How do you choose long reins for groundwork?
Work on long reins lets you tackle straightness, circles and steering without carrying the rider's weight. It gives you an excellent overall view of the horse's movement while keeping direct contact with the bit. The right reins depend on your experience and your goals in the arena.
- Feel in the hand: the material should slide without burning your fingers when you change the distance.
- Running through the surcingle: combining leather and rope helps the reins slide through the rings.
To equip yourself, our selection includes the QHP 2 x 8 m long reins, the QHP long reins and the RIDING WORLD leather/rope long reins. For technical sessions, riders turn to the ERIC THOMAS PRO long reins, ideal if you want precise Eric Thomas Pro long reins.
When should you choose a chambon rather than a gogue?
The chambon is for lunging only. As soon as the horse raises its head, tension acts on the bit and the poll, encouraging the horse to stretch its neck forward and down. This allows the back to relax fully.
The gogue, by contrast, forms a triangle that gives a more stable frame and can be used on the lunge and for some set-ups under saddle. Our range includes the NORTON CLUB chambon with pulleys, the ERIC THOMAS PRO chambon, the RIDING WORLD gogue with pulleys, the ERIC THOMAS PRO gogue with pulleys and the NORTON PRO gogue with pulleys if you are looking for a reliable Norton gogue for regular work.
- The chambon: encourages lowering of the neck and a good topline on the lunge.
- The gogue with pulleys: helps stabilise the overall outline and the nose.
Which training aids help build muscle and steady the horse?
Training aids give the horse a frame that gently engages the muscles of the back. The RIDING WORLD Pirelli training aid, popular with riders as the Pirelli, steadies the neck thanks to the elasticity of its rubber rings.
- Elastic models: the Norton soft elastic training aid, the RIDING WORLD rubber training aid and the adjustable NORTON elastic training aid follow the horse's movement without a hard point.
- Precise schooling aids: the NORTON PRO short elastic training aid with pulleys and the NORTON elastic long training aid adjust the posture to the horse's level of training.
- Head-carriage aids: the NORTON PRO anti-rearing training aid, or Norton anti-rearing training aid, helps limit excessive head raising.
- Guided action: the NORTON training aid with pulleys adds fluidity, while the NORTON PRO 'Thiedeman' is used under saddle when the angle between head and neck opens.
How do you adjust your equipment with advice from Sellerie GZ?
A training aid should be used with moderation: it never replaces forward impulsion and should be adjusted gradually after a free warm-up. Sellerie GZ is a family-run tack shop at 10 route d'Arles (RD 5), 13118 Entressen (Istres), in the Bouches-du-Rhône, at the gateway to the Camargue in Provence.
To choose among the NORTON, RIDING WORLD, ERIC THOMAS and QHP brands, make the most of the advice of our BPJEPS-qualified instructor, who is also a dressage and show rider. You can reach her on 06 21 51 01 99 or by email, and even ask for extra photos of an item before ordering.
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