long reining

[Shadows_Gold]

Has anyone done Long Reining with minis? I'd like to do that with my gelding. I f anyone has any tips for me, I'd appreciate it.

: Thanx! This is my gilding, Romeo.

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Romeo is very handsome

: . I have sucessfully long reined my gelding. It was tricky to get the the hang of, but it is nice to be able to see your horse work in front of you. Some days long reining was easy as pie, other days I couldn't do it at all

: , But if you keep trying as I am going to as soon as I can then I'm sure you can figure it out.If I remember any other tips i'll post them later, a bit Brain dead at the moment lol

: . Good Luck Long reining can be really fun, it just takes time.

Ash :saludando:

Edited to say it takes time & a good amount of patience, It's not a good idea to try this when your not in a good mood... personal experience

:

 

[wiccanz]

:saludando:

I assume you mean ground driving, such as a precursor to cart driving?

I see you have him in most of the harness already, so I'm thinking you will have done all the necessary bitting work already?

If you are wanting to get him moving along on his own, you may need to have someone lead him to start with. Even just having another person walking in front of him will help. At this stage, he is unfamiliar of moving forward on his own, so needs to be shown how. You should also carry a driving whip, as without it you have no means of driving him forward. Don't use the reins to slap him with!

Is this the first time he has been long-reined / in full harness (in the pic)? When I start mine off long-reining, they only wear an open bridle (no blinkers) and a basic surcingle/saddle with crupper. Once I am satisfied that they understand the idea of being driven from behind, and are completely confident in walk, trot, halt and back, then I introduce the full harness (including breastplate & traces, which are tied up out of the way, and minus overcheck, which only comes much later on). Then I "start over" as it were. We go through the same process again, and when I am 110% certain that the horse is under control and totally confident in themselves and in me, I introduce the cart. There is no set time for all the above - I move at the horse's pace

I hope I have worded all this in a way that is understood - I know what I mean in my own mind, but not always good at explaining it!!

:

Hope that is helpful, there's lots of experienced harness people on this forum who will be able to offer helpful suggestions too. :bgrin

 

[Shadows_Gold]

Thanx! He is a real joy to work with.

: It seems like we are one. He learns so fast! He loves o drive, when I go to put him in his stall he plants his feet and says NO! lol. He wants to go drive again. I'll go out in the paster with the harness in my hand and he'll run up to me. I'll put it on him and off we go. I've ground drove him before for an hour and he still didn't want to stop! He is really amazing! I think he'll like this, too.

wiccanz, sorry if I confused you with the pic. I just wanted to show him. I've already been driving him for over a year now! again sorry if I confused you!

 

[wiccanz]

Now here's a topic I need! Is there any way you could show me (us?) a picture of the above set up?

Have a look on my website (below) under the Services button, Harness Training. There's a couple of pics on there, one of a wee buckskin longreining (ground driving) down the road in a simple long-reining set. He is also wearing sidereins in that pic, but since I have altered my bitting method, I find I don't need to use these anymore.

I'm at work at the moment

: so can post some better pics when I get home in a few hours.

 

[Boinky]

In my mind there is a differnce between "ground driving" and "long lining". Long lining is typically you have very long reins and you stand in the middle and make the horse circle around you. Ground driving is you typically walk behind them ect.

I REGULARLY long line when training all my horses to drive. I think it's important as you can get GOOD trotting work down in the harness before hitching the horse (plus as someone else said you can see what they are doing). In ground driving i find it's difficult to REALLY work at the trot. can't really run fast enough to do a real trot and i feel it's important to have the horse feel the harness in the trot as well.

It's also excellent in teaching extentions and other movements. I train them to do lateral work in them ect. it's a very invaluable training tool. You don't need special tack to do it.. a regular driving harness works well enough. You will need a bit longer reins than regular reins. as someone else mentioned it can be very tricky to get the hang of..but WELL worth learning if your training your horse!

Karla.. remind me this coming weekend when you see me and I'll give you a quick lesson in Long lining. I'll have silver and he's a piece of cake typically to work with!

 

[Boinky]

well silver would be happy (ok so maybe i dont' know if he REALLY would be..lol) to teach you how to do both long lining and ground driving. he's pretty easy to learn with i think. He's been there done that.

You will probably want some sort of surcingle to ground drive as it holds the reins up. You could probably jimmy rig something up but even if you could find an old junky cheap harness somewhere it would do the trick. then if you decide you want to drive then invest in something nicer

 

[wiccanz]

Reins are attached to the bit.

Long lining, as boinky pointed out, is slightly different to long-reining, or ground driving. I do a combination of both. I work in both straight lines (behind the horse) and circles (beside the horse, rather than behind) in the same session.

 

[PrestigeMiniHorses]

I, too, use both methods I think its actually kinda important to do it both ways. Just my opinion though...I love it though and it gives my horse a good workout too...And long lining and ground driving both don't require a fancy harness either. I got a cheap nylon harness a few years ago that I paid 50 bucks for and it works great and is quite great to use with the cart too...

