Bearing Rein - History

History

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the overcheck, then called a "bearing rein," was commonly used on stylish carriage horses to keep their heads up, at times to an extreme degree, depending on the fashion of various periods. Today it is used primarily for horse show or exhibition use, particularly in the schooling and showing of fine harness horses and certain types of carriage horses.

Historically, improper use and overuse created chronic problems with the spine and back that in some cases made certain horses useless as working animals. The fashion extremes of the 18th and 19th centuries at times tightened a bearing rein to the degree that it made breathing difficult. This is touched on in the novel Black Beauty.

The term bearing rein is derived from the definition of "bearing" which means "The manner in which one bears or conducts one's self; mien; behavior; carriage." The reference suggested that high head carriage was a sign of nobility or pride. However, 19th century critics of the bearing rein applied a pejorative meaning to the word, meaning "Patient endurance; suffering without complaint". Modern harness trainers prefer the more accurate terminology "overcheck" and "check rein"