Long-reining is a ground-based training and exercise technique that serves as a beneficial method for both the education and physical conditioning of your horse. Regardless of your horse’s level of expertise, long-reining proves to be a valuable approach in training and maintaining their fitness and flexibility without the added burden of a rider. Moreover, it grants you the opportunity to observe your horse’s exertions from a ground perspective.
What equipment do you need for long-reining?
- Snaffle bridle with reins removed
- Roller with rings large enough for the long-rein clips to fit through and a pad underneath – or if you’re long-reining a young horse, using a saddle can help them get used to tack.
- Pair of long-reins or two padded lunge lines
- Protective boots or bandages (optional)
- Hat
- Gloves
- Sturdy boots
Benefits of long-reining
Similar to lunging, long-reining is an excellent method for exercising your horse when you are unable to ride or when reintroducing your horse to work. The primary advantage of long-reining over lunging is the ability to work your horse in a straight line. Additionally, long-reining allows you to practice in an arena or venture around tracks or fields. This technique is particularly useful for acquainting young horses with new experiences and diversifying the training routine for older horses.
How to long-rein a horse
- Getting started. Working on the assumption that your horse hasn’t long-reined before, take things slowly and ask a helper to stand at your horse’s head. Allow your horse to get used to the feel of the lines against their shoulders, ribs and quarters by moving the lines over their body. Once your horse is happy, pass the lines through the roller and attach them to the bit rings while standing to their side. As you move into position behind your horse, let the rein slip over their quarters and into place.
- Find your position. For the best quality contact (your horse should be able to feel the contact from your hands, rather than the weight of the line), you want to be as close to your horse as possible without being within kicking range. Hold the lines as if they were your reins, keep your elbows bent and arms relaxed. Fold the lines into loops to prevent standing on them.
- Time to move. It’s a good idea initially to have a friend lead your horse while you’re giving commands from behind, to make sure your horse understands what you’re asking. Your voice is your main aid, but you can also use little flicks of the reins on their side to back that up. Carry a lunge whip if you need further reinforcement.
- Change direction. Once you’re confidently moving around the school, try out some changes of rein. Think of your inside line as your inside leg – pressure with this asks your horse to bend. To change direction, move slightly to your horse’s outside, allowing the inside line to make contact with their hindquarter. The pressure of the line on their body prompts them to step under with their inside hindleg to make the turn. Similar to when you’re riding, your inside rein controls the bend, while your outside rein is responsible for maintaining straightness and speed through the turn. As your horse comes across to change the rein, drop back directly behind them, then move to the outside as you switch reins, ready to turn again.
- Work on a circle. Once you’ve mastered moving in a straight line, you can progress to working on a circle – it’s similar to lunging, but with two lines you can maintain a rein contact on the outside rein as well as the inside. Keep the lines light and gently follow the movement of your horse on the circle to prevent the circle becoming too small.
Stepping it up
Once you have mastered the fundamentals, there are various methods to make long-reining sessions more stimulating. Introducing pole work is highly beneficial as it enhances flexibility, aids in rehabilitation, and helps maintain your horse’s focus.
Venturing out of the arena can be an effective method for introducing a young or spooky horse to unfamiliar experiences. Additionally, it aids in developing the horse’s endurance in anticipation of engaging in ridden activities. It is advisable to seek assistance from a helper during the initial attempt. Initiate the process within the confines of the arena and gradually reduce the helper’s involvement as both you and your horse gain confidence and improve communication.
Reining Horse Training for Longer Sliding Stops
Do you happen to possess a reining horse or a promising reined cow horse candidate?
If you are aware of how important a good stop is for your horse’s success in the show arena, then you understand the significance.
The length of a horse’s slide is influenced by several factors. These factors include:
- The horse’s natural ability and aptitude for stopping.
- The ground the horse is stopping on.
- The way the horse is shod.
- The horse’s rate of speed when going into the stop.
- The way the rider cues the horse for the stop (how the reins are worked, rider’s posture, etc.).
To begin with, I want to clarify that nearly any horse is capable of performing a small three foot slide on favorable ground. However, it is an entirely different scenario for a horse to accomplish a slide of 15 or 20 feet. If you desire impressive stops, you will require a horse that possesses both the capability and determination to stop.
