Ya sure, tack often changes as your and your horse’s training and skills progress. I have two horses who prefer to use a running martingale (even though it is currently out of fashion). I ride with not a lot of contact usually, hunter/jumper. One of these horses I competed with for several years, that running martingale stayed on for his forays into the hunter division (LOL), and into the jumper division. He never tightened it, and I rarely touched his mouth much he was so sensitive. Steered by braille. Never needed reins for brakes, voice and seat instead. Then, one day, I took the running martingale off, at home. Completely unridable, very unhappy horse. He’s terrified of any light contact on the corners of his mouth, bars only. Put running martingale back on. Problem solved. The horse dictates what equipment works best, the rider simply complies This is a VERY ODD horse. He’s not a horse that just any rider can get along with. Here’s a pic from one of his first horse shows. Oh ya, no noseband either… “no restraints” ever. FNJ_2231|333x500
IMO martingales are used for a purpose, however, I see plenty of martingales so loose that I wonder what exactly it’s on the horse for. There was a time where it seemed having a martingale was as much of “a look” or style choice than it was an aid. At that time I was leasing a lovely mare who carried her head low, the last thing I needed on her was a martingale. We looked a bit naked compared but didn’t care. I had a barnmate who’s horse needed a martingale but owner refused. Several of us would all mutter why doesn’t she use a martingale at every show. When she leased him, the lessee put a martingale on him, and his carriage was so different, looked like a different horse much better frame, happy. I think most of it was the rider, not necessarily the tack but the overall picture was lovely.
IMO I think standing martingales are a useful piece of tack and should be used if it benefits the horse. If you have a horse that drops their head or goes behind the bit, a martingale may not be too useful.
Note" referring to standing, not running
Sure. Needs change. Sometimes that means a tack change.
I’m an AA with my pair of Dobbinses at home and like trying new stuff. If I was a coach running a program, it’s likely my outlook on tack would be different.
OTOH, there are folks that are good horseman that have strong feelings about using certain pieces of tack globally because REASONS. IME martingales and bits are often the certain pieces of tack.
As a side note, I’m always amused at the American reaction to shock-horror!!! a running martingale because there is a similar reaction in the UK to shock-horror!! a standing martingale. Standing martingales are fairly unusual here but running ones are pretty much standard.
I’ve asked why a horse I’m leasing or riding in a lesson is in a flash or martingale, not in a “let’s change this” sort of fashion, but just out of curiosity/ education.
I did once ask about a recently-acquired pony that recently came with a martingale that I rode in a lesson, and my trainer said, “let’s try her without,” and it seemed to make no difference for myself and others who rode her, so eventually they didn’t bother (again, because it seemingly had been used more for fashion, and was just something else to clean).
I do think it was fashionable for a time to use them over fences in some hunter classes, and I’m a “less is more” and “less tack to clean” as well type of person. Obviously, it has a purpose with some horses other than fashion, though.
I’m in Australia and standing martingales were banned in Pony Club. The horse needs to lift its head if it has a fall.
Also don’t go swimming in a standing martingale or your horse might drown.
Yes!
I can’t say I’ve ever seen one too loose, but plenty too tight! Interesting that you’ve seen so many too loose.
I suspect that’s due to the type of work done. One function of the RM is to allow the horse to have free use of his head to allow him the effort of missteps, save himself from falling, big “oops!” safety issues, which are mostly a fox hunting/field hunter, eventing, and jumper deal, not so much the US Hunters. The other part is that the RM also acts on the mouth when the horse’s head is substantially out of position, so another safety aspect for those disciplines, and not something a US Show Hunter should at all be concerned about.
The one I took off the horse I shouldn’t have was super loose. I could easily get the ring to his eyes. I’d ridden him probably 10 times before taking it off.
But holy crap when he wasn’t wearing it… boom head in my face, light up front, full blown freak out.
It had to be something with the weight of the rings. At any rate, I learned my lesson.
Have only ever shown in the hunters. Always with a standing. Did very well on last horse. ALWAYS had a standing for the “look”. When I returned to the hunters last year my new trainer whose background is in eventing said “you don’t need a martingale”. So I thought okay. And showed without. And guess what. Champion. Oh and in a purple coat. ! Oh and he’s in steel shoes. Bottom line is the best 8 jumps wins. And the flat doesn’t have the martingale.
Yes I know it’s Low hunters but give an old lady a break. It was an open division against mostly pros.
“Someone took my blankie!”
Who knows! He was a lovely horse, minus the ride I took the martingale off lol
I think it’s more of a cultural difference. The majority (I think, at least a good deal anyway) of field hunters in the US go in a standing too. Not mine, I love a running in general. But our hunting is also pretty different to UK/EU/IRE hunting.
Also wanted to add that I don’t usually see show hunters that show in a martingale ever use one at home or schooling, it’s usually show tack. And all my lesson horses go in one because I yell “hands by the strap” or “grab your strap” about 500x a week…it has 0% to do with the horses.
This is exactly why I don’t like them. I have a horse who was extremely fussy/challenging in the contact when I first met him and it was very helpful to put an upper limit on the head tossing that had absolutely nothing to to with the connection.
In the early days, if tossing his head got him automatically ganked in the teeth that would have been the highway to shitsville real fast.
Yes that is what I meant when I said the muscle they use gets exercised so the head goes higher than it did before the martingale went on. That is also what I meant by saying I put my life in his hands and that it was very scary.
At one point long ago I told the lesson student that they didn’t need a (standing) martingale on the horse I was half-leasing. I got yelled at by the trainer because “the horse uses the martingale to balance” when being ridden by a beginner. Oy.
I’ve observed, solely via show videos, the martingale being used by the horse to balance.
In my re-riding journey I twice early on encountered head tossing. In both cases it was clearly the fault of my hands. In both cases we used a gimmick for a few weeks and I really fixed my hands.
It’s possible that some beginner intermediate lesson barns put a standing martingale on everything because they assume a certain percentage of the riders will have bad hands and cause head tossing. And if they are insisting you use one it could be they doubt your hands.
There are also lots of myths about what they do. I cannot see balancing on a standing martingale to ever be anything good.
Dressage has its own misused gadgets, especially crank nose bands, tight flashes, and tight side reins to longe, but no martingales. I don’t think I rode in one in h/j lessons either
Idk I see horses tack needs change all the time throughout the years.
Horses that went well in snaffles needing stronger bits and horses in strong bits needing snaffles. Horses and riders change all the time with age, conditioning, and rider skill going up or down.
I get people who are heavy handed all the time who need to ride in a softer bit than what is normal for the horse. And you can say oh just teach them to be lighter but that takes time and practice and I’d rather the horse be comfortable while learning to do that.
I also get people who cannot pull at all and they need something stronger than what the horse goes in. Again you can say oh just teach them to be stronger but in the mean time you have to try to keep people safe.
You just have to go and adapt as things change. You have to notice when something is not working and change it before it’s a problem.
As for martingales, I don’t really see the harm in having a running on any horse but whatever it’s not a big deal. I just start without it and add it if it looks like it would be beneficial and don’t if it’s not.
