Bridle help, small mouth, flash pulls noseband down

[KingoftheRoad]

Hoping someone has a suggestion - my mare has a “short” mouth, meaning that the distance from the corners of her mouth to the end of her lips is not terribly long.

She currently goes in a happy mouth Pelham, with a curb strap instead of chain, as well as a standing martingale (for some reason, with the standing attached, however loosely, she doesn’t fight with her head when jumping).

However, I’m concerned that the flash noseband, even when fastened so I can get two or three fingers underneath it, ends up pulling the noseband down lower than it should, and could be causing breathing difficulty at worst and discomfort at best. I always make sure the nose band is about 1 finger below the cheekbone when I put it on, but when I go to take the bridle off after our ride, I find the front of noseband has slipped down her nose.

I considered switching to a figure 8, since that might move that point where it crosses her nose further up, but since you don’t use a standing martingale with a figure 8, I’m a bit stuck.

Any ideas? I’d welcome any thoughts…

[visorvet]

Are you sure she actually needs the flash? Removing it would be an easy solution to the problem!

[RolexReady]

Try a crank noseband. they can keep the jaw more secure, you can have a standing attached to them - you can also still have a flash with it.

[NurseHorsey]

Does this happen with all bridles or just yours? It could just be a fit issue with the brand. If you’re at a boarding barn, see if you can borrow another bridle or two for a schooling session and see what happens.

If you don’t have access to any other bridles, you could always order from Dover or SmartPak - they both have great return policies and I’ve done nearly the same thing before, especially if I’m looking for a specific color or fit.

[poltroon]

That is what flash nosebands do.

You can try for one with a wider cavesson section, which might be less likely to bend down.

I’m assuming you have a jumper, in which case it would be unconventional, but legal, to use two nosebands - a cavesson for the standing and a separate drop noseband.

You might also try riding without the drop section of the flash and deciding if you really need it.

[SweetMutt]

Can you ride in a running martingale and a figure 8? It might take a ride or two for her to get used to the running, but I’d be surprised if she doesn’t.

[Small_Change]

[QUOTE=poltroon;8279142]
I’m assuming you have a jumper, in which case it would be unconventional, but legal, to use two nosebands - a cavesson for the standing and a separate drop noseband.[/QUOTE]

This is what I was going to suggest as well, except with a figure-8 and a plain cavesson.

[KingoftheRoad]

Yes, she is a jumper - I guess the first thing to try would be without the flash - I thought the flash helps stabilize the jaw, especially with a leverage type bit, but it would be interesting to try without. Could also try switching back to the running martingale…we had gone to the standing because while the running would almost inevitably produce some poll pressure at some point even without her throwing her head, the standing didn’t do anything unless she misbehaved. But maybe that behavior is behind her now.

[LookmaNohands]

Have you tried a figure 8?

[winstonian]

I have a jumper who really doesn’t like a running martingale, so I use a standing. We decided that the running martingale was a problem at a horse show and wanted to try a standing, but we had a figure 8 bridle and a backup bridle with a regular cavesson. So, we did what Small Change suggested and used both nosebands, the figure 8 to keep his mouth closed, and the regular noseband to attach the standing. It really worked just fine. We now use a flash noseband, but if I had the problem that you’re describing, I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to the dual noseband setup. If you do that, I suggest that the regular noseband be fairly delicate (i.e. no padding and not extra thick). I also think that, depending on what kind of flash noseband you have now, you may have fewer problems with a flash noseband that is wider and more substantial. But the easiest thing to try is definitely just to remove the flash and see how she goes. Since it sounds like you keep it fairly loose anyway, that may solve your problem without having to do anything more complicated.

[Pally]

Are you certain that your Cavesson noseband is tight enough? This is the #1 reason I see for having it pull down. I’m not saying it needs to be jaw breaking cranked, but it does need to be snug to work.

#2 reason I see is the noseband is too low to start with, but unless you have some very wide fingers, doesn’t sound like it.

#3 is how the flash is attached. If it’s by a sewn in tab or the tabs that fold over the cavesson, it will hold the flash nice and close to the cavesson. If, however, it’s one of the buckle on attachments, those can add like an inch gap between the two, making them very hard not to crush shorter muzzles with (and never mind the god awful aesthetics of them in general, because I suppose that is my personal preference.)

#4 would be maybe the cavesson itself is having some influence…as others have said, you can try wider/more padded. If it’s within your budget and tastes, that is actually a functional aspect of those fancy shaped D’yon nosebands.

Others have mentioned the non-flash related fixes…as in either double noseband setups (there does exist a ready made drop + regular that I believe would take a standing), or just trying to without the flash - the simple, cheap option is certainly worth the first try :yes:

[littlesquirrel]

Equiport have a bridle called a spider bridle: The Silver Crown Spider Noseband combines the functions of a flash and grackle noseband, while also allowing for the attachment of a standing martingale without compromising the grackle action.

Personally I never use a standing martingale on anything so have no idea about how effective this bridle is, just thought it may be of interest for you to look at.

http://www.equiport.co.uk/products/horse/bridles/spider-noseband-bridle-sc03/