# Attaching the reins to the saddle?



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

If I was lunging a horse before I was going to ride it for some reason I go for the easiest cheapest option which is to tie some baler twine between the 'D's' on the front of the saddle and put the reins through it - unbuckle and thread through then re-buckle


----------



## DannyBoysGrace (Apr 6, 2013)

I'm trying to remember what I used to do.
I think that I attached them to the stirrups (which were rolled).


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

no, the easiest thing is to do this:


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Some other ideas that work...

Open your throatlatch and tuck the reins up then refasten the throatlatch piece so they are less prone to sliding around and catching a hoof.

What is driving you crazy is...
Place your reins gently across the pommel of the saddle, then thread your stirrup iron and leather through them while your irons are run up. If you have enough extra strap that you can slip the long length up and your leather then through it and back through your leather keeper you have no slap of rein, much less chance of your stirrup irons sliding down the leather and bouncing against the horses side while lunging tacked up.
Do be careful if you do this and have a buckle as it can catch your seat and give it a good slice or scratch...in addition you could snap your reins if the horse has a fit .

Personally, I don't like to lunge my horse by his bridle regardless of how I can tie up his reins.
If he is tacked, I slip his halter on over his bridle carefully not hitting his bit. With the reins over his head, slide his halter on....your reins are now caught and secured, _not going anywhere..._
I use my halter not my bridle to attach that lunge line to...
I have plenty of control of the horse, and it takes no more time to slip a halter on than buckling and unbuckling the throatlatch....

_Hope that description wasn't to confusing.... _
:runninghorse2:.......


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Lots of ways of doing this depending on the length of your reins and the shortness of your horse!

The video Tiny shared is a good way of keeping reins out of the way, and not only for lunging, we tacked lesson horses and hitched the reins like that until they were needed.

Another method is difficult to describe, but so easy to do, put the bridle on, reins on horses neck as you would when riding. Then gently pull all the slack to the left, twist into a loop and put over horses head, settle around neck, you end up with the reins in a neat circle on the neck.

If your reins are long, and the neck shorter, you can simply put them over the horses head, then back to the saddle, looping them under the run up stirrup each side.


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Twist them through the throatlatch, it's the best way to secure them while lunging. If you want the effect of the reins then get proper side reins and use those.


----------



## DanteDressageNerd (Mar 12, 2015)

If I use the reins as a side rein I tie them through the girth. I don't know that there is a video for how I tie them and describing it won't work but I prefer that to side reins because side reins are bulky and heavy and swing excessively vs the reins are lighter and act more like an actual connection for the horse to work into. They shouldn't be too tight or too loose, tight enough to make contact but not so tight in contracts the horse, they need to be able to work into it not held behind it. That's what I do when breaking babies for them to get use to bit pressure/contact, work into a contact, learning to balance and how to use their bodies without rider interference. I think it helps a lot. Another one I do is putting the reins on the saddle with the stirrups over the top if I don't want to put a side rein on.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I used to do them the way they're done in that video until I had the reins come down over the head of a horse that was not even doing much so I now also tie them up to the front of the saddle
I wouldn't loop them under the stirrups as it makes the contact too tight


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

jaydee said:


> I used to do them the way they're done in that video until I had the reins come down over the head of a horse that was not even doing much so I now also tie them up to the front of the saddle
> I wouldn't loop them under the stirrups as it makes the contact too tight


I agree about under the stirrups making the contact too tight unless the reins are very long which is usually not the case.

I do fasten the reins the way it was shown in Tinyliny's video and I make sure to do enough twists in the reins so there is not much free space and this way there isn't much chance for the reins to come over the head. I have done this for many years and never had them come over the head, I watch for this closely as it is something that I would not want to happen while I was longeing a feisty horse.


----------



## 230529 (Aug 6, 2016)

*Reins*



tinyliny said:


> no, the easiest thing is to do this:
> 
> Securing the Reins for Lunging a Horse - YouTube


I've done this in the past - works like a charm and I've never had any incidents involving reins coming loose.


----------



## Emoore (Sep 14, 2015)

I like the throatlatch idea. Thanks guys!


----------



## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I've never seen a horse lunged via the bridle! huh. Don't think I'll do that.

I've only lunged a horse, once tacked, a couple times. For odd reasons. Putting a halter over the bridle was simple.

I took a few lunge lessons with a coach some years back. She slipped a halter over the bridle with no problem.


