Your opinion on side reins?

they can be very bad when they are in the wrong hands. draw reins restrict the movement of the horses head. i was at my barn one night and some lady didnt no what she was doing and she decided to put side reins on her horse and it freaked out while her daughter was getting on and she fell off. in my personal opinion, you should only use ddraw reins if your CERTIFIED trainer thinks that your horse really needs them and nothing else you can do will solve the problem. i hope this helps, just make sure you no how your horse will react before you try to tighten them ;)

I've used them on one occasion, when my horse was being cranky and throwing his head up and twisting his neck back and forth. But I think that occasional use in professional and experienced hands is ok, but otherwise, they're a big no no. But yeah, I think they're just fine the way you're using them.

They are only bad if the horse leans on them - cobs or horses built down hill often do this, so you need to leave the side reins a little longer on them when you use them so they can find their own balance. They are great for youngsters though - encourages them to move forward into the contact and helps build up muscle in the correct places. A Pessoa is better as it encourages a longer, more natural outline, but youngsters are often wary of things round their hind quarters until you have started long reining, so the Pessoa is best left until then. I hate people who have side reins too short so the horse can't relax into them or move correctly or when they are too long and do nothing because the horse can carry its head in the air. I use them every time I lunge unless I have the time to dig out the Pessoa and adjust it so it's not too long for him (we have 1 on the yard). I think that you are using them in a correct way, but long reining to see how your horse reacts when you ask him down into an outline and if he accepts it would be better as he has to carry himself rather than let the side reins do it for him.

They are a tool. And like any too, such as a hammer, a saw, nails, lunge lines, ordinary reins, bits, saddles even, they are only as good as the person using them. In the proper hands they can be a wonderful training tool, in the wrong hands they can be horrible.

I think there are worse gadgets out there, when fitted correctly they do not force a horse's head down, like many others, they merely encourage it. At the same time though, when a horse is working properly, is physically fine and the rider is riding them properly - there is no reason why they should not go into an outline naturally. Working properly on the bit does not happen over night, and true collection can take years to achieve, it is not done by a few sessions attaching straps to the horse. Going into an outline is not all about getting the head down, infact it should be one of the last things to happen - only when you achieve true impulsion and balance will you achieve a true outline, having a horse's head down does not make them rounded and working into an outline.