Show of hands who’s looking for a new set of reins! Well I am telling you now, look no further because you have found them.
After owning my last set of reins for well over two years and using them right to their death, I finally made the decision to purchase a new pair. It wasn’t until I started looking when I realised how fussy I actually was when it came to reins. I didn’t like them too thin or too bulky or the ones made of nylon or the ridiculous multi-coloured ones, I didn’t like any of them! But I desperately needed a new pair as my struggle to maintain a consistent contact was getting so much more difficult with every passing day so I needed to find something. Enter Henry James Saddlery…
Who are Henry James Saddlery?
I originally came across HJS on Instagram when someone I was following (couldn’t tell you who) shared a bridle they had purchased from them. So I decided to check them out. In a nutshell, HJS are an online company based in the UK, who sell high quality leather products – bridles, reins and stirrup leathers.
I went straight to the reins section of their website and found they had a few different options. One of my biggest problems while riding is my disappearing reins. I can go from having the shortest reins on the planet to sporting a pair of washing lines between my hands and Coco’s mouth so when I saw the words “Bio Grip” I just had to click through to see what this was all about.
Bio Grip Hybrid Rubber Reins
HJS describe these reins as “Bio Grip large pimple rubber with hand stitched leather stoppers every 5cm”. That all seems like a lot of fancy talk but now that I own them, every part of that description is important.
Bio Grip couldn’t be more accurate as since I bought these I have never had a more secure contact on the reins. This is due to the Large Pimple Rubber aspect of the reins themselves. Whether it’s lashing rain or Coco’s gotten all sweaty and its transferred to the reins or my own hands have turned into gripless mallets, regardless I’ve managed to keep a secure contact.
The next element of these reins which I was initially worried about was the Hand Stitched Leather Stoppers. I thought these might rip the hands off me but it turns out they’re probably my favourite feature of these reins. The stoppers help maintain a consistent length on the reins. At the start of each session I organise my reins and count to the stopper that my hands need to stay on. This helps in keeping my reins the same length and holding a consistent contact.
The Need to Knows
The Quality – I’ve had my reins for just about 2 months now and so far they have stood every test they’ve been through. The quality of the leather has certainly held up so far with them still looking as new as the day they arrived.
The Size – I bought the Havana colour in size Cob which is slightly long for Coco. She has a super short neck when being ridden so I probably could have gotten away with the pony size but I didn’t want to risk it incase they ended up being too small.
The Colour – One thing that bothered me about my old reins was that the colour didn’t match my new bridle which is Havana. So the colour of these reins is absolutely perfect with my bridle. They are also available in black.
The Price – I got lucky and managed to purchase my reins at a discounted price during Cyber Week. But usually they cost around £29.99 (approx €34) excluding post & packaging. With the discount, I essentially got my postage for free which I was quite happy with.
The Bonus
Could I even talk about Henry James Saddlery without mentioning the packaging? I don’t think so. This is what HJS are known for across Instagram. We’ve all seen the Insta stories and posts of people’s various HJS packages. So when I received mine, I just had to share a pic myself. The package is such a simple element but it makes your delivery feel that bit more special. #WORTHIT
If this review has sold you on these reins then I’m sorry to tell you they are currently out of stock. However, you can keep an eye out for them on Henry James Saddlery’s website. They will update their site once they get some new stock in.
Thanks for reading,
Orla