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

boots said:


> I've never seen a horse lunged via the bridle! huh. Don't think I'll do that.
> 
> I've only lunged a horse, once tacked, a couple times. For odd reasons. Putting a halter over the bridle was simple.
> 
> I took a few lunge lessons with a coach some years back. She slipped a halter over the bridle with no problem.



I often lunge from a bridle, and being Western it makes securing the reins more difficult, I have seen it done by many people, nothing strange about it.

Even if you slip a halter on, if the reins are still on you still need to secure them out of the way.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Golden Horse said:


> I often lunge from a bridle, and being Western it makes securing the reins more difficult, I have seen it done by many people, nothing strange about it.


*Why more difficult?*

My western bridle has a throatlatch....
I would do up the reins the exact same way, English or western...

I have a browband bridle not a slip ear....
However, I've seen throatlatches on _some_ slip-ears too...
_
However, I *use* the halter and *not* the bridle to attach a line. 
The attaching to a bit...*ouch*.
No thank-you.
_:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I rarely lunge off a bridle but even with a halter/headcollar over the top the reins still need to be held in place


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

horselovinguy said:


> *Why more difficult?*
> 
> My western bridle has a throatlatch....
> I would do up the reins the exact same way, English or western...
> ...


Because they are 7' split reins! You can't just twist them into the throat lash. 

As to lunging from the bit, why the ouch? It is an accepted way of lunging, nothing scary or strange about it.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I can loosely knot my split reins so they are not overly long and hook any loose slack in my throatlatch.

As for not by the bit....
Have you ever thought about the movement that bit does in the mouth when the horse goes roundy-round on a lunge line...not like it is "balanced" with that line hanging, pulling on one-side of the bit that I can see or imagine.
Even up and over the poll it is not a even pressure...

Just because it is a "accepted" way of doing it doesn't mean it is in the best interest of your horses mouth...
_To each their own....:wave:
:runninghorse2:...
_


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

See each to their own I don't EVER put knots in my reins, not something I do.

As to lunging from the bit, the established practice is to clip the rein to the bit on the off side, run it up over the poll and through the bit ring on the near side. Nothing cruel, or odd about it, just because you have not come across it before does not make it wrong.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Golden Horse said:


> See each to their own I don't EVER put knots in my reins, not something I do.
> 
> As to lunging from the bit, the established practice is to clip the rein to the bit on the off side, run it up over the poll and through the bit ring on the near side. Nothing cruel, or odd about it, just because you have not come across it before does not make it wrong.


I did *not* say it was wrong....nor did I say scary, strange, cruel, or odd in any of my posts...those are your words.
I have seen, watched many lunge in this manner...their choice.
I said lunging like that is* not* what I do....What I said is, _"__Just because it is a "accepted" way of doing it doesn't mean it is in the best interest of your horses mouth..."_
I stand behind that comment and thought.

So my western reins are working tack...and being working tack they are not as delicate as some that you might use...nor are they worth a fortune...so being loosely looped through/knotted doesn't hurt them either....:wink:

_Kind of a moot point...._
The OP is referring to English tack and that means she either has a buckle end rein or sewn reins so dealing with long split reins is _not _something she worries about...:wink:
_
To the Op...
You found a answer and solution for your situation, great! :wink:
_
_Sorry for the hijack and ongoing discussion on your thread....
You now have some other ideas from the ongoing discussion Golden and I had...

 _Have a super day!! :wave: 
:runninghorse2:....


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

> So my western reins are working tack...and being working tack they are not as delicate as some that you might use...nor are they worth a fortune...so being loosely looped through/knotted doesn't hurt them either....:wink:


Mine aren't exactly delicate, neither are they worth a fortune, I just do not knot them, so I use other methods......I guess the people who I hang around are different, I did tie a knot in western reins early on, and there was nearly a collective melt down......so of course I don't do it.....

But you are right on one thing, the OP was asking about English, so we can park the Western chat


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

One last question Golden...
_Have you ever tried this kind of leather loop things....
__http://www.outfitterssupply.com/images/WHWRLL-2.gif_
_I guess you would call it sort of a keeper but you can buy replacements in packages from Weaver {seen those} and slip your reins through them to hold them together?
I've seen them but don't know if they work or not....
If they work I would use them instead of knotting my reins. 
:runninghorse2:....
_


----------



## Emoore (Sep 14, 2015)

Haha yeah I've been riding Western a lot longer than English, so I have the Western tack down. English sometimes stymies me. I took lessons in English for a while but I find myself sometimes getting confused with little things like this. For the record I'm lunging with my halter and was just wondering how to get the reins out of the way.


----------

