Pulley rein for bolting horse

Riosdad, take into account that this is demonstrated by, and for, english riders who ride with a contact. I have been doing something similar for years on horses who get strong, I figured out myself how to increase my strength, I didn't know it had a name :]

I also do it a bit differently - I don't necessarily lodge my hand on the neck. My emergency stop is just locking one hand in the most convenient position, and then hauling ass with the other. I don't need to shorten my reins. The uneven pressure means the horse can't lean back, I always do it in a snaffle, and I haven't had a runaway in years. If it doesn't work the first time, you do it again until you get the response. I don't 'teach' it or 'practise' it - It is simply a way to magnify the little strength I have by utitlising my body and the reins in the most effective way.

However, I have seen people that ride on loose reins with a snaffle and others who ride with a death grip on the curb. That makes for a much harder horse than those who keep a death grip on the snaffle. And that fact is that if a rider has hands that are bad enough to make a horse hard in the snaffle, if they bit up the horse into a curb, they are not fixing the original problem: the hands. They will have the illusion of control for a while in the curb but they will continue to ride with the death grip because even if they are told, that is a hard habit to break. Then they end up in the same boat with the horse being unresponsive to the bit because they don't have the knowledge to properly use a curb. For a person of experience that understands how to use a curb, using one to re-train a horse that is not responsive to the snaffle might be a good plan. But that is the problem, if a person has to resort to a harsher bit to control their horse, it isn't the horse's fault. It is the rider's fault and if they just keep picking harsher and harsher bits to keep control without ever fixing their hands, they are just doing more damage to the horse and making it almost impossible to ever go back to being supple on a soft bit.

Are you really not understanding or just trying to make a point? It is really quite intuitive.


BTW, you mentioned earlier that a running martingale doubles the effectiveness of a bit? If it is properly adjusted, how does it do that. I have been using them for over 40 years, properly adjusted, and the only time the horse even touches it is when the head is WAY high.

Yes I know the steps and it would be no problem for me but a person in a problem and with less experience might find it difficult to shorten the reins and runs the risk of dropping one or both, you must release and regrip. I have a version of this where you take both reins in ONE hand and pull and clamp with the other hand on the crest of the neck. The horse throws his head up to escape but with your clamp on the crest he pulls himself down. This involves no letting go and reclamping of the rein.

As for the running martingale properly adjusted it does nothing but when you pull a horse up he will throw his head up and all you have to do is hold the reins and he pulls on himself giving you a mechanical advantage, a big advantage.
If you ride problem horses, runaways you will find it gives you a big advantage over no martingale.
I do try different things, buy different bits just to experiment.

I don't, I feel that **ME** riding with a curb is banging the crap out his mouth, as I stated repeatedly. I don't have the hands or the finesse for it. I would wager there are more riders out there who do not have the talent to bit up than ones who do.

I was just trying to illustrate the point of the post- this is a tool for emergencies (one of many out there). It is not the only tool of course, but it is a fantastic one for someone like me; a novice with no business riding in a harsh bit, who's horse is well suited to my ability level yet cannot be 100% relied upon to never spook and bolt (what horse can??). That's all. We agree on most everything else said, I was just trying to present the point of someone who cannot bit up without more harm than good coming of it.

And I agree with whoever said that this is better for english riders who ride with contact, there is no release, regrip, oops, release and regrip again problems. If you're riding on the buckle there is a bigger problem at hand.

I have pulled an emergency stop similar to this, but , like Riosdad, I do it with one hand so I have the other free to grab the horn or shorten up some more if I still don't get stopped.

If it is a horse that I know will attempt to rear when we get to the stop (I had one that would as soon as he finally stopped to prove his point) I will pull back with a longer rein and brace on the tree of my saddle instead to make him keep his head lower. It also gave me the opportunity to quickly release one and spin once we stopped if he did try to rear. I have only had a couple of horses that ever tried to run off, and those are just the ways that I learned to deal with them.

This was one I wish I had the first few times I took my then 3 year old out on the trails. She spooked and bolted between a row of hedge (thorned) trees and a barbed wire fence. No room for a one rein circle stop, so I just rode it out. Not before it ruined a good pair of pants and tore a few nice gashes on my leg. Another lesson...wear chaps when on a green horse

OW! I've always had to stop mine going straight because I mostly trail ride. A one rein stop is normally impossible for me unless we happen to be at the house or just riding through the fields.

I've always tried to keep my horses as soft-mouthed as possible, so the only time they have bolted it was no big deal...just three steps and a stop when they hit the bit. The problems I ran into always came from other people's horses or horses I had just gotten...they didn't have an understand with me that they should stop no matter what lol.

Rio and Smooth...would explain your alternatives a little more? I ride Western loose rein, so they would most likely be a better option in an emergency. I can usually rest the tail of my (split) reins on my left leg when riding.

If you ride western you are probably riding with a curb anyway so the advantage is all yours and you don't need the one rein stop.

I rode endurance and rode with bitless for 20 years and then switched to a snaffle because is weighed less then the bitless and didn't rub his nose.

Anway using a snaffle and wanting to add leverage to the stop. I usually rode with the reins in my right hand and the left was free. If I wanted to add leverage I would pull back with the one hand and then using the other hand CLAMP the two reins against the crest of the neck.
The right is pulling back and you reach forward with the free hand and take the two reins which are against the neck already and clamp hard to the crest of the neck trapping the 2 reins short and hard to the neck. The horse tried lifting it's head and actually pulls on itself since the reins are clamp t said neck.. It just adds leverage. I would never do the one rein stop either. No room where I run and I would throw a running horse off balance anyway.

I got to hand it to you ladies that ride horses that you know can overpower you. I weigh 193 or say 200 and ride horses in the 900-1000 pound range and feel I can overpower them. I can push them around in a stall or any other place and once on their back with anything from bitless to snaffle feel I can outpower them so I have no fear of them.
You ladies on the other hand ride with fear knowing if they suddenly explode they can run off with you? My hat is off to you ladies and your courage. I don't think I could ride with that fear. I am a chicken at heart I want to be in control of every situation. Typical man stuff.