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Whooo Hooo it looks like you've gotton some great advice on here. I know that this book 101 longeing & long reining exercises, by Cherry Hill was very helpful for me. well good luck

Ash :saludando:

P.S. don't you just love the guys they never want to stop

:

 

[wiccanz]

OK, here's some clearer pics of my simple longreining set.

We sometimes have longreining classes down here. You may either walk/run behind the horse, or out to the side. I tend to stay behind on the straights, and move to the side when circling, and let the horse circle around me.

Hope that helps

ETA Would have got these on earlier, but our weather went haywire last night, and we lost power for a few hours!!

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Oh my gosh, Ashley!! I HAVE that book, but I completely forgot it's on a shelf! Thank you for reminding me!

:

Ha ha No problem, I have been looking for mine for a while & this topic was a good reason to dig it out lol.

:

Wiccanz, You have a very nice set up

We sometimes have longreining classes down here. You may either walk/run behind the horse, or out to the side. I tend to stay behind on the straights, and move to the side when circling, and let the horse circle around me.

That's pretty much what I do too, works out good

:

Glad you finally have power

: & nice horse too

Well goodluck shadows_gold

Ash :saludando:

 

[Shadows_Gold]

Thanx everyone for all the info. minidonkeyny I'll be sure to check out that book.

 

[wiccanz]

and that piece that goes from the surcingle to the tail

That's the crupper

You should be able to find a set like this at someone like Ozark or Mini Express etc. Mine was made locally here in NZ.

I always use a half cheek bit, as in our rules here, we must have a bit "that cannot be pulled through the horse's mouth". Personally, I think we need a better description, as if you pull hard enough, you can pull any bit through a horse's mouth! :new_shocked: Not that you'd want to of course, but you know what I mean...

 

[wiccanz]

The long-reining set. We can buy long-reining sets like this here.

You can of course simply use an open bridle with your harness saddle/crupper, simply use the tie-downs to loop through the shaft loops and tie them down so they don't flap around. Probably have a pic of that at home too somewhere, just have to get home from work again!! :bgrin

 

[hobbyhorse23]

So..I need a bridle, a bit, and that piece that goes from the surcingle to the tail...(what is that called?

: ). It attaches to the surcingle?
I know how to measure for a bit. Do you recommend a half cheek snaffle for this stage? Or full? Does it make a difference?

Is it possible to get these pieces separately, or will I need to buy a whole harness?

You actually don't need a crupper unless you are using a check because otherwise there should be no forward pressure on the saddle. You will find however that it has a tendency to spin to the side under pressure from the reins, so cinch the surcingle tightly and handle the reins carefully! LOL I like to use my Camptown Harness saddle for this now because the tree keeps it in place on his spine instead of allowing it to roll like my nylon training surcingle did.

Several of the long-lining books I have recommend using a full-cheek bit for initial training because the indirect pressure on the side of the lips helps the horse understand what you want when you ask for a turn. You go from long-lining in a halter, to doing the same thing wearing a bridle over the halter (no reins attached), to having reins attached to both (yes, four reins) and gradually phasing your commands from the halter to the bit. This is similiar to how western horses are transferred from bosals to bit work.

It is definitely possible to buy the pieces separately. And yes, you CAN do this! :aktion033:

Leia

 

[wiccanz]

OK, here's the pic showing the use of the harness saddle to ground drive in.

 

[willowoodstables]

Ahhhh my specialty LOL!

Wiccanz...I highly agree with the set up of your last picture..I ALWAYS keep the long lines down around the side and actually drop the line down around the hock as well. By keeping the lines low, and around the hock, you have more control of the horses body (they can't spin and look at you!) and it keeps the backpad from being pulled sideways across the back.

I longlines 85% of the time all the horses, whether they are broke to drive or not. By using the low line over the hock it engages the rear, I work them all with low heads and rounded frame and keep asking them to engage the rear. Once I have them doing this consistently, getting them to raise up and work off the rear in the cart is a breeze.

Here are some pics of my set up. I use "Hangers" instead of the tug loops as the lines slide thru easier. The key to longlining is making sure your lines don't "drag" thru anything, causing a harder pull on the mouth. LIGHT hands are a must LOL!

Descriptions are under the individual photos...

This is "Patch" his first day in a blind bridle. I use "draw" pulleys (I DO NOT recommend draw reins for newbies..you need excellent hands), but as this was his first day I went straight line. Notice his head is tipped to me..I was over exaggerating the steering as he was being a little "simple".

Here is a shot of my "hangers"

This shows the purpose of keeping the lines low..keeps the horse tracking properly in a circle...

This kinda demonstrates the impulsion I try to get..he is really pushing off his rear and extending the front. Notice his head is coming up on its own (I NEVER use a check at home will working for collection)

Once a horse is solid in longlines I incorporate my tire..this is a great aid before the cart as it gets them used to pulling and sounds behind them. I use it during regular training sessions with the "broke" horses at it also builds muscles and wind faster then joggin 4 miles a day !

Kim

Oops some of them look huge sorry!

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Ashley--you and your mom need to take a road trip this summer! We are in the same state--even though it's a hike. I have ice cream....with chocolate syrup.....

