DADAR
Member
To use or not to use: that is the question. In fact it has always been the question. Throughout classical riding history there have been those who argue for their judicious use and those who argue against.
I’m not making a stand for or against. I manage to train- just about - all of the horses with which I come into contact without them. The more I learn the less I need to use them. However, there is the very occasional exception. I would like people to think about them. Claiming that these things are unclassical is historically untrue. They have always been in use - even among the Old Masters - and amongst modern ones too. Some publicly denounce the use of side and draw reins whilst quietly using one of the other auxiliary reins. That is an verifiable fact with which the serious student of classical dressage has to come to terms.
"The principle is that auxiliary reins can only be used truly advantageously by those riders who know how to accomplish their goal without them." Adolf Kastener (1876)
It’s not about outline or frame - or heaven forbid, head set. The rider / trainer must be experienced enough to recognise the feel of a correctly moving horse and be able to instil it in an incorrectly moving one before ever considering the use of auxiliary reins. The problem is that we frequently see images of very well known mainstream riders using very questionable techniques and gadgets on so-called advanced horses and condemn the reins out of hand.
Those old masters did not - and neither do those classical trainers who still make use auxiliary reins today - decide to use them without giving the matter a great deal of thought. They were - and are - not seen as a vade mecum and to be used on each and every horse. They were/are not given to inexperienced riders to experiment with, they were/are not used on well-schooled horses. They were/are an aid to help a horse understand how the stretch of the neck and the lift of the back are good things. They were/are a means to an end not and end in themselves.
That is not to say that some didn’t/do mis-use them as in the scenarios given above and the whole to use or not to use debate boils down to the competancy of the person using them! Then, trainers were warned not to use any auxiliary rein unless they had been schooled in its proper use. Nowadays, our tack shops have a vast array of gadgets available (sometimes with a famous name endorsement) to anyone who walks in off the street; all with the promise of being able to turn your sow’s ear into a silk purse without any mention of the importance of correct lungeing technique let alone any suggestion that the rider must be able to put the correct work in from the back of the horse to implement a true change for the good.
As modern, sympathetic, trainers we have many more professionals on whom we can call to assess whether there is a problem that is physically preventing a horse from moving with a swinging back and neck that telescopes forward out to the rider’s hand. Backs, teeth and saddles are all checked for potential problems.
You may ride and train tens of horses and never have any need of them, then one day you get on that horse that has been taught to go so incorrectly that you head to the tack room to find them, wondering where you last left them to gather mould until this horse came along.
Does one or two ten minute sessions, to enable the horse to find the release over its back, seem so bad compared to letting a horse continue to travel in a severely inverted posture for several more weeks? Every step taken with the neck high and the back hollow (inverted posture), especially with the added burden of a person on its back, is putting the horse’s muscles, tendons and ligaments - not to mention psyche - under a great deal of unnecessary stress and duress.
I admit openly to using the chambon on very rare occasions. Other trainers are also very open about what they use; those with a French or Nuno Oliveira influence tend to favour the German Cavalry reins - a combination of side reins and an over check rein; German influenced seem to go more for the fixed or sliding side reins. Then, there those who loudly profess to using “no restrictive side reins” at all in their training, whilst quietly using another auxiliary rein of choice.
When riding, an option for the sliding side reins is to have them go directly to the rider’s hand rather than back to the girth. In this configuration they are known as running reins.
The name running reins is often used interchangeably with that of draw reins, which have an entirely different influence (and are definitely not used on any horse under my guidance and tuition) but they have been tarred by association to the extent that no-one dare - publicly - mention that they might be useful, despite them having a history of classical useage which dates back to William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle (1592 - 1676), who is credited with their invention.
We are fortunate that English conveys extremely well the nature of draw reins, that of drawing the head down and in. Newcastle’s method of attachment from the girth - at the side, not between the horse’s front legs - through the rings of what we would call a lungeing cavesson and back to the hand - was meant for lateral flexibility NOT longitudinal flexion. Another point, often totally missed out altogther is that many of the old masters didn’t use the running rein through the rings of one bit as it always seen today. Their theory being; How can two pairs of reins influence the horse independently when they are both running through the same bit?
(Karl Mikolka, ex-Chief rider at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.
