Reefing- How to Stop it.

When your horse suddenly and forcefully pull the reins out of your hands when under saddle it's called Reefing.  They can do it by pulling their heads down suddenly, or by flicking their head and neck out forward.  It can be just a little annoying, or a major consistent problem.  I know my pony reefs when it's near the end of our session, and he's retty sure he's had enough.  It's not really an issue, and not a strong habit for him.  Some riders find their horse's reefing the reins from the moment they get on, all through the ride, till they get off.  It then becomes frustrating, annoying and sometimes frightening.

A lot of riders will come to me with this problem, and rattle off a list of bits the length of your arm that hey have tried, all with no improvement.  That's because Reefing is not something that is related to the bit that you are using, but is rather a behaviour that you need to retrain and change.

Sophie McLean from AEBC has written a fabulous article for Hoofbeats magazine which she gave me permission to share with you.  She explains the why, as well as how you can retrain the habit and solve the problem long term.

Read the Article on how to stop your horse reefing your reins out of your hands- click this link to visit the download page.

Thankyou to Sophie McLean from AEBC for permission to share this article with you, which was originally printed in Hoofbeats Magazine (Dec12/ Jan13 Issue).

For more information on AEBC, please visit their website by clicking here.