Voluntary Rein Tension in Horses When Moving Unridden in a Dressage Frame Compared with Ridden Tests of the Same Horses-A Pilot Study.
Authors: Piccolo Lara, Kienapfel Kathrin
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Voluntary Rein Tension in Horses Moving Unridden in a Dressage Frame Establishing a baseline for acceptable rein tension has long been complicated by the question of whether horses are naturally inclined to accept contact or whether elevated tension is primarily a rider-imposed phenomenon. Piccolo and Kienapfel addressed this in a 2019 pilot study by instrumenting 13 horses with calibrated rein tension sensors and comparing the forces they voluntarily maintained in a dressage frame (noseline vertical, side reins set) whilst moving freely in a round pen against the tension applied by their usual riders during identical gaits and movements. When unridden, horses maintained a mean maximum rein tension of only 7.5 N (±2.8 N), yet this figure nearly tripled to 24.0 N (±12.3 N) under saddle, with the rider-mounted data showing far greater variability between individual horses—suggesting ridden tension is rider-dependent rather than driven by any natural equine preference for contact. Notably, all horses demonstrated remarkably consistent tension patterns in the unridden condition regardless of their behaviour under saddle, whilst conflict behaviours (head tossing, teeth grinding, tongue protrusion) increased from 2 to 3 per minute unridden to 11 to 14 per minute when ridden, correlating with the increased tension. These findings imply that the higher rein tensions encountered in training are largely rider-generated, and that the conflict behaviours frequently attributed to training resistance may actually reflect discomfort or resistance to excessive rein pressure—a distinction with significant implications for training methodology and welfare assessment in dressage.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •The majority of rein tension in ridden work comes from the rider, not the horse—review your own hand position and contact pressure if horses show conflict behaviours
- •Horses can naturally maintain a dressage frame with minimal rein tension when unridden; excessive tension is likely a training or technique issue rather than a horse conformation problem
- •Monitor for conflict behaviours (head tossing, tail swishing, backing away) as indicators that rein tension may be excessive and compromising welfare
Key Findings
- •Unridden horses maintained significantly lower mean maximum rein tension (7.5 ± 2.8 N) compared to ridden horses (24.0 ± 12.3 N)
- •All horses exhibited approximately equal rein tension in unridden exercises regardless of individual differences in ridden rein tension, suggesting rider-generated variation
- •Conflict behaviours occurred significantly more frequently with a rider (11 ± 14 per minute) than without (2 ± 3 per minute)
- •Rein tension generated by horses themselves in a dressage frame remains low without rider interference