Do draw reins really work?

Question

I am training a 6 year-old Appaloosa gelding for western pleasure. I have really been struggling with his headset, and a friend at a show suggested draw reins, and I am unsure if I should try them or not. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Hello!

Well here lies the problem, if you are asking if they work, you arnt exsperienced enough to use them, the problem is that if you use artificial aids without the correct knowledge, exsperience and riding tactfullness to execute their use properly you can end up ruining your horse by overbending him and therefore creating a whole lovely mess of problems.

Try to inlist the help of a skilled trainer who can help you teach your young gelding how to use himself properly, if he still is resistant and hollow thru his back, the trainer may get on and use a training aid such as a yoke or draws but only at his or her discretion. These aids should never come into play unless needed, hence why their users should be exspereicned enough to know when to soften which rein and how much to do so, however, don't forget some horses will even feel panicked because they cant "escape" and can become violent, even dangerous, so please be very carefull regardless of your decision. I don't train western or western pleasure but I've had horses sent to me that have been ruined with equipment, in the right hands all equipment is invaluable to certin situations, in the wrong hands they are like razors, hope you understand :) Good luck!

Answer 2

Oh jeeze. Well they "work" but they aren't what I would suggest... at all. If you have a curb bit, what you do is softly hold up your hands until he drops his head slightly, then drop the reins completely and pet him. Do it until he gets used to holding his head down a bit more, again, dropping the reins for the first times completely. Do it so he can hold it for a short time at a stand-still then drop the reins. Practice then at the walk, doing the same thing, short time -> longer time, dropping the reins and praising every single time Eventually you'll get him so you can put his head into the frame, put the reins down, pick them back up to put him back into his frame, put the reins back down, etc. And, sooner or later when he gets his strength built up from this, he'll know how to doit.

My other good suggestion is some LONG reining with side reins - meaning you connect them very low to encourage the horse to stretch down into the contact - down and low - to build his back muscles.

If you use a snaffle bit, you gently work the bit with your hand, kind of sea saw but much gentler, until the horse softens it's jaw and drops it's head slightly, then praise. I've used this tactic with my quarter horse for softening her jaw for dressage, that way she can learn how to round - because she's spent years not being round XD. It's working great, just make sure they have a decent idea of what you're asking for before you begin working them faster, that way they know when you're asking for them to soften their jaw, they will.

Just don't tug your horses head too much, be gentle and take time - it takes a lot of strange muscles to hold the frame you want. :) good luck

Answer 3

Ditto... I think they should only be used if you really know how to use them properly.  They can do more bad than good if not used right.  I know of a horse who is permanently screwed up thanks to a trainer who used draw reins improperly on him.

Answer 4

It's totally up to you, but I have made it a practice to not use any "gimmick" to get a horse to do something that I cannot take into the show ring.  Anything that you can do with a gimmick, you can do with a good set of hands, and those you CAN take into the show ring with you.  Be patient, use your hands, be consistent, don't expect overnight miracles, take it by degrees and you will get what you want...in the first place, impulsion comes from the rear and if you will get your horse out of the arena and on some rough trails, up and down hills, etc...it will learn to collect itself, set it's own head according to it's degree of collection and then it isn't artificial, it's part of the horse.  Good luck and just be patient...hrs and hrs, miles and miles.

Answer 5

yes they do it softins the horses mouth like 100%.. i love them

Answer 6

i've used them several times, the only bad thing is that they tend to give the horse a "false" headset, therefore the horse does not round his back as he puts down his head. i've also had several bad incidents with them. Draw reins are good for a temporary quick fix, but if they're used too much they can cause the horse to fear the bit. My suggestion for working down your appy's head would be to ride lots of circles, work on bending him, and flexing him. you can lounge him with side reins, or a training system that'll bring down his head, but do not ride with these things on.

we used draw reins on my mare, and she ended up freaking out and rearing any time you asked for contact. it only made things worse for us, and here my trainer had been feeding me bad info. it took me about 6 monthes to correct this fear of the bit, and without the use of any gimmicks [great word btw], she now carries herself on the bit constantly. it's somewhat a work in progress, but i'm very happy that i quick using the draw reins.

hope this helped a bit

Answer 7

I see lots of people have success with draw reins and training forks.  Depending on what you're trying to correct (do you need to lower the neck and the head, bring the face in to the perpendicular, etc), it will dictate which piece of equipment is better for you.  I personally prefer the training fork, I've had more luck with it, and find that the horse won't learn to lay on it as much as the draw reins.  THe draw reins are really great for bringing a face in if the horse hangs his nose way out, but the fork, I feel, will help teach them to break at the poll and withers better.

