Drawing Exercises

Exercises for draw reins?

I am working my TB in draw reins once a week to help position him at the poll and stretch into long and low. We work a lot of circles, serpentines and some low-level lateral work, but I am kind of stuck for ideas to keep his mind busy. Any pattern/exercise ideas? Also, not to be defensive, but I am an experienced rider with light hands and am well aware of the dangers draw reins can pose. I am very careful to work him from back to front and keep him a few degrees in front of the vertical at all times, and use a snaffle rein as well. **ETA I am using draw reins because I a.) have a very good trainer who has reccommended them to me b.) know how to use them correctly, and c.) they help me help my horse stretch down into contact. It is ridiculous to throw out a tool because people misuse them. Draw reins, like anything else, are only as dangerous as the hands holding them. Have you ever read "Lessons in Lightness" by Mark Russel ? That is the method I go by. I do not rely on them to keep him flexed- I use them to help him find the release. http://www.naturaldressage.com/?cat=6

Public Comments

1. i love using draw reins on my warmblood every few weeks as a change up to our usual exercises. I also do lots of circles and serpentines, but i also like to work on extending and collecting with draw reins. After warming up a lot and getting him soft at the bit (and doing lots of circles), I let him extend down the long side (still maintaining a hold of both reins), and then collecting through the short sides of the arena. I start out with the whole arena and end up using half the arena to make it more challenging. I like this exercise with normal reins too, but i think its much easier on both of us with the draw reins since he comes back to a collected canter so much more comfortably with the extra support (and i dont have to pull his mouth off). I find that after this exercise, he is so much more soft at the bit and our transitions and jumping is totally improved since hes more adjustable.
2. If you are "well aware of the dangers draw reins can pose" why the h*ll are you using them? Get rid of them, be natural. Try walking/trotting over poles on the ground, at least six, well spread apart, this will make him stretch, use his hind quarters to push over and become light up front. This can be done on the straight and on circles and on both reins. To make it more fun, raise the last one about 6 inches.