If your horse is able to stop well at the trot or slow lope without much difficulty, it is likely that you won’t encounter many issues when advancing the stop, granted that you do so gradually and the horse possesses the required strength to execute a hard stop.
However, if you found it challenging to get him to stop at the trot or slow lope, you will encounter even greater difficulties when attempting to stop him from a higher speed.
To begin discussing how the ground impacts a horse’s slide, it is important to note that a horse cannot achieve a long slide on poor ground conditions. Therefore, for better understanding, let me explain what qualifies as suitable sliding ground. Suitable sliding ground comprises of a firm and compacted foundation that is sleek, with a layer of loose and soft soil measuring approximately two or three inches on the surface.
The benefits of this type of ground are easily understood. The firm base allows the horse to slide with stability. Without it, the horse’s hooves would sink too deeply into the ground, resulting in a shorter slide. Additionally, the base needs to be smooth to prevent the horse’s hooves from getting caught in any ruts.
If the text is rephrased step by step, it may be revised as follows: Additionally, if this is done, it may shorten the slide or, at worst, cause harm to the horse. The fluffiness and looseness of the ground on top of the base are crucial for a reason. This upper layer of ground serves to cushion and dampen the impact of the horse’s feet as they make contact with the solid base. In the absence of a soft padding to absorb the shock, the horse will experience discomfort.
Having loose and fluffy ground is important for easy plowing and sliding of the horse. If the top layer of the ground is too deep or heavy, it becomes challenging for the horse to slide a considerable distance. Hence, deep and heavy ground requires the horse to exert a significant amount of strength to maintain a slide. To enhance your sliding ground, here’s a helpful tip.
To enhance the fluffiness and lightness of the soil, incorporate rice hulls or shavings.
The manner in which your horse’s hind feet are shoed plays a significant role in its sliding ability. It is recommended to use sliding shoes, which consist of tempered, flat bar iron that is one to one and a half inches in width. The wider the shoe, the less friction or grip it has on the ground, resulting in a longer slide. However, there are limitations, and we prefer not to exceed one inch in width for the shoes.
To prevent the toe from getting stuck in the ground when sliding, the front of the shoe is elevated a quarter inch, resembling the front of a ski. The back quarters of the shoe should be nearly straight, enabling the smooth flow of dirt out the back.
The trailers should reach from the bulbs of the foot and not exceed that point. Additionally, it is recommended to trim the horse’s hind feet with a slightly longer toe and a slightly lower heel compared to the usual trim, where “normal” refers to having the hoof angle matching the pastern angle.
By creating more surface area, the ski becomes more effective. It is important not to go to extremes with this approach. The goal is to position the foot at an angle that eliminates the risk of the horse stubbing its toe in the dirt, as this would cause the horse to knuckle over and potentially injure itself.
If he is trimmed with his heels at too high of an angle, he will knuckle over during stopping and potentially injure a tendon. On the contrary, if his heels are trimmed too low, he will strain his hamstrings while stopping.
Horses with straight hind legs and feet pointing straight ahead will find it easier to slide a long distance. Their hind feet will stay close together during the slide and create a pleasing set of elongated, straight “11” marks. On the other hand, a horse with hind feet that turn outward will struggle to slide a great distance.
Due to his toeing out, as he slides, his hind feet will gradually begin to widen. As the slide progresses further, he spreads them even more until he reaches a point when he is compelled to end the slide in order to bring his feet back together in a more comfortable alignment.
In order for the horse’s slide tracks to resemble a “V”, you can adjust the shoe on the foot by positioning it more straight ahead. Additionally, occasionally angling the toe slightly towards the inside of the foot can be beneficial.
The length of the slide is determined by the speed at which your horse is running when going into the stop. To put it another way, if the horse is not running quickly, the slide distance will be limited.
Imagine that you plan to sprint along the entirety of the arena and request a sliding stop when you are approximately three-fourths of the way down. Initiating the run-down at a slow pace is crucial. Then, incrementally increase your speed as you progress towards the end of the arena until you ultimately signal for the stop. Avoid loping slowly until near the end and suddenly sprinting.
When gradually increasing speed with each stride, it is important to request the stop while the horse is accelerating. This is because the horse’s shoulders become more raised, and its hind legs extend further beneath it as it gains speed, which are essential components for a sliding stop.