(Note: KM uses the term draw reins, but is describing the attachment and use of running reins)
“In my experience, which is also backed by the thinking of the Old Masters (see Seeger), it is much more beneficial if the rider works the horse Auf Doppeltrense with a double snaffle whenever draw reins must be used. For that purpose, a somewhat thinner snaffle, similar to the one used in conjunction with a curb bit is a good choice. This second snaffle is attached to a separate cheek-strap and is put on the horse first, while the normal - or 'true'snaffle is placed over it. The first or thinner snaffle is therefore closer to the rider, the 'true'snaffle a little further away. The draw reins are attached to the right and left hand side of the girth and run from the inside out, through the rings of the thinner, or second snaffle. Each hand holds two reins, the snaffle rein and the draw rein. With this set up the rider has a multitude of combinations available when 'playing' the true bit against the draw rein bit. It also has the added benefit of exposing the horse to carrying two bits in anticipation of the curb and snaffle work later.
“Preparing the horse with the true snaffle and following through with the draw reins is the hallmark of this type of work. For example: the true snaffle is responsible for keeping the horse's neck and jaw soft and relaxed (lateral flexion) while at the same time the second snaffle, attached to the draw reins, is accountable for keeping the poll of the horse supple (longitudinal flexion). As long as the poll of the horse is allowed to remain stiff - an all too common occurrence - no horse can be consistently on the bit. Relaxing the poll area is mandatory for accepting the double bridle later. For that reason, the most important by- product of all work with draw reins, no matter how they are attached, must be the relaxation of the poll area. The success of draw rein work depends greatly on:
“The quality of the rider's seat
The quality of the rider's hands
The ability of the rider to support each rein aid with well timed leg and seat aids. The legs support the 'true' snaffle in its task of keeping the neck and the jaw flexible, while the seat (weight of the rider) more supports the draw reins in keeping the poll of the horse supple. Always remember: a soft poll is the key to successful double bridle training. “ (My italics -SM)
It is often stated that Alois Podhajsky banned the use of running reins at the SRS. Karl Mikolka says they were used on rare occasions. A horse participating in an Arthur Kottas clinic offered to move only inverted. After much effort and with many different suggestions for exercises, all without success, Kottas asked for draw reins, explaining that sometimes one must use such a tool to "show the horse" what you want, so that you can reward. He cautioned all those in attendance who were riding below advanced level, against using draw reins without a knowledgeable groundsperson present.
A training method or piece of equipment either has a place in a certain tradition or ‘School’, or it has not. It either works, or it doesn't. In educated hands, they have proven useful in the training of hundreds of horses. In uneducated hands, they have done irreparable damage - just like bits, whips, spurs, saddles and - these days even - nosebands!
We owe it to the horse to learn to ride properly before reaching into a bag of short cuts as Dr Thomas Ritter so eloquently puts is:
“ Each and every valid and proven training tool and training method has its advantages and its dangers. The more powerful and sophisticated a tool is, the more valuable it can be (I am thinking of the double bridle, e.g.). In the wrong hands, however, it is like the razor blade in the hand of a monkey. This presents a dilemma, and many riders choose to reject these tools, because they can be potentially damaging. I think this is the wrong attitude, because it leads nowhere fast.
“Every rider may have a slightly different reason for riding, but presumably, everyone wants to learn how to do it right, so that he is safe on his horse and doesn't inflict pain and damage on him. These may seem like very humble goals, but upon closer inspection, we realize that a rider has to be quite accomplished in order to be safe on his horse under any and all circumstances, and in order not to make his horse lame.
“ Many riders say they have no ambition, they don't want to excel, they only want to have fun. They never stop to wonder how much fun their horse has when they are constantly pounding his back, because they cannot sit the trot, or when they are hammering his mouth with their hands every stride, because they never bothered to develop an independent seat, or when they jab him with their spurs every stride, because they never learned to stretch their legs and develop the necessary muscle tone in their legs and torso, so they are unable to keep their legs resting quietly on the horse's side.
“The sad truth is that every mistake we make causes the horse discomfort at the least, acute pain at the worst. And every mistake we make will shorten the horse's working life expectancy. This is a reality most riders don't want to face. I think we owe it to our horses, not to have fun in a selfish and superficial way, but to care enough about them to learn how to ride to the very best of our abilities.
“The only way to ride a horse at all and keep him sound is either to ride him so little that even bad riding does not make him lame - or to teach him to be straight and balanced at all times, so that the additional weight of rider and tack is carried in a healthy manner.These are very simple goals, yet they take a very accomplished horseman or horsewoman to achieve.”
You may never have used auxiliary reins and may never need to do so - but it just may be that you haven't met that horse yet.
"In training we must be encouraged to first establish the principles and only then to tackle the details.” Reiner Klimke
"In training one always wants to go too fast. To arrive quickly, do not hurry, but be firmly assured of each step. The lesson should be for the horse, as for the horseman, a rewarding exercise, an instructive game which never brings fatigue. When sweat begins to show, it is because the man has gone too far."
