I can’t believe you actually found a reindeer fur saddle pad!
Reindeer???
Which side goes against the horse and what is on the flip side?
I also wonder about the suitable for ALL saddles and sizes.
How does one clean it?
Is it slippery like most furs?
Would mink work as well? That comes in all sorts of color choices, too…
Who wants to contact Keiffer for the nitty-gritty details?
Here in New Zealand it is quite rare to see a horse plaited (what you guys call braided) out hunting. Sometimes someone might rise to the occasion if it’s an invitation hunt or opening hunt of hunt week, but it certainly isn’t the norm! And hardly anyone here uses standing martingales - running ones seem to be far more prevalent. I don’t use either, but would lean towards a standing martingale if I had to. Flash straps are dime a dozen on the hunt fields over here too! There’s probably more horses hunting with them than without! All our own horses go in snaffles of some description and plain cavesson nosebands, with a breastplate being the only added extra. Everyone uses breastplates here - almost standard part of hunting tack!
Any sort of bit is perfectly acceptable here out hunting, as are any type of tall boots - there are still many riders who wear synthetic boots.
Xan - great find on the reindeer fur pad! I’d imagine it is similar to the real sheepskin pads. So, fur side down 
Regarding Standing Martingales - I too think it is silly that is simply part of the uniform in the hunter ring. But it just is.
Seriously - if you have a show hunter that flips it’s head up such that you don’t want a broken nose - you have no business showing and need to train/do your homework more A WELL TRAINED horse doesn’t go around like a giraffe, gazing at the stars and hitting it’s rider in the face with it’s head.
It’s just ridiculous. A well trained show hunter should travel just like a dressage horse - on the aids, and not needing a tie-down to keep it’s head down.
Now - if you happen to be running around foxhunting and happen to have a horse that flips it’s head or is crazy-high-headed and when it gets excited, can knock you in the face - then yes, maybe something to “help”…but I also agree that standings can be dangerous in certain situations too.
Sorry - not a popular opinion, but I think that schooling/training/dressage will keep a horse on the aids, with it’s head in a normal position (in the hunter ring)
Like! :yes:
I have never used a standing martingale on any of my horses. I have used a running martingale on my worst “Star Gazer” who was my big Grey Arabian. Having a head solidly tied down I also feel is dangerous for both horse and rider. When the horse had his head where it ought to be the running martingale was not operating. But when he raised his head to take the bit away from me, I was very glad to have it.
Yes I had to keep that big boy in training most of the time. The ideal is to have the horse properly trained to keep his head where it ought to be. But they do not always follow your training when they hear the baying of the hounds and the Hunting Horn sounding.
Most of my other horses learned the right way to hold their heads and did well. But the Arab would get very excited and forget everything I tried to teach him. So I used the running martingale on him almost all the time.
He did graduate into being a great saddle horse. And his training finally stuck with him.
If there is not a good reason for using one, a standing martingale is not a piece of decorative tack. Some shows do not allow them. So check with the rules first.
JMHO
sadlmakr
I’d imagine that reindeer fur is like other related deer-like creature’s fur–it has hollow hair shafts, therefore it would have really good loft to it. I’ll bet reindeer have a really cushy undercoat, too.
Agree which is why in “excitable/high-octane performance” like hunting or XC or even jumpers, a running martingale makes sense - to help the horse when he needs it.
I still just dont’ see why an “arena show hunter” who is supposed to lope around a course in a very relaxed fashion, would need a standing due to flipping its head or star-gazing. Show hunters are in a very different “atmosphere” than a high-octane sport like Hunting/XC/SJ etc
[QUOTE=sadlmakr;5977587]
I have never used a standing martingale on any of my horses. I have used a running martingale on my worst “Star Gazer” who was my big Grey Arabian. Having a head solidly tied down I also feel is dangerous for both horse and rider. When the horse had his head where it ought to be the running martingale was not operating. But when he raised his head to take the bit away from me, I was very glad to have it.
Yes I had to keep that big boy in training most of the time. The ideal is to have the horse properly trained to keep his head where it ought to be. But they do not always follow your training when they hear the baying of the hounds and the Hunting Horn sounding.
Most of my other horses learned the right way to hold their heads and did well. But the Arab would get very excited and forget everything I tried to teach him. So I used the running martingale on him almost all the time.
He did graduate into being a great saddle horse. And his training finally stuck with him.
If there is not a good reason for using one, a standing martingale is not a piece of decorative tack. Some shows do not allow them. So check with the rules first.
JMHO
sadlmakr[/QUOTE]
