Long Reining

PREREQUISITES

for Long Reining

Gelding Furia with Andreas Evertz. This was Furia's fourth time on long reins, and his first canter!

The Right Time

Given that the bulk of the work on long reins takes place at the collected trot and canter, it should not be started too early. Second Level dressage is a good rule of thumb. Until horses reach US Second Level they cannot collect sufficiently, which the rider has to compensate for by keeping up with the working trot and working canter. With smaller horses this is often possible within certain limits, especially if the rider is tall. However, if the horse is above a certain size, it becomes difficult. Not every rider is in good enough physical shape, or possesses the necessary leg and stride length.

The horse's ability to collect dictates how much you have to ride forward (under saddle as well as on the long rein), in order to avoid the horse sucking back and bracing. If the rider is unable to keep up with the horse's minimum speed, they will inevitably hold the horse back with the hands, which will create problems very quickly. In cases like this, one has to develop the horse's ability to collect under saddle first and postpone long reining temporarily.

The Horse

Many years ago one of my teachers was asked by an observer, after a lesson in long reining, what kind of horse was suitable for this type of work. His answer was: "An honest one". This is an extremely important point. Horses with a natural tendency to kick should obviously not be long reined. Having said that every horse has a certain natural tolerance limit, and if this limit is exceeded even the most tolerant horse will kick. Some horses' tolerance is very high, for others it is remarkably low.

The same teacher also told me that if you long rein enough, it is only a matter of time until you make a mistake and the horse kicks out. For this reason, only horses that are unshod behind should be long reined.

When something does go wrong it is best to be either out of reach behind the horse or directly next to the hind legs, so that the kick cannot develop its full force, but merely grazes the rider's thigh.

All horses kick if their tolerance limit is exceeded.

I must also warn against trying to work an unfamiliar horse on the long rein. It is important to build a relationship of mutual trust before spending time within reach of the hind legs. It is necessary for the rider to know the horse's reactions, and for the horse to be familiar with the rider's personality and way of applying the aids, so unwelcome surprises can be avoided.

The horse should be familiar with lungeing, double lungeing and work in-hand before starting with the work on long reins.

THE DRIVING AIDS

As with all advanced training methods, long reining only works with horses that are in front of the leg, or in front of the whip. Sucked-back horses are dangerous. They appear to be lazy and tired, but don't be fooled. These horses often release their pent-up energy by kicking when you try to drive them forward.

If you notice that the horse is behind the driving aids, change the strategy by bringing him honestly in front of the leg and whip again through other forms of training, in order to minimise the risk of injury, before attempting to long rein again. Lively, forward-thinking horses are therefore better suited for long reining. Horses with long, thin swan necks often tend to curl up, which is why long reining can be problematic for them. This is something that is much more difficult to cure on long reins than under saddle.

Friesian stallion Richold. Every horse can kick out. It is important to always be careful. (Photo: Shana Ritter)

The Horse-Rider Size Ratio

The taller the rider and the shorter the horse, the easier long reining is for the rider. There are natural limits in this respect. The rider has to be able to keep up with the trotting and cantering horse while walking. The shorter the rider's legs, the more difficult this becomes. The taller the horse, the more the horse must be able to collect, so that the rider does not need to run. Running should be avoided as much as possible, because the rider has no connection with the ground during the suspension phase, which prevents the aids from coming through effectively at that moment. Traditionally, long reining horses tend to be relatively small. I prefer horses between 15hh and 16hh.

The Arena

The standard arena size of 20 m × 40 m, or 20 m × 60 m, is best suited for long reining as well as riding. The footing should be firm, yet elastic and springy. If you are forced to work in deep sand, your toes will slip back an inch or two every time you push off, which makes the work quite taxing. During the early stages a solid kick board is very important, because it is a good visual support for the inexperienced horse, and it helps the inexperienced rider to keep the horse going straight on the first track. Also, the horse cannot run very far if something goes wrong and they get loose.

The Warm-Up

The job of the warm-up phase is to establish a state of mental and physical balance for the horse, so they can focus mentally on the training. The horse is tuned carefully to the aids, just as a musical instrument is tuned before playing. The muscles are warmed-up and stretched, which is best accomplished by bending in motion.

It is important to protect the legs during the warm-up and not to waste energy, because the horse needs strength and freshness for the working phase proper, during which they are expected to learn something new and deliver an athletic performance in accordance with their level of training.

That is impossible with an exhausted horse. In addition, tired muscles can no longer support the skeleton, which means the tendons automatically take over this task. As a consequence, potentially career-ending stress injuries can ensue. At the very least, they will lead to an interruption to training for a period of several months.

Even so, many riders make the mistake of - warming their horses up - for far too long. When they are finally ready to begin the real work phase, their horses are sweaty, tired and stiff, and productive training is impossible. Chasing a stiff, unbalanced horse at the trot and canter is the fastest road to permanent lameness.

On the other hand, neither should the horse be bursting at the seams with excess energy, because they are likely to start bucking and kicking up their heels for the sheer joy of living, thereby posing a life-threatening hazard for the person at the end of the long reins.

Long reining itself can be used to warm-up the horse before riding. However, if long reining is intended to occupy the main working phase, it does not hurt to lunge the horse first for a few minutes. Work in-hand is also a good preparation for the horse. The Portuguese variety is especially suitable, because you can make a seamless transition from work in-hand to long reining this way (see the chapter on "Portuguese-Style Work In-Hand"). The warm-up method chosen depends on the horse's temperament, their training level and how they feel on that particular day.

STRETCHING

Before beginning work in-hand it can be a good idea to stretch the horse's neck muscles with flexion exercises (see photos) in order to find and, if necessary, remove blockages in the throatlatch area and poll, because stiff neck and poll muscles block the back and the hind legs. Without this preparation, horses easily get behind the driving aids and do not come on the bit. It is therefore useful to return to these exercises periodically during the later training stages in order to restore or improve the mobility of the poll. In Prussian and Austrian cavalry regiments, it was customary to spend several minutes every day on dismounted flexion exercises before training under saddle, and the training sessions themselves were frequently interrupted by mounted as well as dismounted flexion exercises.

The purpose of the warm-up is to prepare the horse for the work and to tune them to the aids. It must never devolve into mechanically wearing the horse out.

Lungeing helps to balance the horse mentally and physically in order to prepare them for the workout proper. This is the Friesian stallion Richold on the lunge line wearing a snaffle, cavesson, side reins and lungeing surcingle, as is the tradition in the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. (Photo: Shana Ritter)

Flexion, i.e. mobilisation of the upper cervical vertebrae by stretching the outside neck muscles, demonstrated by the PRE stallion Toledano. (Photos: Evertz)

The Horse's Equipment

THE SNAFFLE

The traditional long-reining bridle is the full-cheek snaffle with a dropped noseband. You can use a loose-ring or eggbutt snaffle as an alternative. The bit can be single or double jointed. Curb bits are not used, because the design of the curb bit makes it difficult to encourage the horse to bend, and can suppress the horse's desire to go forward.

THE CAVESSON

The long reins are usually attached to the snaffle bit, but there are situations in which it is convenient to attach the long reins to the rings of a cavesson. I use this variation especially when supporting a rider from the ground. This arrangement has the advantage that the rider establishes a connection with the horse through the bit, while I can address the nose. In horses with a difficult poll conformation it can sometimes be helpful to attach the long reins to the cavesson instead of the snaffle.

The cavesson should be...