riding accident

If you've read up about our back story, you’ll know that our founder Laurie was inspired to develop safety reins after witnessing a child get tangled in her pony’s reins. It wasn’t the first time Laurie had seen an incident like this, but it was the most terrifying. The reins became wrapped around the child’s neck, and they were dragged as their pony ran loose, only being freed when the pony was caught by bystanders. Thankfully the child was just bruised and upset, but the whole thing could have been so much worse.

After seeing that scenario play out in front of her, and as the mother of a young rider herself, Laurie quickly set about developing our patented quick-release connector. An innovative addition to reins to ensure that if a rider or horse becomes tangled, the reins will simply release. That connector now forms the heart of all FR Vincitore safety reins today, and it’s helping riders and horses in so many ways.

A horse or the rider can become tangled in the reins due to miscommunication, inexperience or simply an accident. In this month’s blog, we’re looking at how our reins work in different situations to keep horse and rider safe when it matters most.

The rider falls from the horse

If a rider falls and they try to hold onto the reins, they might get tangled around their hands, wrists or arms. Or, in the case of the child Laurie saw fall, they fall out ‘the front door’ and the reins become tangled around their neck or shoulders. This not only means there’s a risk of being dragged if the horse bolts, but it could cause injury to the neck as the person falls. When FRV reins are being used, they will separate the moment the rider’s weight is taken by the reins, releasing them and any pressure on the horse’s mouth.

The horse gets caught after a fall or stumble

If you’ve ever watched jump racing, you’ll occasionally see a horse fall or peck badly on land, and when they get back up, they’ve put a leg through the reins. The resulting spectacle is not pleasant for any horse lover to see, as quite often the reins don’t break, and the horse is dragging its own bit onto its tongue and bars with every stride. The same can happen when horses get loose hacking, cross-country or team chasing, but with our reins the connector will immediately work, releasing the reins and freeing the horse's leg.

The horse steps on the reins

This can happen both when the rider is in the saddle or when they’re dismounted. If the rider is waiting for their instructor to start or space in the warmup ring and drops the reins or they dangle too low the horse can step on them. The same could happen If the reins are not properly secured or shortened when the horse is tied up and can get tangled by the horse shifting, pawing or rubbing its head. If this happens, the FRV connector will come apart when the reins are under that sudden, sharp pressure and release, stopping the horse suffering a horrible jolt to the bit. No broken reins to replace, and you can carry on and ride as you planned!

Getting in a tangle out hacking

If you’re out enjoying the countryside with your horse, what would happen if you’re miles from home and the reins catch and break? They could get caught on a tree branch, gate post or jump and not only potentially cause a painful jerk on the horse’s mouth but also lead to the horse to suddenly pull back and snap the reins. If you’re many miles from home and the rein is broken near the bit, that’s a long in-hand walk home… FRV reins are easy to reconnect when they come apart in incidents like these - just unscrew the connector and reattach the ball!

These are just some of the circumstances where using FR Vincitore reins will help keep both you and your beloved horse much safer. Why risk injuring them or yourself, when you can simply choose peace of mind instead? Shop our safety reins here.

You might be reading this because you spotted our new Eventer Reins in Horse & Hound earlier this month and decided to see what all the fuss was about. Or you might be a committed FR Vincitore customer who loves riding with the peace of mind our safety reins offer. Either way, we thought that for this month’s blog we’d take a closer look at some of the key design features of our safety reins. Let’s kick off with a quick reminder of our design process!

How we designed our safety reins

Our founder Laurie was inspired to design a quick-release rein after seeing riders getting caught in their reins. One particularly nasty incident resulted in a child being dragged with their reins wrapped around their neck, and that image stayed with Laurie the whole time she was brainstorming ideas. The problem she needed to overcome is that the reins need to take a lot of pressure when the rider is in the saddle and not separate - but still come apart in a split-second if there’s an issue. They can’t come apart if the horse and rider jump a fence ‘on the buckle’ and the reins take the strain. They need to stay connected even if the horse puts in a huge buck or dives for a particularly tasty patch of grass! So, Laurie set about finding smart quick release technology that would come apart only when needed.

The quick-release connector

The quick-release connector is the heart of everything we do. It’s what allows our customers to enjoy their favourite equestrian activities, from hacking and lessons  to eventing, show jumping and hunting - knowing that their reins will come apart if they get tangled in them. As we mentioned above, the reins needed to stay put when needed too, and that’s when Laurie was reminded of a ski boot binding. If you’ve never been downhill skiing, here’s a quick explainer.

Your foot goes into a (rather rigid) plastic ski boot, and that then snaps into a binding on your ski when you’re ready to hit the slopes. But a little like your reins, if you take a tumble on the snow, it can be helpful if your ski comes off. Otherwise, there’s a chance the ski will get caught and your knee gets badly wrenched. People can easily rupture tendons and ligaments or even suffer dislocations if they fall, and their skis don’t release when they need to… But what about when a ski racer is flying down the mountain at speeds of 80mph? Surely, they risk their skis pinging off when they’re under pressure during a turn or landing from a jump? Thankfully , that’s not the case! The clever design of the ski binding means they stay put under these normal pressures, but release if the ski racer falls and starts to skid down the hill.

Smart design paired with great aesthetics

That design informed the development of Laurie’s quick release connector, which was then put to the test. Laurie partnered with a team from AMRC Cymru, part of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre who helped her ensure the connector only released when it’s supposed to. That design, which can be reused up to three times before the connector needs to be replaced, is used in all our safety reins. What changes around it are the rein styles, as we know that different riders want and need different colours, grip styles and profiles in their reins. The original FR Vincitore rein design, which comes in soft black or Havana coloured English leather, has a slim profile rein with a bio grip coating. That makes it an excellent all-round rein that’s perfect for day-to-day use, show jumping and hacking. Our recently launched Eventer Reins are made from supple, strong Italian leather with a soft rubber coating and added hand grips. That additional grip makes them perfect for eventing, team chasing and hunting, or any other riding adventures where that extra grip will come in handy.

If you’re keen to invest in reins that combine style and top-notch safety credentials, why not take a closer look? You can browse our online shop here. We’re busy putting the finishing touches on a new design, so make sure you keep an eye out for that over the coming weeks!