Favorot de Kerbrech
I’m not making a stand for or against. I manage to train- just about - all of the horses with which I come into contact without them. The more I learn the less I need to use them. However, there is the very occasional exception. I would like people to think about them. Claiming that these things are unclassical is historically untrue. They have always been in use - even among the Old Masters - and amongst modern ones too. Some publicly denounce the use of side and draw reins whilst quietly using one of the other auxiliary reins. That is an verifiable fact with which the serious student of classical dressage has to come to terms.
"The principle is that auxiliary reins can only be used truly advantageously by those riders who know how to accomplish their goal without them." Adolf Kastener (1876)
It’s not about outline or frame - or heaven forbid, head set. The rider / trainer must be experienced enough to recognise the feel of a correctly moving horse and be able to instil it in an incorrectly moving one before ever considering the use of auxiliary reins. The problem is that we frequently see images of very well known mainstream riders using very questionable techniques and gadgets on so-called advanced horses and condemn the reins out of hand.
Those old masters did not - and neither do those classical trainers who still make use auxiliary reins today - decide to use them without giving the matter a great deal of thought. They were - and are - not seen as a vade mecum and to be used on each and every horse. They were/are not given to inexperienced riders to experiment with, they were/are not used on well-schooled horses. They were/are an aid to help a horse understand how the stretch of the neck and the lift of the back are good things. They were/are a means to an end not and end in themselves.
That is not to say that some didn’t/do mis-use them as in the scenarios given above and the whole to use or not to use debate boils down to the competancy of the person using them! Then, trainers were warned not to use any auxiliary rein unless they had been schooled in its proper use. Nowadays, our tack shops have a vast array of gadgets available (sometimes with a famous name endorsement) to anyone who walks in off the street; all with the promise of being able to turn your sow’s ear into a silk purse without any mention of the importance of correct lungeing technique let alone any suggestion that the rider must be able to put the correct work in from the back of the horse to implement a true change for the good.
As modern, sympathetic, trainers we have many more professionals on whom we can call to assess whether there is a problem that is physically preventing a horse from moving with a swinging back and neck that telescopes forward out to the rider’s hand. Backs, teeth and saddles are all checked for potential problems.
You may ride and train tens of horses and never have any need of them, then one day you get on that horse that has been taught to go so incorrectly that you head to the tack room to find them, wondering where you last left them to gather mould until this horse came along.
Does one or two ten minute sessions, to enable the horse to find the release over its back, seem so bad compared to letting a horse continue to travel in a severely inverted posture for several more weeks? Every step taken with the neck high and the back hollow (inverted posture), especially with the added burden of a person on its back, is putting the horse’s muscles, tendons and ligaments - not to mention psyche - under a great deal of unnecessary stress and duress.
I admit openly to using the chambon on very rare occasions. Other trainers are also very open about what they use; those with a French or Nuno Oliveira influence tend to favour the German Cavalry reins - a combination of side reins and an over check rein; German influenced seem to go more for the fixed or sliding side reins. Then, there those who loudly profess to using “no restrictive side reins” at all in their training, whilst quietly using another auxiliary rein of choice.
When riding, an option for the sliding side reins is to have them go directly to the rider’s hand rather than back to the girth. In this configuration they are known as running reins.
The name running reins is often used interchangeably with that of draw reins, which have an entirely different influence (and are definitely not used on any horse under my guidance and tuition) but they have been tarred by association to the extent that no-one dare - publicly - mention that they might be useful, despite them having a history of classical useage which dates back to William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle (1592 - 1676), who is credited with their invention.
We are fortunate that English conveys extremely well the nature of draw reins, that of drawing the head down and in. Newcastle’s method of attachment from the girth - at the side, not between the horse’s front legs - through the rings of what we would call a lungeing cavesson and back to the hand - was meant for lateral flexibility NOT longitudinal flexion. Another point, often totally missed out altogther is that many of the old masters didn’t use the running rein through the rings of one bit as it always seen today. Their theory being; How can two pairs of reins influence the horse independently when they are both running through the same bit?
(Karl Mikolka, ex-Chief rider at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.
