Advantages and Risks of Auxiliary Reins: When Auxiliary Reins Can Be Useful

The use of auxiliary reins divides opinion. Some trainers are uncompromisingly opposed to the addition of auxiliary reins and believe that it is best for the horse to find its own balance without aids. Others see the advantages of using auxiliary reins to achieve a specific training goal. And still others use auxiliary reins temporarily and depending on the situation.

In principle, auxiliary reins are a support, a supplement to the riding equipment and should be used to be no longer needed. They are not the solution, but the means to an end. Having already looked at the types of auxiliary reins, we will now ask ourselves when auxiliary reins can be an opportunity in the training of horse and rider and when their use entails certain risks.

Advantages For Training Horses

In order to fully utilise the advantages of auxiliary reins, the focus is on correct buckling. As a general rule, all auxiliary reins should be buckled in such a way that the head is never behind the vertical – even when the horse is moving. We have explained in detail how to buckle each individual auxiliary rein in our guide to types of auxiliary reins.

Auxiliary Reins Give the Horse Security

Some horses need just as much security as a novice rider. Thanks to the lateral restraint provided by the side reins, running side reins and Lauffer reins, the horse is „closed“ up. This gives the horse more security and stability in movement. This is particularly the case when lungeing, i.e. when the rider’s hand or leg is absent: The auxiliary reins „close“ the horse up on the lungeing circle and prevent it from falling over the shoulder. You can find out more about this topic in the chapter Mistakes when using auxiliary reins.

With sufficiently long auxiliary reins, the horse learns to seek contact to the bit with confidence. Auxiliary reins can therefore also be useful for horses that are afraid of the reins or need to be acclimatised to rein contact. However, any physiological causes for this fear should be identified beforehand. Once all physical complaints have been ruled out, an auxiliary rein can provide even contact and slowly acclimatise the horse to rein contact.

Horses in riding schools also benefit from running side reins and side reins when beginner riders hold on to the reins out of insecurity or during seat training. The horse’s mouth is protected and the horse is not irritated by uncontrolled pull on the reins. This makes the horse more relaxed and allows the novice rider to sit more quietly – the horse’s back is protected.

Developing the Extension Posture With Auxiliary Reins

One of the primary training goals is to ride the horse in such a way that it can carry itself and the rider in a healthy manner. To achieve this, it must round its bridge-like skeletal structure by tensing and stretching its muscles from the nuchal ligament to the buttocks. This can be very strenuous for the horse at the beginning of training, which is why it tries to avoid this position. Auxiliary reins can help to convey this basic idea to the horse. To ensure that the horse is not forced into this position, but instead seeks it itself, the auxiliary reins must be set long enough. Auxiliary reins can therefore offer the opportunity to gently shape the musculature and help the right muscles to develop.

Auxiliary Reins For Correcting Horses

Some horses that have been ridden incorrectly for a long time walk around like giraffes or curl behind the contact. The longer horses have been ridden in seriously incorrect postures that haven’t been adequately corrected, the earlier signs of wear and tear set in. These horses either have no muscles or too much of the incorrectly developed musculature. They no longer dare to walk in a normal, healthy posture. Auxiliary reins can then show the way back to a natural posture.

Horses with a difficult conformation or a conformation that makes it difficult for them to step under and drop their neck can also benefit from the use of auxiliary reins. Lauffer or running side reins offer the most versatile adjustment options and are therefore recommended for correction.

For horses that curl behind the contact, auxiliary reins that allow the neck to be stretched can be used when lungeing. Even more important than choosing the right auxiliary reins is activating the hindquarters. Appropriate exercises and the use of trot poles and cavaletti are advisable to lift the horse’s head. Furthermore, the lunge rein should not be attached to the bit, but to the cavesson, while the auxiliary reins are attached to the snaffle bit.

