Anne Chunko

Lead Lines – Handy Retraining Tips

Seeing sideways—using side reins to teach a horse balance and collection.

Introduction by Anne Chunko:
Side reins are a good training tool to help teach a Standardbred how to balance, to carry himself correctly and remuscle his body for riding. As a training aid, they can be used as lunge lesson alone or as a prelude to riding exercises. However, side reins should be used properly, with the safety and sensitivity of the horse in mind in order to achieve the best results.

Correct use of side reins
By Holly Covey of Recycle Racehorses and Mill Cove Farm training center in Greenwood, DE

Side reins are used to replace what human aid? The hands. As such, they must be adjusted so they duplicate the action of the hands—not create a false head carriage or “set the head” or other such notions that have nothing to do with bitting. Side reins are attached from the horse’s bit—in his mouth—to the side of the horse, often to the girth of the saddle or to the surcingle. Most surcingles, also called training rollers, have several rings to adjust the rein level to high, medium, or low. I will explain more on which rings to use later.

The attachment of side reins onto the caveson of the lungeing halter, or onto a western type of “sidepull” or hackamore, or any other use of the side reins onto something other than the bit in the horse’s mouth is not really beneficial in teaching a horse to give to the hand. Rather, the lunge line and two side reins (one on either side) attached to just the horse’s nose will simply create a lot of pulling forces on the delicate nose bones which most horses cannot differentiate from up, down, sideways, slow down, whatever. The mouth, however, is more sensitive and can differentiate from the corners/bars resistance of the properly adjusted side rein, and therefore learn what you are trying to teach him: correct self-carriage.

Side reins should never be used on very young horses due to the growing and sensitive nature of the teeth and bars of the mouth; in fact lungeing a young horse who is not physically mature can be hard on the joints. I really think a 2-year-old is too young for side reins. Side reins should never be used first thing without lunging the horse freely first in order to warm up and loosen the neck and jaw muscles and let out the “kinks” without bruising the mouth from a buck or two. Side reins should not be used attached to the girth from between the front legs, like a tiedown onto the bit. They should not be used while riding with a regular bridle and indeed this procedure is strictly outlawed in dressage and AHSA show competition warm up areas. Allow the horse a warm up period on the lunge first before attaching the side reins to the bit. Be sure to lunge equally in both directions, both without side reins then with sidereins.

Side reins should first be used loosely adjusted so that when the horse throws his nose out or up, he will feel their pull but just at the end of the resistance. As the horse’s back and neck begins to muscle and build strength over time, the side reins can be adjusted shorter to allow him to balance against a deeper resistance. However, most young horses and ex-racehorses will need a looser adjustment for quite a while so these muscles and the self-carriage can improve without straining his muscles and joints. A horse must be bending and supple, in a regular lunge circle, before side reins can have a positive effect. That might mean that with an ex-racehorse, you’ll first have to teach him to lunge and be working on it for a month or more every day before introducing side reins.

Before introducing side reins the first time, lunge the horse freely first. I introduce side reins in the stall, in a controlled situation where I have the lunge line in my hand and can hold the horse closely. At first, walk the horse in the stall by leading him. When he acts calm, take him out of the stall and walk him in the pen or arena. Make sure he “hits” the reins at least once or twice so he knows they are there. Then gradually introduce the lunge circle again, walking, and gently ask for a trot, because you must make sure he understands the reins are there to steady and keep straight, not stop him.

ALWAYS adjust side reins exactly even. Only on rare, rare occasions should one be shorter than another and then only the inside rein. This is not usually necessary with most normal horses. If you have leather side reins constantly check to see that one is not stretching out more than another by holding them up against each other and measuring the length.

Side reins can be dangerous to horses because they artificially hold the jaw. This is why elastic inserts and the donut inserts are sewn into them to allow a “give” to the horse, fooling him into thinking he’s got a little room. The problem is that give is sometimes not enough. I’ve seen many a horse rear up and go over backward due to tightly adjusted side reins without much give or without any elastic at all which gives the horse no room to escape the pull. They can only take so much, which is why they should be adjusted loosely at first and very gradually, over a period of weeks or months, shortened up a bit at a time.

But… the advantage of side reins is that they train the horse’s mouth for you. Most riders’ hands are not as steady and solid as the side reins and that’s the beauty of them. They are so consistent they teach a horse that to evade the bit is futile and that the constancy is to be relied upon. They keep a horse straight and train the muscles so the horse can hold himself straight and balanced. When you get on, he will try to use your hands like the side reins that help him. So it’s up to you to make sure the side reins’ good work isn’t wasted, with hands that stay steady, soft and elastic but firm and balancing when necessary. One inappropriate snatch with your hands, and it’s all wasted.

Problem solving:

• If your horse is leaning on the side reins they are attached, too high on the roller or saddle.
• If your horse is carrying his head to one side, they may be too loose.
• If he is constantly jiggling his head up and down, they may be too heavy, especially in the case of leather side reins. Instead, use elastic side reins.

The side reins should be just about horizontal as your horse trots. That means they may be slightly above that for walk. That is a loose guide, if you have an Arabian with a high crest or a Standardbred with a neck that comes high out of the shoulders, the side reins may also have to be adjusted high in order to maintain the proper contact with the bars of his mouth.

An incorrect downward pull of a side rein will make that snaffle bit constantly folding in half in the mouth, poking the roof of the mouth, putting pressure on the bars of the mouth and causing the horse to 1) evade or 2) open the mouth. This is why you should lunge in a caveson which keeps the mouth closed and stops that bad habit from starting and also why side rein adjustment MUST be horizontal or higher. By the way, you should always use a snaffle bit with a ring to which the reins are directly attached—not a Tom Thumb or western style snaffle with a shank—to lunge in side reins. The action of side reins on a shanked bit is much too strong to be of use in creating a soft, supple horse.

Remember, the tougher the mouth the less fun he is to ride! Lunging is boring and can be time consuming, but it’s supposed to be creating a better riding horse. So use side reins just as you would any other training aid: to teach the horse something useful you will need when you RIDE. If he holds

his head down with side reins but pokes it right up the minute you mount and hold the regular reins in your hands, then your side reins aren’t doing the job for you or your hands are not helping him make the connnection between the side reins and your hands. Instead of looking at the head and neck for the problem in this case, I would look in the opposite direction, and work on engaging the hindquarters and bringing the horse up to the hands rather than pulling the horse down to the hands or relying upon gadgets to create a false head set.

A bit about the author: Holly Covey is a resident of Delaware, and has many years experience retraining retired Standardbred and Thoroughbred racehorses. Covey currently owns several Standardbreds that are racing, including

• ARMBRO RUSSIAN p,3,1:58.1f $28,501
• CROSSTOWN RIVAL p,4, 1:57.2f $29.038
• MOMBO DANCING p,3, 1:58f $43,155

as well as several retired racehorses. Covey is the contact person for Standardbred Pleasure Horse Organization in Delaware, as well as being the webmaster and administrator of the website Recycle Racehorses, which helps find new homes for non-racing Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds.
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This advice should not replace that of a good riding instructor or other equestrian professional, and should be used as part of a complete riding program.