Gadgets.What Not to Use, and Why

Please Note!

This chapter is about the inventions of riders and saddlers, the things that are created and used to get the head down. They all do the same thing - limit the height of the head of the horse, and leave him to figure out how to deal with the pressure that they create. Hopefully, the horse will discover that to lower the head will make it go away.

I want riders to know that there are other ways. I want riders to understand that it's not about mechanically getting the head down - it's about stretching the neck out to stretch the back and make the horse "decontracted". And there are other options to accomplish that. So before you read about all these inventions, please either realise that there is another way, or just read that section first to reassure yourself.

Pic 1. Gadgets only work the front end, the quarters can be as left behind as ever

Gadgets can be defined as any piece of equipment stapped to the horse, except a normal saddle and bridle with a regular snaffle bit, or a double bridle with a normal curb and a bridoon. It can also be defined by "things that influence the horse mechanically" as opposed to aids-wise. It can also be defined by specific names and functions, such as running reins and martingales, rein-aid inserts and grackle nosebands. This last definition is not very smart since it calls for a constant update on what's in and what's out, and what they are called, and all their names, new and old. I'd rather go along with the definition of mechanically influencing the horse, although the borders are fuzzy. In some instances, something outside the normal bridle and saddle can be very good for the horse, and not of any "use" to the rider, Such as a bit ring stabilizer that stops the snaffle from being pulled out on one side. Is that then a gadget?

The most common gadgets, or auxiliary equipment as they are called by those who use/sell/approve of them, are drawreins and side reins, crank nosebands and gag bits. And they are legio! I shall try to explain.

Drawreins

Pic 2. How the drawrein is usually attached.

The absolutely most talked about auxiliary equipment in use for dressage is the drawrein. In the German language they are called Schlaufzugel = Loop Reins, and ironically mispronounced Schlafzugel = Sleeping Reins. No gadget is more routinely and habitually used or abused for dressage training. Some barns even harbour the myth that you actually need them, or the horse won't work correctly. And maybe their horses really won't...

They are really very simple things. They are long reins that attach to the girth, either at the sides or between the frontlegs. From there they run through the bit rings to the hands of the rider where they are adjustible. This fixed length between girth, bit and hand, prevents the horse from raising his head or poking his nose further than the drawreins allow.

They appear to have all sorts of uses. Many riders I have met have used them as a last resort to stop their horses from running away with them. Yet others have used them to stop the horse from breaking free when starting to learn the flying changes. And one because the horse was supposed to have that outline anyway, so why not? Yet others, I guess, use them because they can't really ride their horses on the bit, or are embarrased for those times when the horse throws his head up because of loss of balance or other difficulties. Anyway, there's no need to further explain the uses of something that shouldn't be used, so I'll continue to explain the downsides, instead.

Force and Entrapment

Pic 3. Trying to pull the head of the horse down
with only the reins can be futile.

The running function of the drawreins, and the fact that they attach in two places juxtaposed (down and back) to where the horse wants to put his head (up and out) make them many times stronger than the rider could otherwise be. With only regular reins the horse can raise his head as long as the distance from head to hand remains the same. To overcome the horse with force the rider has to try to pull the head down by pressing the hands down (see photo right). Without adequate skill, this is not a strong position.

So the drawreins are an instrument of power and not one of understanding, cooperation and trust. But trust, how do you make a distrusting horse, with a back pain or a generally inverted body, that rushes and gazes at the stars, compliant? Well that's the challenge that makes most riders haul the drawreins out of the tack box.

But if we instead look at what the drawreins really do, opposed to what they are ideally supposed and believed to do, and we begin to estimate the risks, then maybe this option does not seem so good anymore.

Pic 4. The different positions the head can take with a given amount of rein.

The active drawrein, pulling the bit down and in, in a direction between the attatchment at the girth and the hands, trap the horse. There is room to move inside the confinement, but not in the desired direction - forward-down-out, the horse can however curl back in (green position). It can also shorten the neck and elevate the head some (red position), in trying to relieve the action of the bit.

In order for the horse to be able to relax the jaw and poll, and stretch forward-down-and-out as one would wish, the rider needs to give the drawrein out of the hand more than an equal amount, and to be honest - this is not something drawrein protagonists tend to do! Instead, much of the problem seems to originate with a non-feeling hand that reluctantly gives, and rarely with any good timing. Stretching is not a priority for these riders, as much as pulling together and shortening the frame.

It is a hassle to try to give with the drawrein while maintaining contact on the regular rein. At its best, the draw rein can be used so that it is taut when the horse tries to poke his nose, and loose when he relaxes the jaw. The greater part of the work must naturally be done relaxed, and not "fighting" the drawreins. This is not the norm, when riders use drawreins, and no wonder. If it were, they wouldn't need them!

Pic 5. Horse pulled in by drawreins.

The use of the drawreins as a backup is, however, not desirable either, because one would ideally like to be able to change the length of the neck forward-down-out during the entire riding period. The slack drawrein that comes into action when the horse pokes his nose also comes in to action when he stretches forward-down-out. The solution would then be to change the grip of the drawrein everytime you let the horse lower his head and neck. And shorten it as you ask the horse to come up, because otherwise it would be useless, and allow for stargazing on the longer drawrein.