# Yanking The Reins



## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

my mare does this at a walk from time to time.
she HATES tension in her mouth and when she walks she likes to carry her head low and riding with short barrel reins I have to just about lean forward to keep from putting tension in her mouth. I ride in a snaffle so its not the bit, as long as I stay out of her mouth when she is walking, other then giving her cues (she is fine with that), she is fine.

The only thing I can tell you is give her a little slack...so long as she is not trying to go faster or trying to ignore your cues there is no reason you have to keep so much pressure in her mouth.


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## loveyourhorse (Jun 17, 2011)

thanks sierra! its just so difficult to try to teach her any sort of collection without having ANY contact lol


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

trust me I know.

Something else you may want to try is if she is doing it or starts to be pretty bad about it then yank back...I may get jumped on for this but here goes....

if you are giving her slack and she still yanks then yank back make her back her a** up....doing this a few times may solve it. Of course I would not recommend you do this in a bit with or port or anything crazy like that but your snaffle should not hurt her...do not snatch from side to side of course but back her up asap and then continue what you were doing.


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## loveyourhorse (Jun 17, 2011)

yanking back was going to be my last resort. it's getting way too annoying and i'm beginning to think that may be the only option i have left! thanks again!


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

any time, keep me posted


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

If all else fails, I am also a fan of collecting her quick, steady, and sitting her on her butt. Then she gets to back up about six steps..more steps backwards if she doesn't give, put her head down, and continues to pull on me. I don't necessarily "yank" on my horse's mouth every time but I do get her attention right when she does it and make her give her head and back her up..


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

DrumRunner said:


> If all else fails, I am also a fan of collecting her quick, steady, and sitting her on her butt. Then she gets to back up about six steps..more steps backwards if she doesn't give, put her head down, and continues to pull on me. I don't necessarily "yank" on my horse's mouth every time but I do get her attention right when she does it and make her give her head and back her up..


you said it better  but this is what I meant!


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## farley (May 23, 2010)

I would never yank. I would just teach her to flex.. when she is standing still drop her hands to your knees and put a little pressure on the bit,if she doesnt give keep apply the pressure she may yank but keep a steady hand AS SOON as she gives let go and reward keep doing it till its perfect, this may take several days depending on how much you do it, to know when it is perfect you should be able to hold the horses head for several secs to a min with barely any pressure. Then you can work with it at a walk. To keep your horse from being confused between a stop and a flex Always ask a flex after they stop so they know the difference. Never ask for a flex before a stop during this training time. Then ask them to do it at a walk if they want to stop give a little leg pressure keep the pressure on the face till they give then let go ASAP and give them a good horse and a pet still keeping their feet moving all along, when they are good at that you can ask them to give to that pressure with little resistance for a few mins to longer, this will take lots of time though. then you can work your way up to a trot and canter. This will Also improve collect by 100% as well. Just remember its a give and take process as soon as you horse gives to that pressure take it away.


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Our welch used to this bad and once we got to inspecting it even further it was because of his teeth.


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

toosexy4myspotz said:


> Our welch used to this bad and once we got to inspecting it even further it was because of his teeth.


good point...this could def have something to do with it. I know in my mares case though it is not (recent vet check, he always praises my mares teeth), it would never hurt for the OP to have this horses teeth checked out. Could also be something else in the horses mouth...ulcer or sore.


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## loveyourhorse (Jun 17, 2011)

i just had my other mare's teeth done a couple months ago and my vet said my coming 4 yr old didn't need her teeth floated yet. 

she's still getting new teeth in the font but i'm sure that wouldn't cause her to yank since the bit doesn't touch them.


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## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

Cheyenne had to have a cap popped off because she kept putting her tongue over the bit and holding her head real high and slinging it around. Somehow it didn't manage to come off properly. Sorry, I didn't remember your horse was only 4.


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

loveyourhorse said:


> i just had my other mare's teeth done a couple months ago and my vet said my coming 4 yr old didn't need her teeth floated yet.


have you had her since birth?
has she ever has her teeth done?
has she had her wolf teeth pulled?

the bit def hits the wolf teeth.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

not that many mares have wolf teeth, or so my dental vet says.

I appreciate the post that spoke of working on flexing and such. It works on teaching the horse that a reward is to be gained by flexing; freedom is in softness.

If you do need to counter her yanking the reins away, remember that it's much harder for a horse to lean or pull against ONE rein, as opposed to two evenly resisting reins. Go to ONE rein. if you must pull back or create resistance that she pulls agains, make it one rein much more than the other, and look for the give on her part so that you can reward it immediately.


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## loveyourhorse (Jun 17, 2011)

@sierra, i've had her for about 9 months (you posted on my thread a while ago when my girl was skin and bones, not sure if you remember). i don't know if her teeth have every been done but my vet said that she doesn't need them done yet. as far as wolf teeth, she doesn't have any.

@tiny, thanks for mentioning one rein, i will definitely give that a try. i will also give the flexing a try.

thanks for all the replies everyone, i really appreciate it!


