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When my stepson Devin was younger, he wasn't strong enough to haul his
horse's head up once teeth met the grass.
To help with this problem, I used to fix a "grass rein" on his horse. It
is basically a loop of hay twine or rope that runs from one bit ring,
around the horn of the saddle, and back to the other bit ring.
It looks and acts much like a side check on a driving bridle, to give
the driving folks a mental picture. An alternative is to connect the
grass rein to a rope halter, rather than to the bit rings.
The grass rein needs to be adjusted tight enough that it engages when
the horse's head is in "dive" position, but loose enough that it just
hangs at all other times.
After one or two attempts, the horse catches on pretty fast that it's no
fun to dive for grass. The grass rein also prevents the rider from
learning the lesson of how to jerk and pull on the reins -- a good thing
to NOT learn! :-)
DeeAnna
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