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Draw reins are a schooling aid that many riders use to keep their horse's head down in a rounded outline. They are especially popular amongst jumping riders, and I see many top riders using them. However, when reading many posts and articles, draw reins are highly condemned and they state they should never be used under any circumstances. While these articles do have a degree of truth to them, I see many well-trained horses looking quite happy while being trained with them. I thought I would write this article with a bit of perspective on the use of draw reins.

It has been many years since I last used draw reins on a horse and in fact these days, I don't even have any in my tack room. However, in my younger days I used them extensively on many horses for several years. I used them on two World Cup horses. I had some success with one horse but using them on the other horse was a disaster. Over the years I have seen some benefits of using draw reins, but I also see how dangerous and counterproductive they can be when used inappropriately.

Why do draw reins get used? They are used to get a horse's head and neck down and round. Think about my words there? They work the head and neck but not from behind. Unfortunately, many people in the horse world will see the head and neck carriage and not see whether a horse is going straight nor pushing underneath from their back end. They see a high arched neck as being light on the forehand rather than a horse being light on its front legs and taking more weight on the back legs. True collection and lightness takes a lot of time and patience, unfortunately draw reins are used to create instant gratification.

For most cases, the important part is riding well. Using your aids well on a horse correctly with draw reins, will get many horses working correctly. On most horses, if you use your aids well, most horses will respond well without draw reins anyway. It just may take a little longer. But the result is usually a more consistent and a happy horse in its work. In my experience with horses that needed draw reins the most, rebel against them. I remember one horse that constantly stood up on his hindlegs whenever he was pressured into having his head pulled down. I persisted with them based on the advice received at that time.

With the wrong hands horse draw reins can pose serious risks. Horses that rebel against draw reins can suck back and refuse to move forward, go sideways or worse start rearing. This is often due to draw reins demanding a much higher level of collection to what a horse is currently capable of achieving. It is like asking a skinny child with no gym experience to bench press 100kg. Many very nice horses can easily become extremely dangerous to ride.
Due to forcing a horse to work harder than what it is capable of, if your horse does not rebel it is likely to cheat. Cheating is when a horse appears to be working correctly and often has a rider blissfully unaware that they are achieving nothing. A common example is a horse working in a false outline. The pole might be high, but the neck has an “S” shape rather than rounding. Another common cheat tactic is to go crooked where the horse's shoulder drifts out to the side slightly. By going crooked your horse will lose over 50% of its power in its stride, or even more. Also, almost all resistance occurs when your horse is not straight. Long term cheating can be a very difficult habit to correct.

Another issue with draw reins, is when riders get their horses to round using draw reins but cannot do the same without, the draw reins create a reliance. They effectively become addictive. Over the years I have seen many riders who ride all the time in draw reins and the only time they are taken off is just before entering the competition ring.

The correct way of getting a horse to round, is by straightening him/her. Either by side aids or using cross aids. When your horse is straight, he/she goes round, when he/she goes crooked your horse will resist or cheat. The amount of collection you can achieve will depend on your horse's strength along the top line. Strengthening takes considerable time, work and patience.

Despite the misgivings on draw reins and how many posts and articles written in condemning the use of them, I still have the underlying question. Why do so many top riders use draw reins? Why do they work well for these riders? Lastly, how do these top riders have success on horses trained with draw reins? The first obvious answer is that these riders are experienced horsemen (or women) and know how to use draw reins appropriately. Almost all successful horsemen (women) preach a similar view. Put some form of pressure or activity on your horse when he/she is not responding, but as soon as there is a response the pressure goes off or the activity stops. The release of pressure is the reward for your horse. When using draw reins, there may be pressure to get the horse's head down. Rightly or wrongly. Once the horse drops its head the draw reins go loose. There should only be a light contact on the reins. If your horse does not soften, then proper schooling methods using correct aids must be used. In the hands of highly talented riders on highly talented horses draw reins can work well if used appropriately.

For me, where I have found draw reins to be most beneficial, was fixing big problems. Retraining a horse. A horse that arrives with an established habit, such as throwing his/hers head around up and down or just sets it high. The draw reins are used to get the horse's head close to a good outline and then I applied aids to ask the horse to soften and round its neck. When retraining bad habits draw reins are used as a transitional period. I gradually wean the use of draw reins and eventually stop using them on these horses.

A weaker rider riding a strong horse, but under the guidance of an experienced trainer may also benefit using draw reins. However, if your horse is likely to switch off, be the sort of hot horse that fizzes on the spot, goes sideways under pressure, refuses to go forward or rears when draw reins are applied will not only be detrimental to your horse but could be very dangerous. Do NOT use draw reins on those types of horses.

There are several variations of draw rein use. The standard set up is to have one end fitted to the girth between the horse’s legs, then run through the bit and to the rider's hands. Other variations, include fitting ends to the breastplate or to the girth each side of the horse. An old favourite of mine as to fit the ends to the girth between the horse's legs, then through the throat lash, to the bit and finally to the rider's hands. I would also lunge my horses in a Chambon, so the horse learns to respond to pressure on its head and then carry its head in a lower outline.

Many regard the use of draw reins as a horse welfare issue. They claim, use of them is cruel. The way I look is same as any other device such as whip, spurs or strong bits. If used appropriately and in an appropriate time and place they can be a fair and useful training aid. However, if used inappropriately they are simply a torture device. The big key is knowing when they can be used, how much pressure to use and when to back off.

Despite a lot of condemnation on draw reins if used appropriately with good hands, they can have their place. However, they do not replace good riding. And good riding without draw reins in most cases is far more effective in the long term. Draw reins sometimes work well in transition in reschooling some horses or in the hands of very experienced riders. If you have never used draw reins, I recommend not using them. If you feel there is no alternative, then use them under the guidance of a trusted and experienced trainer. As I said earlier it has been over fifteen years since I last used draw reins, and I get plenty of good results from my horses without using them.