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## skittlesfirehawk (Mar 5, 2011)

check her bridle?and i second getting teeth looked at just in case.have you tried putting her in bridle and saddle with side reins and letting her fight against herself until she learns to settle?


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

tinyliny said:


> not that many mares have wolf teeth, or so my dental vet says.


until here recently I did not think mares had wolf teeth at all, I was under the impression only geldings had wolf teeth but I was corrected.



loveyourhorse said:


> @sierra, i've had her for about 9 months (you posted on my thread a while ago when my girl was skin and bones, not sure if you remember). i don't know if her teeth have every been done but my vet said that she doesn't need them done yet. as far as wolf teeth, she doesn't have any.


I do not remember, sorry.

Also, I am no horse teeth pro but I do recall my vet telling me the first few years of a horses life they need to have their teeth looked at....there are ones that need pulling and that kind of thing before they should be ridden.
I will have to make a call to my vet and get all the info before you quote me on this.


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## loveyourhorse (Jun 17, 2011)

her bridle fits.. i actually recently got a new one because she grew and her head got too big for the old one. i can have the vet check her teeth again but they were just checked a couple months ago when my other mares teeth were done. i will look into it though.

i have never tried side reins with her. she never learned to even lunge and i don't have a small enough area to teach her. our last attempt ended up with her bolting and then galloping around like a maniac.


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## skittlesfirehawk (Mar 5, 2011)

could you try in a ring with or with a trainer there?


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## loveyourhorse (Jun 17, 2011)

@skittles, i keep my horses at my house and i do not have a ring. i also do not have access to a trailer to take her to a ring at the moment.


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## farley (May 23, 2010)

loveyourhorse said:


> @skittles, i keep my horses at my house and i do not have a ring. i also do not have access to a trailer to take her to a ring at the moment.


I have the same problem, and most of my clinets do to, I am rare in the fact that I go to the owners house, I can do everything I need to with out a round pen, arena, or even a fence. 
And the only problem I see with the one rein is that if you do it incorrectly you can change her direction, eventualy get her to ignore the rein, or just confuse her. 
My horses are very sensitive and I like to keep it that way. If I just slightly move my hand to one direction I want them to move in that direction. The moment my horses feel my hands slide down the reins to my knees they drop their polls beautifuly.


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## Stan (Aug 25, 2011)

Just to add a little more. The horse as i understand may be trying to tell you some thing is wrong.

Check the teeth, check if the bit is the right size not to tight fitting in width, or punching the side of the horses mouth. Has the horse got problems with the inside of his/her mouth having sharp edges on the teeth can cause cuts in the checks. The horse my not like the style of bit.There are a number of things that can be wrong. As a rule when my horse does something out of the norm I tend to first ask this question What is she trying to tell me, before deciding it may just be bad behavour. Good luck.


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Horses usually have a reason for doing something annoying to the rider because that way they believe the rider might stop doing what the horse doesn't want done. It is not just a sign of disobedience - mostly it is a cry for some change.

Try checking the teeth, the fitting of the bit, another bit, the saddle, straps, the way you sit, the way you hold the reins. 

Whether you let the horse rest its neck from time to time

The horse is trying to tell you something - you'll have to work out what it is trying to 'say'.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

tinyliny said:


> not that many mares have wolf teeth, or so my dental vet says.
> 
> I appreciate the post that spoke of working on flexing and such. It works on teaching the horse that a reward is to be gained by flexing; freedom is in softness.
> 
> If you do need to counter her yanking the reins away, remember that it's much harder for a horse to lean or pull against ONE rein, as opposed to two evenly resisting reins. Go to ONE rein. if you must pull back or create resistance that she pulls agains, make it one rein much more than the other, and look for the give on her part so that you can reward it immediately.


Agree. This is way more productive than getting in a straight up tug of war with an animal ten times stronger than you.


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## RoosHuman (Dec 27, 2011)

I would definitely suggest (after teeth being checked) working with the flexing exercises! Start at a whoa, and flex with only one rein to the side, up towards your hip. When she gives, immediately release. Do it on both sides several times. (You can even do this one on the ground, with treats as an incentive. Most loooove "carrot stretches!) Afterward, you can try to keep the bend at a walk/trot. Just keep contact with your inside rein and open your outside rein as you go around. These are exercises that our trainer suggested we use with our 6 year old trail mare, who is one day going to be an english show pony.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

This often works. Ride with one hand tightly holding the left rein and loosely holding the right. The left side is her thinking side. When she pulls hold hard on the left and let the right rein slide. The prevents her from bracing against the bit. Use your regular snaffle for this as the bit will shift in her mouth and you don't want the link hitting her teeth. You will likely wind up riding in a circle as she pulls but just hold hard. The moment she quits pulling, give her slack and allow her to straighten. A horse rarely makes the connection the first time so be sure to do this until she figures out that it's getting her nowhere. I agree about having her teeth checked as tooth issues usually show up by this age.


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## PaintedFury (Aug 18, 2010)

Have you tried a bit with a mullen mouth?

