b'SPORTS MEDICINEFACT Devices need to be prop-erly fitted and requireTypes of Training Aidsuser trainingThe last thing you want to do withLongeing systems These systems consist of ropes, clips, snaps, and pulleys that attach training aids is dive right into that deepto a surcingle and pass through or attach to the bits cheekpieces and around the horses water, so to speak, with no instruction,hindquarters to build topline muscle and balance during longeing.our sources say. Research each type, takeElastic band systems Two rubber bands attached to a saddle pad pass behind your time, and get help from reliablethe hindquarters as well as under the abdomen to stimulate muscle activity and core experts. strengthening. Some veterinarians might knowDraw reins or side reins Draw reins and side reins pass through the bits cheekpieces how to use them, but many wont, saysand attach between the front legs or on either side of the girth, respectively, to encourage Dyson. Talk to a certified equine physio- horses to be straight and balanced and to engage the hind end while maintaining light therapist, and watch instructional videoscontact with the bit.from proven sources.Chambons This strap connects to the underside of the girth and runs up through the Certain kinds of training aids, likehorses bridle, connecting down to the bit, to encourage the horse to stretch his neck down bungee lines (also called neck stretchers),and forward rather than hollowing his back.are less complicated to apply, but sheNeck stretchers This elastic cord connects to the underside of the girth and runs up says getting fitting advice and, if possible,through the bit and over the horses poll to encourage him to stretch and flex his head and one-on-one training would be ideal.neck down and forward.The Horse staffYoure more likely to grasp the correct principles and be advised of potential problems, Dyson says, such as restrict- (TheHorse.com/159259). They foundsay our sources. In fact, in less skilleding the horses movement or causing thesignificant pressure points along the tho- riders hands, the devices could be horse to react aversively, even kicking outracic vertebrae caused by an improperly counterproductive. or trying to run off.fitted surcingle where the devices attach.Draw reins are a good example, says Improper equipment fit or use couldTraining aids are very useful for a va- Dyson. Some horses are just harder to create more problems than solutions,riety of reasons, but the benefits of theirride on the bit, and proper use of draw says Russell Guire, a PhD candidate atuse might be diluted when there are otherreins allows them to get the horse on the the Royal Veterinary College, in London,pressures interfering, he says. bit without a battle of force. But theres no and a researcher at Centaur Biomechan- point getting the horses head vertical un-ics, in Warwickshire, U.K. FICTION Training devices canless hes pushing from behind, so the rider His group studied the biomechanicsreplace rider skill needs to know how to engage the horse of a Pessoa system, a continual rope sys- Training aids can help less experi- simultaneously with the seat and legs. tem, and side reins on 10 longed horsesenced riders, but theyre not a fix-all,If you put draw reins in the hands of a poor rider, theyre not going to achieve what you want to achieve, she adds. Put them in the hands of a better rider and you may well achieve what you want to achieve.Another example is the running martingale, says Clayton. It can steady rein tension in low-level ridersbut that tension still runs higher than that of a skilled rider working without a training aid, she says. FICTION Training aids work by forcing horses into unnatural positionsThe goal of a training aid is to encour-age a horse to work in a beneficial posi-tion hes naturally capable of achieving, our sources say. A rounded, engaged position with a vertical head can lead to improved performance. It can also contribute to good health and welfare for the ridden horse because hes better able to carry the riders weight through a 38December 2019The Horse|TheHorse.comSportsMed_Dec.indd 38 10/30/19 4:02 PM'