I know they have training forks at www.sstack.com if you just do a search if you don't know what I'm talking about.  Its a really handy piece of equipment, because when you lift your hands, it pulls the reins down first, and then to your hands, so if you apply a little leg, they have to break at the poll, and lower their head.  Then you release your hands for reward.  After lots of repetition, lifting your hands will mean lowering the head/neck.  You can use it when you start doing collections for the lope too.

Good luck!

Answer 8

If you are unfamiliar with draw reins, please do not consider without the help of an experienced trainer. They do have their uses but I am not a big fan. You must look at the overall picture. Why is your horse not coming into an outline? Is he suffering some form of discomfort? Is he using himself correctly? Tracking through from behind? There are so many issues here. There is nothing worse than fixing a horse into a position that is sometimes impossible for him to cope with.

Answer 9

To an extent draw reins work in the hands of an experienced rider who knows what they are doing.  

All too often I have seen riders using draw reins to get their horses head down without asking the horse to work through correctly from behind, the result has been that the horse is stifled and stiff with it's actions and has been overbent.  Personally I would prefer a horse that is slightly above the bit than being overbent.  

I would advise you not to use gadgets on your horse, to keep it simple and to spend time with schooling both in the school and on hacks.  Encourage the horse to work through from behind remembering that you want to push the horse "into" your hands.  When the horse meets your hands be kind and consistent.  

Have you or can you have lessons on your horse from an instructor?  It may certainly be of use to you to set you on the right tracks.

When working outside of the school, do hillwork and work on varying terrains to encourage him to naturally work from behind.  Don't allow your horse to "slop" along as it's no good asking him to work forward into your hands to then allow him to escape through your hands by having sloppy reins.  Ask him to walk on at a working walk.  Start off in walk then as he progresses build some trot work into it.

At the end of the day, it's totally your choice, but I'd certainly advise you not to use them.

Answer 10

If your using a bit (any type) that is the problem right there. If his

saddle fits nice, and you ride him with a bit.....the headset issue is most likely caused by the bit. I know this not just by my own

experience but from proven research done by Dr. Cook.

Look at his website   http://www.bitlessbridle.com/

Answer 11

Draw reins are an artificial way to change a horse's head position.  When you say you struggle with your Pleasure horse's headset, what's he doing?  I'd encourage you to solve the root problem rather than  a quick-forced type thing such as draw reins.  For example, if he carries his head too high, and his conformation is good for Pleasure, with a long neck level on top, etc., well muscled; then I would do some things to encourage him to lengthen his stride, and encourage him to drop his head a little, extend his nose a little and seek the bit or soften in the bosal.  Use very long loose reins and light hands.  Encouraging him to move more forward, either with more energy or possibly faster, can help; you can slow him down later, but just to teach him what you want.  If he's "leaning" forward or heavy in front, then you would want to collect him and get him moving from his hind end more.  Its hard to say without more info but take one part at a time; work on extending his head for a while, then work on collecting to his hind end for a while, then put them together and see if he works better.  Think about changing how he balances his body and move his feet; when you get his balance where you want it, his head will drift into the right spot.  A correct head position happens from the horse's ability to carry his body correctly.  Try strengthening and lengthening him, build his condition and balance; then collect him more than you would for a show, for a while; then try show speed and see if that helps.  Trotting over poles adds variety and helps him reframe.

Answer 12

They work.  Give it a try.

Answer 13

I've actually never heard of someone using draw reins for western riding. I ride dressage and am using them on my 7 year old paint mare

Answer 14

Draw reins are not the cure in the hands of someone that dosen't know how to use them...they can be very severe and in poor hands can cause permanant damage to the bars of the mouth. Maybe you need to re-evaluate your current training methods, and the bit you are using? Maybe you need to consult a trainer or someone else watching from the ground to make sure the problem usn't something you are or aren't doing correctly. Maybe you should consider letting your horse have a more natural headset than the ridiculous peanut roller set that they want WP horses to go with...horses that go with thier head below thier withers are much more likely to trip, since they can't see well, and thier center of balance is off. ( and it's completely unnatural for a horse to go this way.)