE BECAUSE THEY FEEL THEY WILL KEEP THE HORSES HEAD DOWN, KEEP HIM FROM LEANING ON THE BIT, ETC WHERE THE REAL PROBLEM LIES IN THE EARLY TRAINING AND GETTING THE HORSE TO CARRY HIMSELF PROPERLY BY USING GROUND SKILLS WHICH WILL BENEFIT THE HORSE GREATLY
 
I AGREE WITH MOSSEY,

THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY GADGETS AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET THAT COME WITH LITTLE OR NO INSTRUCTIONS , THEY USED IN HARD OR INEXPERIENCED HANDS CAN LEAD TO UNCHANGEABLE DAMAGE TO HORSES
iT IS SUCH A PITY THAT PEOPLE BUY THESE BECAUSE THEY FEEL THEY WILL KEEP THE HORSES HEAD DOWN, KEEP HIM FROM LEANING ON THE BIT, ETC WHERE THE REAL PROBLEM LIES IN THE EARLY TRAINING AND GETTING THE HORSE TO CARRY HIMSELF PROPERLY BY USING GROUND SKILLS WHICH WILL BENEFIT THE HORSE GREATLY
 
No need to shout - I get the message!

I don't know if you read my last post, but I have given the balancing reins back to my YO as I decided they weren't for me. I do agree that such gadgets can mask poor riding ability and inadequate schooling, which is why I handed it back and will persevere the hard way.

As for my YO putting them on in the first place, ye I am miffed but she has 40 years experience with horses, I on the other hand have been riding 2.5 years and Sonny is my first horse. It would have gone down like a lead balloon if I'd said anything.

They're off and no damage seems to have been done.

Thanks for your comments
 
Hey I know case is closed, but I jst wanted to say that I've used the balancing reins on an Ex Racer .. and it worked wonders. It's gentle, and helped her developed her long lost top line. And from what I hear, she's now eventing happily :) thats ONE gadget I dont mind usuing.
 
nelle said:
No need to shout - I get the message!

I don't know if you read my last post, but I have given the balancing reins back to my YO as I decided they weren't for me. I do agree that such gadgets can mask poor riding ability and inadequate schooling, which is why I handed it back and will persevere the hard way.

As for my YO putting them on in the first place, ye I am miffed but she has 40 years experience with horses, I on the other hand have been riding 2.5 years and Sonny is my first horse. It would have gone down like a lead balloon if I'd said anything.

They're off and no damage seems to have been done.

Thanks for your comments
Click to expand...
She may have been riding 40 years but she does not appear to have learnt manners from them!!! The horse is yours to decide tack and tackle, not hers. You could have had physical reasons why you did not want gadgets used and it is NOT for her to suddenly decide otherwise. Using her *expereince* to intimidate you is NOT acceptable!
 
maybe this is jsut a rumour, but i read that abbot davies (or whatever the name of the inventor of the balancing rein was) got killed while using his contraption? ironic.

however i think that was for lunging only and not the device described here.

i would only use an artificial aid if i knew its purpose (and thoguht it would help)
 
It's designed (if we're thinking of the same thing here) to be attatched to the reins, bit, and under the girth - which encourages the horse to low his head, and find his balance while strengthening and stretching the back muscles, which helps them work better from behind
 
abbot-davies balancing rein

I need to put right a comment I keep coming across in this forum regarding the Abbot-Davies balancing reign. Peter Abbot-Davies did NOT die because of an accident due to the balancing rein. He had actually just finished a clear round and suffered a massive heart attack whilst still on his horse. I hope this dispels and further misstatements.
 
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