Draw reins for horses: should you use them?

draw reins will notice the feel and extra weight of the second rein through the bit ring and not do anything that causes the draw rein to come into effect.
There are two important things to remember
Working in any unfamiliar posture is incredibly tiring and your horse will need to be allowed to regularly stretch and relax having the freedom to ease their muscles.
A horse might respond to the draw reins by tucking their chin in and dropping behind the contact withdrawing from any kind of communication with the rider and working in a false outline. We want to avoid this damaging posture and I will go into more detail about it shortly.
How to fit draw reins
Double reins correct position
To correctly fit draw reins for your horse first place the reins over their neck with the central buckle placed over the wither. Remember that your snaffle rein takes the place of the Bradoon rein of a double bridle. This means it is the top rein and the one that you predominantly use when riding. The draw reins will pass through the bit below the snaffle rein.
Check the length
When you have each of the draw reins through the bit check that they are equal length before you clip them to the attachments. You will need to select a girth with a ring at the front or use an attachment with a ring that loops over the girth and gives you a central attachment.
If you are using the draw reins on the girth straps you can place a ring attachment loop over each strap. Sometimes you will see riders clip the rein to the buckle part of the girth but this is a risk because of the tension. It might be better to choose running reins that have a buckle attachment rather than a clip so that they can be fitted as you would side reins
Practice caution
Draw reins attach to the bit in the horses sensitive mouth so dont leave your horse tied up or in a stable wearing draw reins for fear that they might get caught. This would scare the horse and can cause pain. Its a good idea to put a gentle knot in the rein so that they can lie against the horses neck while you make your checks and final adjustments.
Using draw reins for horses for the first time
The first time you use draw reins your horse might be