Re: RC: Safety of reins?

[Tara Wheeler <harpy@io.com>]

Angie said:
>Come on guys! Who wants to have a runaway horse and breakaway reins?  If
>I wanted reins to break, I'd want it somewhere NOT between my hand and
>the bit!!! The buckle on an English rein would be a good spot. Just
>splice your reins there if you have the urge.

It's a catch 22.  You want the reins/bridle/halter to break if it gets
under so much pressure and at the same time you want it to hold if you need
it.

I use a heavy nylon rope halter and lead rope to hold and not break and a
biothane halter and scissor snaps on my nylon reins that I know will break
in an emergency.

When I trailer, the horse rides loose, wearing the halter.

Once I get where I'm going, I attach the unbreakable lead, put the biothane
bridle  over the halter and loop the lead up and through my belt.  If I get
into trouble, (my foot gets hung up in the reins while changing the stirrup
lenght or tighening the girth, if we're stopped and the horse throws her
head and manages to get the reins under foot) the reins or halter will
break if she strains at full strenght.  However, I still have ten feet of
line attached to the halter (trust me, this sucker's been pulled back on,
it's going to hold) looped through my belt, so in a worse case scenario, I
could do a one rein turn while disengaging the hindquarters.  Or I could
bail and grab the lead as I leap.

The lead is looped, not tied, so it should pull free if nessisary.
However, if I do get hung up in the lead rope, I'm screwed.  :)

It's a dangerous world out there kiddies.  You can't get too hung up on
safety and still have a good time ( do you know how much debris is
currently orbiting the earth?  How many new viruses there are?  How many
drunk drivers there are on the road?) But you can take a few simple steps
to lesson the odds of injury or death.

As it says on all our liablilty forms, horseback riding is an inherently
dangerous activity.  Ya pays your money, ya takes your chances.

Tara Wheeler
_____________________________________________________________________________
"She is the virgin harlot. She is vulgar, witty, knowlegable to a depth
that terrifies, cruel when she is most kind, unthinking while she thinks,
and when she seeks to build, she is as destructive as the corriolis storm."
_____________________________________________________________________________
Bijas from 'Dune Messiah' speaking about Alia and harpy@io.com