# Fiona in German Draw Reins



## upsidedown (Jul 10, 2008)

Not sure what they're actually called but my sister got them in Germany and they're kinda like draw reins. Except for I like them LOADS better than draw reins. 

So here is the pony I'm leasing while Brutus is lame and off work (good news: he's improving with stall rest!). I was honestly considering buying her but she is overpriced IMO. She's 13.2 and 5 years old. We had to rig the draw reins quite a bit as they're horse sized and she obviously isn't, but we made sure both sides were an equal length. 

But without any further ado here she is:








































Just before the snort ^^^^








Midsnort ^^^^









Fiona's first experience with them in my opinion went well. It was a very head up 6 seconds, head down 3 sec, kind of thing as she figured it out. At the very end though she didn't want to walk and trotted like a lap and a half with her head just down like the above pictures, so I think she was starting to get it.

What do you think?


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## close2prfct (Mar 9, 2009)

I've never seen any like them but she sure is a cutie!


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## juju (Oct 8, 2008)

She's super cute and reminds me of a pony that i used to ride. We would clip him with the same heart on his side  At my barn i'd call them side reins and i haven't used them on my horse but i know several people who do and really like them. She looks like a good mover, really using her hind end and reaching underneath herself. I really lover her esp. since she reminds me of my old pony! What does she do? Do you have any more pictures?


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## jxclass19 (Feb 1, 2009)

She is so cute! I want her!


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

She looks frustrated.

I want to do a clip like that on my TB. Would regular clippers work? I have Oster A5 2 speed - a blade 30 would work eh? Or are those too small?


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

MIeventer, Oster A5s should do the trick, just make sure you're keeping them lubed and cooled. I would suggest a 10 blade, unless you want to shave very very fine.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Ok, I'll use a 10 blade. Thanks JDI!


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## upsidedown (Jul 10, 2008)

To everyone who said she's cute thanks, I quite agree!



> She looks frustrated.


That's actually her relaxed face. She's quite tense a lot of the time. Though she probably was slightly frustrated because she didn't quite understand at first.



> I want to do a clip like that on my TB. Would regular clippers work? I have Oster A5 2 speed - a blade 30 would work eh?


I used Andis, and she was the first one they ever clipped and she was quite woolly. I don't know what blade it was, they just came with the clippers...



> What does she do? Do you have any more pictures?


She does Jumpers and can do some Hunters, but she has to be ridden like 6 days a week to be more "Huntery". I do have more pictures, I just need to scrounge them up, there are two of her jumping on my other thread (http://www.horseforum.com/horse-riding-critique/critique-jumping-position-25784/) but I have some of her flatting I'll dig up in a few. I've been working a lot with her on dressage lately, as she doesn't know nearly as much as she should (but then again I don't either)


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## juju (Oct 8, 2008)

I looked at the other thread and she is a very cute jumper (you look good too!) Will you show her at all?


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## upsidedown (Jul 10, 2008)

We're currently doing C rated jumpers and some Hunters. Shes fun and a joy to ride, but its been a little disappointing as this was the year I was going to do A rated jumpers with Brutus


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## jagman6201 (Mar 13, 2009)

She's overflexed in the first four pictures and looks very tense and as MIEventer said, frustraited. Why did you fit her with these? Any particular reason, or just to do it. If so; I'd personally stop - trying to 'fix' a headset into a horse usually ends up ruining the movement and action in the long term and she looks like she'd be a pretty cute mover if she was more relaxed.


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## upsidedown (Jul 10, 2008)

> She's overflexed in the first four pictures


The pictures are in order from when she first had it on to after she'd gone around a while in it so she was just figuring it out. 



> Why did you fit her with these? Any particular reason, or just to do it. If so; I'd personally stop - trying to 'fix' a headset into a horse usually ends up ruining the movement and action in the long term and she looks like she'd be a pretty cute mover if she was more relaxed.


She needed to learn how to use her back end. I'm not quite certain what your meaning is in 'fix'ing a headset. My first impression on the word 'fixed' is something that is (to quote dictionary.com) "fastened, attached, or placed so as to be firm and not readily movable; firmly implanted; stationary; rigid", but I don't think that is you meaning and I don't like to make assumptions.

To the cute mover if she was more relaxed, your right. She would be. But she is a very tense horse, and this is about as relaxed as she gets. Without the draw reins she's still tense, just with her head in the air and not using her back end. She's really hard to describe - she is not nervous really, just tense and unsure. She would like to please, but gets worked up about it. She is a lot better than she used to be, but she still has a ways to go. She likes consistency, and since I've been leasing her she's been doing well with it. If you have any more suggestions on what would relax her I'd be really glad to hear them


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## upsidedown (Jul 10, 2008)

> learn how to use her back end


Eek, I meant learn how to use her body. But I don't know how to edit on this website so...


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