Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Leave It To The The Race Track...

So a lady who boards at the same barn as me works down at the local horse track here, Emerald Downs. And her and I were just chatting as usual and she told me that apparently the new trend for race horses and their trainers is, get this, DRAW REINS! The trainers and exercise riders use them on the horses to supposedly "keep them slow." WHAT?!?! What kind of trainers are these??? Do they not know how draw reins work?? If that racehorse figures out how to touch chin to chest, those riders will not have a frickin PRAYER in stopping those horses, let alone slowing them down. Or hmmmm, they could damage the horses' windpipe Rollkur style, or the horse could rear and flip itself over.... I've never had more of a headdesk conversation in quite awhile lol!! THANKFULLY the lady at the barn was with me on this and we spent a good half hour talking about the disasters waiting to happen! I just can NOT fathom using draw reins on a race horse of all stupid things...

13 comments:

monstersmama said...

holy cow! I am sure we are going to here some disaster stories so funny how ignorant people are, keep us updated!

Natalie Keller Reinert said...

Most of the times that draw reins are used it is a disaster in novice hands. What's amazing is how often everything just goes fine.

It's timely because yesterday I was watching a clip of Funny Cide galloping and I swore he was wearing draw reins. I'd never seen anyone gallop with them before.

I prefer the trainers that don't use anything - even "rings" aka running martingales. They're out there. And they make a ton of money.

GoLightly said...

Yeah, sorry, in my horse time they were used at the track.
Certainly not so new.
Still not good, in the wrong hands.

Embodied Spirit said...

Its all about what is "In" at the time. All it takes is for one hotshot race horse to be seen ridden in draw reins for an idiot trainer to think that is what's making it win.

It was like that down at the local competition stables. One woman used a pelham bit on her runaway gelding and won the jump round then a few weeks later we saw a group of girls all riding with the same type of bit!

clara said...

jeeze thats a brilliant idea (dripping with sarcasm)

i hate draw reins period

JohnieRotten said...

Using drawrein on a horse to slow them down will jsut teach them to run right through the bit.

We also see this in the prleasure industry as well as other disciplines. I have had a few of those horses come to me just so I can put a stop on them.

Cygnata said...

What's a draw rein? >.>

-Cyg

CCH said...

draw reins from the saddle through the bit to the girth; or from the girth through the bit to the poll (like a gag); or more like a german martingale?

All of them sound scary at more than a slow lope.

Equus said...

I'm not surprised, they already use martingales to keep their heads down. The draw reins would also be used to cause the horses to travel in a more rounded frame (though not true collection, of course because they're working on the forehand - just rounded on the front end), which is also a goal. They already DO tuck their chins to their chests, that's usually how they travel when galloping (at least that's how we do it here, on our A-tracks) - you just bridge your hands to slow them when they travel Rolkur-style.

Never used draw reins myself and never would. Not a necessary tool in my books.

Cygnata said...

*wasn't joking, feels dumb* ^^;;

-Cyg

Trainer X said...

Draw reins go from the cinch up through the bit and back to your hands.

Cygnata said...

Remember I've never really had the chance to be around horses like the rest of you lucky lot. ;)

From the cinch to the bit... I saw the part where they force the horse to touch nose to chest. Do they make it stay there, or something?

Sorry for asking dumb questions. ^^;;

-Cyg

Anonymous said...

No, they are not new to the track at all.

The worst part of using them is the steering, not the brakes.