When All Else Fails: Auxiliary Reins For Bolshy Horses

Sometimes there is no way around it and auxiliary reins are the last resort to make training a horse easier. Horses can suddenly break loose for various reasons. Horses that have made a habit of shooting off out of nowhere and denying the rider any control by jerking their head up can be dangerous for both of you. In such situations, a martingale can help to get the horse under better control and bring the head back into its natural position. The martingale bends the bridle line and acts downwards on the bit. The great advantage of the martingale is that it only has an effect in such unnatural head positions, but is otherwise not noticeable to the horse.

Advantages For The Training of Riders

Auxiliary reins can bring horse and riding student on the same level, making it easier for beginners to start riding. At the beginning of riding training, you concentrate on your balance and not slipping off the horse’s back. You will try to compensate for the lack of balance by holding on to the reins. The horse tenses up due to the pain in its mouth and back, it does not move loosely and smoothly. This makes it even more difficult for the novice rider to find their balance – a vicious circle. With auxiliary reins, the horse receives the necessary rein contact to be able to walk in a relaxed manner. This in turn allows the student to concentrate on finding a relaxed seat.

In the eyes of a particularly anxious rider, a horse equipped with auxiliary reins can appear more controllable and therefore give them more confidence. This safety is particularly important in therapeutic riding, when the therapist has to rely on the horse to walk calmly and evenly so that he can concentrate on the patient.

Another application is in vaulting. In this equestrian sport discipline, a calm, even canter is important, which is why side reins are used.

Advanced riders can also benefit from the use of auxiliary reins. Every rider can benefit from seat training on the lunge rein from time to time to correct any seat errors that have crept in. Side reins and running side reins are also suitable for learning advanced lessons. The instructor can lead the horse on the long reins while the rider can concentrate on the feel of the new lesson, e.g. piaffe or passage, independently of the reins.

The instructor has a trained eye to recognise when the student no longer needs the support of the auxiliary reins. He will recognise when the auxiliary reins can be gradually lengthened before they are no longer needed at all. Progress here depends on the individual student.

Risks Associated With the Incorrect Use of Auxiliary Reins:

The potential of auxiliary reins in horse training can be ruined by incorrect use. If their force is underestimated, humans can cause both physical and psychological damage to the horse. To date, there have been no studies investigating the pulling forces of auxiliary reins on the horse’s mouth and neck – there are no appropriate measurement techniques for this. However, studies on rein pressure provide a possible picture of the forces that auxiliary reins can cause:

How high the rein tension is is always a question of type, i.e. it depends on the rider, horse and the respective situation. Nevertheless, when riding, tension peaks of up to 15 kilograms per rein can occur – which adds up to 30 kilograms of pressure on the sensitive mouth! These forces on the poll and neck are amplified when trotting and cantering.

If we transfer this to an auxiliary rein that is too short, it quickly becomes clear how much a horse can suffer physically and mentally as a result: In contrast to a yielding rider’s hand, auxiliary reins remain passive and the horse cannot escape the unyielding pressure. It curls behind the contact, tenses up and experiences stress. This means that auxiliary reins miss their supporting effect by miles.

There is an extremely fine line between correct and improper use of auxiliary reins. In particular, if the auxiliary reins are too short, this can cause a whole range of problems:

• The neck no longer acts as a balancing pole and the horse cannot find its own balance
• The horse leans on the bit
• The horse falls onto the forehand
• Proper flexion and bend is not possible
• The pelvis remains in an inclined position, the hindquarters do not swing forward, the buttock muscles shorten
• Muscles that fight against the rider’s hand gain strength, e.g. the lower neck muscles
• A forced head-neck posture leads to tension
• The overall muscle tone (basic tension of the muscles) increases
• The horse cannot round its back and use it correctly
• Vertebral blockages, muscle fibre tears in the neck and osteoarthritis in the cervical spine develop
• The horse develops a crooked posture due to the pain
• Breathing is impeded
• The horse’s psyche suffers: As a flight animal, it needs all-round visibility, which it is denied by auxiliary reins that are too shortly buckled. This results in a dull, tired horse

Only when the reins are correctly buckled do they fulfil their purpose. We go into more detail on other mistakes in the use of auxiliary reins in the chapter ‚Working horses correctly with auxiliary reins‚.