(Note: KM uses the term draw reins, but is describing the attachment and use of running reins)
“In my experience, which is also backed by the thinking of the Old Masters (see Seeger), it is much more beneficial if the rider works the horse Auf Doppeltrense with a double snaffle whenever draw reins must be used. For that purpose, a somewhat thinner snaffle, similar to the one used in conjunction with a curb bit is a good choice. This second snaffle is attached to a separate cheek-strap and is put on the horse first, while the normal - or 'true'snaffle is placed over it. The first or thinner snaffle is therefore closer to the rider, the 'true'snaffle a little further away. The draw reins are attached to the right and left hand side of the girth and run from the inside out, through the rings of the thinner, or second snaffle. Each hand holds two reins, the snaffle rein and the draw rein. With this set up the rider has a multitude of combinations available when 'playing' the true bit against the draw rein bit. It also has the added benefit of exposing the horse to carrying two bits in anticipation of the curb and snaffle work later.
“Preparing the horse with the true snaffle and following through with the draw reins is the hallmark of this type of work. For example: the true snaffle is responsible for keeping the horse's neck and jaw soft and relaxed (lateral flexion) while at the same time the second snaffle, attached to the draw reins, is accountable for keeping the poll of the horse supple (longitudinal flexion). As long as the poll of the horse is allowed to remain stiff - an all too common occurrence - no horse can be consistently on the bit. Relaxing the poll area is mandatory for accepting the double bridle later. For that reason, the most important by- product of all work with draw reins, no matter how they are attached, must be the relaxation of the poll area. The success of draw rein work depends greatly on:
“The quality of the rider's seat
The quality of the rider's hands
The ability of the rider to support each rein aid with well timed leg and seat aids. The legs support the 'true' snaffle in its task of keeping the neck and the jaw flexible, while the seat (weight of the rider) more supports the draw reins in keeping the poll of the horse supple. Always remember: a soft poll is the key to successful double bridle training. “ (My italics -SM)
It is often stated that Alois Podhajsky banned the use of running reins at the SRS. Karl Mikolka says they were used on rare occasions. A horse participating in an Arthur Kottas clinic offered to move only inverted. After much effort and with many different suggestions for exercises, all without success, Kottas asked for draw reins, explaining that sometimes one must use such a tool to "show the horse" what you want, so that you can reward. He cautioned all those in attendance who were riding below advanced level, against using draw reins without a knowledgeable groundsperson present.
A training method or piece of equipment either has a place in a certain tradition or ‘School’, or it has not. It either works, or it doesn't. In educated hands, they have proven useful in the training of hundreds of horses. In uneducated hands, they have done irreparable damage - just like bits, whips, spurs, saddles and - these days even - nosebands!
We owe it to the horse to learn to ride properly before reaching into a bag of short cuts as Dr Thomas Ritter so eloquently puts is:
“ Each and every valid and proven training tool and training method has its advantages and its dangers. The more powerful and sophisticated a tool is, the more valuable it can be (I am thinking of the double bridle, e.g.). In the wrong hands, however, it is like the razor blade in the hand of a monkey. This presents a dilemma, and many riders choose to reject these tools, because they can be potentially damaging. I think this is the wrong attitude, because it leads nowhere fast.
“Every rider may have a slightly different reason for riding, but presumably, everyone wants to learn how to do it right, so that he is safe on his horse and doesn't inflict pain and damage on him. These may seem like very humble goals, but upon closer inspection, we realize that a rider has to be quite accomplished in order to be safe on his horse under any and all circumstances, and in order not to make his horse lame.
“ Many riders say they have no ambition, they don't want to excel, they only want to have fun. They never stop to wonder how much fun their horse has when they are constantly pounding his back, because they cannot sit the trot, or when they are hammering his mouth with their hands every stride, because they never bothered to develop an independent seat, or when they jab him with their spurs every stride, because they never learned to stretch their legs and develop the necessary muscle tone in their legs and torso, so they are unable to keep their legs resting quietly on the horse's side.
“The sad truth is that every mistake we make causes the horse discomfort at the least, acute pain at the worst. And every mistake we make will shorten the horse's working life expectancy. This is a reality most riders don't want to face. I think we owe it to our horses, not to have fun in a selfish and superficial way, but to care enough about them to learn how to ride to the very best of our abilities.
“The only way to ride a horse at all and keep him sound is either to ride him so little that even bad riding does not make him lame - or to teach him to be straight and balanced at all times, so that the additional weight of rider and tack is carried in a healthy manner.These are very simple goals, yet they take a very accomplished horseman or horsewoman to achieve.”
You may never have used auxiliary reins and may never need to do so - but it just may be that you haven't met that horse yet.
"In training we must be encouraged to first establish the principles and only then to tackle the details.” Reiner Klimke
"In training one always wants to go too fast. To arrive quickly, do not hurry, but be firmly assured of each step. The lesson should be for the horse, as for the horseman, a rewarding exercise, an instructive game which never brings fatigue. When sweat begins to show, it is because the man has gone too far."
Favorot de Kerbrech