I think you right lol, though you didn't need to add in the ice cream, meeting all your guys would be awesome enough

: .

Which piece is keeping the horse from putting his head too low?

That would be a check rein, if you end up using one Blessing will love you a lot more if you use a side check because it releases pressure instantly and the overcheck won't.

Edited to add the other question for this 10 minutes---there are so many bits to choose from--is a stainless sterl half cheek fine for what I want? I imagine the different characteristics on the others are necessary for driving issues? Or is much of it finding which the horse is comfortable with?

It's mainly whatever your horse is comfortable in, I started Banner in a D-Ring Stainless stell single jointed snaffle, because that is the onlt thing I had, It worked well for the first year & then this year I couldn't ask him to do anything in it without him throwing his head up. (I'm pretty sure it was from the joint hitting the top of his mouth well the reins were used

) So I ended up with a myler, but I don't think you would need to spend a lot of money to get a bit that would work for Blessing, I was just tired of looking for bits so I went with the one that everyone seemed to like... & Banner loves it so problem solved with him lol

Here I searchs bits on the forum and here's the LINK , if you go through these posts I'm sure you can find some good information in there.

If I was going to start a horse now, I would use either this French link snaffle or a myler, but I would probably astart out with the french link because it's cheaper, though I sort of like the myler better lol. I'm sure in a year or so I'll be posting questions if BuckWheat has troble getting started, though I'm not expecting any as he seems to learn a little easier than Banner, not that Brat was bad... He's just ... excitable

: lol.

As for a surcingle, I really like this one if I was just ground driving, here's the link :Ozark Mtn. Surcingle

Using a bridle with blinder's is fine, it's often up to the horse, if s/he works better blindered or in an open bridle. Here's a more expensive open bridle:LINK & here's a less expensive one, but it doesn't come with a noseband (not that you need one):LINK & here's one that's in the middle price wise lol :LINK Here's a blindered Bridle, a bit expensive though :LINK you can take the side check off, I have this bridle & I don't use a check of any kind.

Well I hope this helps, :bgrin

Ash

P.S. I really want to take a road trip Karla

: , Better start wearing Mom down, not that she doesn't want to go... correction, better start wearing Dad down lol

:

Edited to add:

Ozark has separate pieces. Leia I'd like something to keep the surcingle from sliding. The two buckles don't hold it securely. Also, my reins are cotton and about 1n inch wide--I think they cause some trouble in that they don't fit through the rings smoothly?

Here's a crupper if you want to get one : Link

I have these cotton lines, they are 1/2 rolled & half flat(the rolled part is the part that will go through the rings) LINK I'm going to cut off the buckle on mine because other wise it won't fit through the rings on my harness saddle

: . Or if you want leather reins here are some... a little expensive again though...

: LINK

Well good luck to all lol

 

[willowoodstables]

Karla..

The bitting rig has all the parts you need...bridle, surcingle, crupper and side lines. I also will vary training by lunging or round penning a horse in side lines. I prefer leather..it fits better personally. Get an OPEN bridle. I have 2 bridles..one closed(blinkers) and one open. BUT with my bigger ponies all I have is an open bridle and then I bought a blinker hood (like race horses wear) and I just slip that over their head when I want to hook them. In the long run it was the cheaper way to go. Over the years I have collected enough harness to work three in the barn with a set for each LOLOL.

For longlines, I recommend using soft non-fraying boat rope from the bit to about 10 feet or so and then tied and black taped to soft cotton web lines. That way you avoid rope burns on your hands and the rope slides better through the hangers. The hangers are easy to make (I do sell them LOL).

As for bits, my preference is a copper snaffle (I love copper mouth pieces) or a french link copper snaffle. I also prefer sidecheck ..and yes the bitting rig check rein is removable.

The piece to keep the head from getting to low is the check rein. If you are going to use it, please ensure that it is long enough that she can get her head low. Nothing will make a bigger mess than a tight check rein (keeping her head too high). Just remember to try Blessing with the check rein hooked to the backpad once or twice so she realizes she can't get her head down..sometimes when they first "hit" the resistance of a check they can freak out.

Here is a pic of my horses done in the bitting rig...

This is a set of three..

First notice how "loose" they are..never ever over tighten, all it will teach a horse is to lean on the bit (bad bad IMHO makes for a hard mouth)

Next is trotting on the lunge line...

and this one shows the extension this little horse can get....

That all said, the reason I like to long line more than just letting them work in the bitting rig is I can CONTROL their head. Notice this horse want to "cheat" as in tip his head to the outside and is dropping his inside shoulder. BUT I do this through out my training season. If the horse still wants to cheat I will buckle the inside line one hole and then switch when I reverse direction them.

I also like the bitting rig in that I can raise or lower the sidelines accordingly. This picture shows a greenie and I keep the sidelines a little higher than on the older horses. The lower the position of the sideline=the lower the head. A greenie may want to throw the head up and if the sidelines are too low they may buimp themselves in the mouth. Ignore all the hanging straps..I do this with the greenies to get them used to stuff moving and touching them...

Kim