I once trained a horse, that would do pretty much the same thing that you're describing your filly is doing. But she would also constantly mouth and try to spit out a snaffle mouth piece. Her owner had a kimberwick bit that had a mullen mouth piece on it. So I figured, everything else isn't working, so why not give it a try. As soon as the bit hit her mouth, and was adjusted correctly, she was SO quiet to ride. No pulling, or tossing, or trying to spit it out. She was very light in her responses to pressure. So that is when I learned, that not all horses prefer a broken bit, and some actually prefer a solid one.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Given she has no teeth problem, bit is gentle and fit the mouth, I'd send her forward and half-halt the moment it tries to yank it off your hands. 

BTW, I've never heard mares usually don't have wolf teeth. Mine are obviously the exceptions (one for my qh, and 2 for my paint, all were pulled by the vet of course).


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

loveyourhorse said:


> I have a coming 4 yr old TB mare and she is constantly trying to yank the reins out of my hands at the trot. She yanks the reins hard enough that it rips them out of my hands. I have tried to hold the reins still to see if she gets over it and realizes that I'm not going to soften until she does and she nearly yanks me out of the saddle. I've also tried just sending her forward with my leg but she continues to yank. I had her in a simple full cheek snaffle and then switched her to a french link snaffle thinking maybe the single joint was having a bit of a nutcracker effect. Since changing the bit there hasn't been any improvement. I always try to have extremely soft hands but it seems like the only time she isn't yanking on the reins is when I have the reins so long that its impossible to yank them.
> 
> Any ideas as to why she is yanking the reins so much? Suggestions on how to stop it? As always, thanks in advance!


It sounds like she is trying to "root" you, as we call it. I agree with Barry - this could very well be a rider issue, not horse. The horse IS trying to tell you something.

Don't get me wrong, this could be a pain factor too - I wouldn't ignore that.

Usually, when a horse roots, it is the horse asking for a release from their mouth, too much contact/pressure that the rider is creating through their rein contact - and not giving back to the horse. 

With a 4 year old, you don't always want direct contact - I would discuss this with your Coach/Trainer. If you don't have one, I suggest finding one, to help you work through these issues. When I help ride the young WB's and Sport Horses at my barn, I ride with light contact. I ride with longer reins and softer contact. 

With a 4 year old, I would be far more focused on relaxation, rhythm, tempo, balance than contact.


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## Stan (Aug 25, 2011)

Quote from another reader, Not all mares have wolf teeth or so my vet says.

All of the horses I have had and my friends, have had wolf teeth. Both Stella and Kate had theirs extraxted only 6 months ago. Stella is rising 9 years and Kate rising 7.

I say this as we almost had a tooth party but the fairy could not attend and imagine the size of the pillows one could hide the tooth under, no wonder the tooth fairy declined. :shock:

On a more serious note several of our riding friends congregated at my home to get the horses teeth checked (we live a distance from any town so dentest and farrier spend the whole day in the area)

Point is wolf teeth were the majour interest for the dentest and out they came, 5 out of 7 horses and only two geldings amoungst them.

I agree with Barry check all of the tack for issues before pointing the finger at the horse. It only has one way to let you know something is wrong, and that is behavour


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## yadlim (Feb 2, 2012)

I think that a lot of the above information is really good, but just a different thought here. 

I know that my gelding gets grumpy sometimes and for no other reason that being grumpy, wants my hands off the reins. Wanting to eat grass is usually the reason behind this, but he will try, on rare occasions, to jerk the reins out of my hands. He will also get impatient when we are standing and waiting for others before we walk off. I have a very easy solution to this. I do not punish him for it, I let him punish himself. 

I put a knot in my reins that put the bit in light contant with his mouth, and I do stress LIGHT contact. Then I hook the knot over the saddle horn and let him jerk away. He is only getting corrected when he acts out, and only to the extent of his own actions. We might have to do this once or twice a year (he can be a dork fish sometimes), but it usually only takes a minute or two for him to figure out that he is correcting himself and to knock it off. 

But let me stress, something else too. On the RARE occasions that I let someone else ride him, should they have anything but light hands, he will jerk the reins out of their hands so fast it can make heads spin. When this happens, I yell at the rider, not my sensitive horse. 

Other than his rare terrified freak outs, he can be easily collected with less than an ounce of pressure on the reins.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

She is only four so a lot of young horses will do this in frustration or cause they wanna go, go, GO! Sounds like you have her coming along well in the fact that she isn't bolting or going faster, just pulling her head and at the reins.

I'd go back to the ground and work her on the line. Reinforce verbal cues, and teach her the difference between easy and whoa. Since you don't have a round pen I'd get some one to lounge her with you riding. Combine the verbal with using the bit. Have you tried her in a light hackamore or ridden her in a halter bitless? How does she do then? I think it's a go issue more than a teeth or mouth issue.


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## loveyourhorse (Jun 17, 2011)

Thank you all for your comments and advice! I now have a lot to look into and a number of things to try.

@flygap, it is definitely not a wanting to go issue. She is extremely quiet undersaddle and she definitely knows "and woah" (i do not need to touch her mouth at all to slow her or stop her).

I will recheck all tack and try riding her in her halter to see if that makes a difference.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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