Does your horse pull and lean against your hand?
Do you find it difficult to keep a consistent contact on the reins?
Do you want a softer contact with your horse?
Are you sure you use the correct amount of rein tension?
The Carl Hester Fantastic Elastic Training Reins help solve all of these issues. I use a pair of them with my dressage horse and find that it really helps to relax her jaw.
Even when I think I'm riding with the right amount of contact through the rein, the Carl Hester Training Rein has been known to prove me wrong! A couple of sessions using them and I'm back on track again with regular reins.
How do Carl Hester Training Reins work?
The reins have an elastic insert that activates when you take up rein contact. When you're riding, the tension in the elastic should never pull to 100%. If it does, you have too strong a contact.
At 100% tension, you can feel the loss of elasticity as the tension transfers fully through to the leather rein. Your aim is to be consistently riding with the “elastic" feel that the Carl Hester Training Reins give you. When you can do that, transfer back to regular reins. You should then feel the improvement as your hands remain soft in the contact and you seek that same feeling.
Your horse will thank you for it!
How do Carl Hester Training Reins help my horse?
Scientific studies have shown a connection between too much rein tension and lesions in the horse's mouth. In other words, too strong a contact is uncomfortable for your horse and can cause painful damage. Your horse might show this with a shorter stride, a tense neck and jaw, blocking against your rein or other more dramatic responses.
Used correctly, the Carl Hester Training Reins take away the excess tension and keep the contact soft and comfortable between you and your horse. The more you get used to that feeling, the easier it is to translate it to when you're using regular reins.
Are they just another gadget?
No! Far from it. Gadgets are cheats that force your horse to do something against his natural choice. The Carl Hester Training Rein is simply a way to train and remind the rider to obtain and keep the correct level of tension and feel through the reins. You can then switch back to regular reins and feel the improvement.
Shouldn't I just get a trainer?
Absolutely! But most of us don't have the luxury of having a trainer around all the time. Even if you can afford a lesson every week, the Carl Hester Training Reins can help you to maintain what you've learned when you ride on your own.
How many lessons can you buy for the price of a pair of reins?
Developing “feel" is a personal thing and if you're anything like me, it can take a long time to undo years of less-than-perfect contact! The Carl Hester Training Reins simply help to train you to develop that feel and maintain it consistently.
What if my horse is very strong?
Carl Hester Training Reins are designed to be used in a manege or other enclosed area. Whilst they are designed to be used ideally at around 50% tension, they do stretch to 100%, at which point the leather takes up the tension and it's like using normal reins.
This means that, whilst you don't want to activate the leather reins ALL the time (it should be a rare and momentary incident), when you do need brakes they're there.
Can I compete using Carl Hester Training Reins?
No, they're not legal for competition but using them for training should help to improve your competition performance.
What level of quality are the Carl Hester Training Reins?
The quality standard of the Carl Hester Training Reins is what you would expect from an Olympic gold medallist. Beautifully made, they are a top quality British leather hand stitched product, available with a smart, discrete inside rubberised grip. And designed to give the Ultimate Elastic Feel between horse and rider.
"It is a rein that can benefit all disciplines of riding, be it dressage, jumping or hacking. It's simple but the best ideas often are and it's certainly effective. We have asked many top riders and trainers across the different disciplines to test the reins and the positive feedback is unanimous."- Carl Hester.
