Most often artificial aids are more dangerous than helpful. They may be used temporarily to solve a horse's resistance or assist a deficient rider. However, it is wrong to depend on them. This page identifies the advantages and the risks inherent to some of them. Draw reins may be useful to stop horses from throwing their head up. Active they always trigger the hollowing reflex. They should only be used once or twice by expert riders with very light hands. Otherwise, they always perpetuate the hollowing reflex as a habit. The Guogue is a reining device that induces the flexion at the poll while deviating the bit towards the corners of the lips. It puts some pressure at the poll. Avoid them with horses sensitive at the poll. Fighting its effects they could rear and flip over backwards. Running martingales like draw reins press the bit against the back of the tongue perpetuating the hollowing reflex. Fixed martingales: long they may stop horses from rearing over backward; in contact they develop the muscles horses use to throw their head up. La Guérinière wrote: "They should be banned from good schools". Whips, short or long, are excellent tools for communicating with horses. Unfortunately they are too often used to punish horses. Many horses end up being scared of whips because they have been abused by whips. It can be cured with patience and TLC. Horses should be first carressed all over with whips while standing still. Then whips become for them a possible source of satisfaction. Later a whip applied correctly can be used  to trigger specific reflex reactions. It is mostly used to touch a flank a certain way in order to invite the engagement of a hind leg or to deflect the haunches. In hand, a short whip can be used as a pointer.  It helps horses to focus on an obstacle their legs may have to clear without it being in sight. Or waved in front of their eyes it can relax horses. This is why Linda-Tellington-Jones calls the white whip she uses a wand. The best circus trainers stimulate, guide, and relax their horses from a distance just from the way they wave their long whip. The horses respect the whip and perform guided by its message.

ARTIFICIAL AIDS .Advantages and Disadvantages

Most often artificial aids are more dangerous than helpful. They may be used temporarily to solve a horse's resistance or assist a deficient rider. However, it is wrong to depend on them. This page identifies the advantages and the risks inherent to some of them. Draw reins may be useful to stop horses from throwing their head up. Active they always trigger the hollowing reflex. They should only be used once or twice by expert riders with very light hands. Otherwise, they always perpetuate the hollowing reflex as a habit. The Guogue is a reining device that induces the flexion at the poll while deviating the bit towards the corners of the lips. It puts some pressure at the poll. Avoid them with horses sensitive at the poll. Fighting its effects they could rear and flip over backwards. Running martingales like draw reins press the bit against the back of the tongue perpetuating the hollowing reflex. Fixed martingales: long they may stop horses from rearing over backward; in contact they develop the muscles horses use to throw their head up. La Guérinière wrote: "They should be banned from good schools". Whips, short or long, are excellent tools for communicating with horses. Unfortunately they are too often used to punish horses. Many horses end up being scared of whips because they have been abused by whips. It can be cured with patience and TLC. Horses should be first carressed all over with whips while standing still. Then whips become for them a possible source of satisfaction. Later a whip applied correctly can be used  to trigger specific reflex reactions. It is mostly used to touch a flank a certain way in order to invite the engagement of a hind leg or to deflect the haunches. In hand, a short whip can be used as a pointer.  It helps horses to focus on an obstacle their legs may have to clear without it being in sight. Or waved in front of their eyes it can relax horses. This is why Linda-Tellington-Jones calls the white whip she uses a wand. The best circus trainers stimulate, guide, and relax their horses from a distance just from the way they wave their long whip. The horses respect the whip and perform guided by its message.

ARTIFICIALS AIDS Dos and Don'ts DRAW REINS always trigger the hollowing reflex THE GUOGUE Induces flexion at the poll but presses on it MARTINGALES avoid them they perpetuate the problems they try to solve WHIPS are excellent tools for communication Horses who enjoy being carressed with a whip respond calmly to it Whips can help refine horses' proprioception and relaxation Even long whips can relax horses

This page was last updated on: November 20, 2001

Copyright 2001 All rights reserved to Michel Kaplan and Beau Geste SOAR