Riding over the Hill » chicago screws http://www.ridingoverthehill.com A blog for adult horse owner who will never give up riding Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:16:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 New Product to Replace Chicago Screws http://www.ridingoverthehill.com/2009/03/new-product-to-replace-chicago-screws/ http://www.ridingoverthehill.com/2009/03/new-product-to-replace-chicago-screws/#comments Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:56:46 +0000 adrienne http://www.ridingoverthehill.com/?p=86 For the Arab shows, all the Western riders use direct contact reins, a braided romal rein that has a bit end, which directly attaches to the bit. This provides direct contact between the bit and your hands. The direct contact ends are secured to the bit with chicago screws. (see below)

romel

I have a beautiful pair of romal reins that I bought on Ebay. What I don’t like about these reins are the chicago screws. I think they are a pain to attach and detach, since each time it requires you to use a screwdriver to remove the screws. The other problem is that the screws can loosen and fall out when you are riding. This has happened to me several times.

One solution to this problem someone told me is to paint each screw’s threads with clear nail polish to ensure it doesn’t unscrew. However, after each show I detach the reins from my bit so this means repeating the process each time.

New Product

Now someone has come up with a nifty new invention called the Smart Lock System (SLS) concho, which you can use instead of chicago screws. the SLS concho is not a screw but a pin. It has a small wedge on the pin that depresses when pushed. To install the concho, insert the pin and snap. To remove the concho, depress wedge and push out.

sls

I haved tried the SLS conchos on my romel reins and they work great. The only downside is they are more expensive than chicago screws. (The SLS concho costs $10.95 versus a package of 6 chicago screws for $2.50. Personally, I think it is worth the money.

You can find the SLS concho at Schneiders.

Have you tried these yet?

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