Please, please do not use draw reins on your horse!!! Please do not! Using
gadgets like draw reins set the horse up with no choice; you are not encouraging
the horse to develop their own self carriage in balance. (To me using draw reins
is along the lines of "rape" in that you are forcing the horse to put his head
in an unnatural position and not *causing* the horse to find self carriage in
balance through tactful reinsmanship and balanced fluid riding). If there are
not any physical issues causing the hollowed back way of going, then look for
the emotional issues. Is this horse a tense mover? How impulsive does this horse
move? How settled is this horse in himself mentally? Addressing these issues
first are much more effective and much more fair to the horse than going for the
gadgets which do nothing but cause a horse to build braces in their body and
mind. Don't be fooled by the mechanics, the laws of physics of the way draw
reins act never give the horse enough of a release in time so the horse always
learns to brace through the underside of the neck , jaw and poll, all places
where your horse needs to be supple! That's why your horse got tired so quickly,
he was bracing in places he was not used to. Look for an alternative for your
situation but please no gadgets! That's not fair to your horse.
Forgive me if I come across a little hard, I just cringe now whenever I see
the _expression_ on a horses face then they are trapped in a gadget.
I'm sure in your heart you want to do right by your horse.
