The Infamous Check Rein - An Educational Editorial

Many people mistakenly believe that a check rein is a necessary and required component of a horse driving harness.  In fact, that idea is so prevalent that many horse breed shows require driving horses to have it as part of their rules!  However, we carriage drivers, most of whom have a background in driven dressage training, understand that the check rein can have a detrimental effect on the self-carriage and performance of the horse, hence why we don't use them.

What is a check rein? It is a piece of horse harness equipment that goes from the mouth of the horse to the check (or water) hook on the driving saddle. The term “water hook” came from the olden days when it was a necessity to undo the check rein from that hook in order to water your horse. The check rein comes in basically two styles, the overcheck and the side check. The overcheck goes from the bit, over the face, to the crown of the bridle between the ears, and back to the water hook. The side check goes from the bit, on the side of the horse’s face, to rings on the crown behind the ears, and back to the water hook. The sole purpose of the check rein is to hold the horse’s head up.

Why do people use a check rein? As indicated above, some breed show rules require it, some people use it as an “anti-grazing device”, but the vast majority people use it solely because it came with their harness! Many harnesses are Amish-made, and since some Amish use the check rein, they naturally include it with the harness they make.

Why do some breed shows require a check rein? This is where it gets a little sticky. Unfortunately, many show rules are written by people who don’t truly understand driving. Again, they believe that the check rein is necessary because of all the reasons I have listed above, and because "it has always been that way". What many generally don’t understand is what the check rein does to the horse’s performance. By artificially lifting the horse’s head, it creates a hollowness in the back. In order for the horse to push properly from the hind, the horse needs to round his back. The check rein eliminates this possibility. The check rein becomes a short cut to supposedly lifting the front end of the horse. 

Good, long-term training is a better method to get the horse to bear more of his weight on his hind end to ultimately lift the front end. With the continued use of the check rein, the horse will hollow his back and trail his hind legs. His body frame becomes the shape of a “u” where the back is hollowed out, instead of an “n” where the back is lifted.  If the back is lifted, and the legs are underneath the horse, he can push effectively from his strong haunches. I liken this to trying to push a wheelbarrow. When you do so, you naturally round your back and use your hips to move the load forward. If I tie your ponytail down your back to your waistband, your back becomes hollow and moving the load forward becomes considerably more difficult...but your head is up!

Another true sign of a horse that has been worked consistently with a check rein is that the underside muscle structure of his neck will become overdeveloped, and the crest of the neck will invert slightly in front of the withers. The horse learns to balance on the check rein and not use the rest of his body properly. Removing the check rein from a horse that has had one most of his life may cause the horse to flounder with his head, looking for how to balance. He will have to be retrained, but may never be able to drive effectively without one.

So, what about the use of the check rein as an anti-grazing device? There are some sneaky ponies who try to test their young drivers by snatching mouthfuls and the check rein can help stop this. However, a better way to stop it is to actually train the horse! This happens in the groundwork. When the handler is working the horse on the ground, and the horse happens to put his head down to snatch grass, he should be met with a firm tug on the lead rope and potentially a “tunk” in the nose with your foot if he doesn’t respond to the lead rope. We also use the verbal command “Head Up” as we are applying those physical commands. He will quickly learn that it is not ok to snatch grass when he is in his “work clothes” (halter, bridle, harness, etc.). The Head Up verbal cue can then be applied when you are in the vehicle, as well as a sharp tug on the reins if he attempts to snatch. You have to remember that your and his life depends on him listening to you and doing what you want! If he gets his head down, he can come up with a rein under the shaft, and then you have lost the control of the horse on that side! When the horse is on his own in the paddock or pasture, then he can do whatever he wants during that time. When he is being handled by humans, no matter how large or small, he is to listen and respect them.

There are some people who use a check rein, but keep it loose as a “just in case” piece of equipment. Unfortunately, we had a bad experience with just that. I was at our first carriage show with a mini who decided to throw his head down to snatch grass. We had a loose check rein on him, but he didn’t care. He wanted that grass and pulled through the check to put his head down. However, when I snatched him back up, the check rein was caught under the shaft and the mini started to rear and flip over backwards. Fortunately, someone experienced happened to be nearby and grabbed the check rein out from under the shaft. Thankfully, the horse came back down before we flipped the cart. We took the check rein off right then and there, and have never used one since.

Many people mistakenly believe that a check rein is necessary to hold the bridle on the horse. A better way to hold the bridle on the horse is to get a gullet strap. It is a strap that goes from the throatlatch to the noseband. The proper use of a gullet strap keeps the vast majority of bridles on a horse’s head. Every driving bridle should have a gullet strap.  If you are very concerned about making sure that they bridle definitely won’t come off, you can use a Double Throatlatch. This piece of harness attaches to the back of the browband, and goes around the horse’s neck.  The gullet strap or the double throatlatch will not affect the performance of the horse in any way, and is good insurance to keep the bridle on the horse's head.

When you understand the physical result of the check rein, you can see why carriage drivers don’t use them. They ultimately impede the horse’s good performance, especially if he isn’t conformationally a high-headed horse to start. They create hollowness in the back, don’t allow the horse to be round, don't allow the horse to reach underneath himself to push with his hind, they inhibit the horse’s ability to bend properly, and they create overdevelopment of the wrong muscles. Check reins are not legal to use in carriage driving competitions at any level for the above reasons. Check reins are not for the benefit of the horse, but the human. For someone who has been taught that they need to use a check rein on their horse, and have for most of their horse driving experiences, this may be a hard nut to swallow. However, given the reasons above, when we learn better, we do better…including myself.