[drivingpairs] Achenbach reins

Further to my earlier post about Achenbach reins, now after I went driving a 
couple of  additional notes: 

1. I wrote my direction for turning them wrongly (so sorry, was too quick 
this morning under time pressure): Correct is the left one is turned 
clockwise and the right one counterclockwise. 

2. Further a couple of finer points:A good Achenbach rein has a little extra 
leather piece sewn in on the first keeper of the coupling rein buckle, a 
buckle guard, which is always under the buckle thus saving wear and tear on 
the draft rein from the coupling rein buckle.

3. The holes in the draft rein for the coupling rein buckles are oval, so 
that the buckle lies flat.

4. The coupling rein buckles are large, so that the setting can easily be 
changed. 

5. There  is only one hole at the bit end, as no rein adjustments are done 
there, but always only at the coupling rein buckles. (Some modern ones do 
have more than one hole, but NOT to ever make an adjustment there, only to be 
able to change ALL at the same time to a different hole to cut down on the 
wear and tear of the bit billet)

It's a  misconception found often and wrongly understood concept to think by 
changing the rein length at the bit one can only influence one horse. Like, 
my left horse turns his head always to the right, so perhaps to get him 
straight I should shorten his draft rein. If you do that, you automatically 
lengthen with that change the coupling rein to the right horse! Each change 
in the rein length in a pair rein ALWAYS influences BOTH horses, regardless 
if done at the bit or at the coupling buckle. When you shorten one rein for 
one horse, it automatically has the same effect as lengthening the other to 
the other horse, REGARDLESS if you do it one the bit or on the coupling 
buckle. So each time you change a setting by buckling differently, regardless 
if you do it at the bit or at the coupling buckle you do influence BOTH 
horses. When doing that at the coupling buckle, most people realize that, but 
when doing it at the bit, most don't and think now they could influence only 
one horse. And that's a mistake in their thinking, but it takes a while and 
some good logic to think that through. Some understand it right away, and to 
some I can't get it through no matter how hard I try, I'm just too stupid to 
explain it properly. So don't feel bad, if it takes you a while to understand 
the concept, you have a lot of company :-)

Next, it's important in pair driving (per Achenbach) , when you change the 
coupling buckle on one side, you MUST do so also on the other side, otherwise 
you would drive the horses crooked, (provided your reins were even to start 
out with, sometimes reins do stretch, same as stirrup leathers, especially if 
you have one puller and one slacker and never change sides, or never change 
the reins on them. The puller's reins will stretch, then your holes won't be 
even anymore) .If one buckle goes back a hole, either the other must also 
come back a hole (then you shortened both coupling reins, to get the heads 
closer together), or he other must go foreward a hole (then you took back the 
horse on which you put the buckle forward and lengthened the horse on which 
you put the buckle back in your rein setting, but still have both STRAIGHT 
and not crooked, which you would if you changed only one buckle)

So much for today, but there is much more to pair reins and how to adjust 
them properly. Get one of those books and study.

Also, I'm not trying to sell it, but just in case somebody desperately wants 
an Achenbach rein. I still have a new extra one (horse size) here from 
Germany which I brought with me from my last trip. Contact me privately if 
you want it, and if more want them, I can get more from there. I'd sell it 
for $250.
Hardy


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