The scrubbing some of those horses were getting with the bosal. Does the AHA do blood checks? And the one in a snaffle that went around gapping his mouth. Very sad to see as well as the sort of jogs. I didn’t watch to see what happened at the lope. I hope these people don’t throw shade on the QHs, not that I’m a fan of what is going on their in the WP classes, but I think I prefer it and that is weak praise.
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Agree and Arabs did not used to be shown like this. That gappy mouthed one in the snaffle looked like it was trying to spit it out, not from being pulled. If there is no skin left under the knot of the bosal they would be lighter but they are not even doing anything requiring lightness that they could justify (in their own minds) wearing the skin off to perform so the whole thing escapes me. Embarrassing.
Have been out of it for awhile but some of those bosals had a curve that dropped the knot lower on the chin, can’t recall seeing one like that before. Ones I had were straight and not as snug a fit under the chin as these.
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I will widen my hands slightly if I don’t want to adjust my rein length and I temporarily have one get wiggly and above the bit. Helpful for maintaining the connection without pulling back.
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Where TF are the rollkur people when you need them good gods that is tragic
First context.
This is an old concept. I learned it is the 70s from folks who rode in the 50s. This is a very effective hand position to manage green horses to be able to keep a light connection to their mouth and meet them where they want to hold their head very quickly. Green horses don’t need lateral bend to start. They need to be going forward. The wide hand enables that. Once the horse can accept the connection, the hands come back together and lateral work begins.
I use this all the time on green horses. I also use it over fences when I need to slip the reins and then get control back quick until I have place to shorten my reins safely.
I don’t know why folks use it otherwise, other than to incorrectly force a headset. I would need a better understanding of why @Bending_Line you are noticing this and in what context of use.
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I am seeing it from riders on experienced horses, and in my opinion, they are acting like a human side rein to try to force flexion, and–they think–lower the head. I get push back when I say it’s not correct and it’s a holdover from Western Pleasure and breed shows. People defend it as helping the horse “frame up.”
Unless they are truly green as grass (as in just started under saddle), I personally think they can all be gradually work towards a little lateral flexion on turns, approaching corners, etc., even if relatively green. A companion observation is that a lot of the made hunters that we try or get through our barn seem to know very little about bending, making me wonder if the younger hunter trainers are not trying to get the horses supple side to side
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Those are not that Green horses and the riders likewise. I noticed nobody riding the track along the rail? Instead making a much smaller track around the center and the judges? We used to want to be by ourselves along the rail to show the judge the perfect picture, these are right on top of the judge(s).
When did that happen in Arab WP…thats an ASB kind of “strategy” to keep your horse in front of the judge while moving briskly along, smaller circle so you get more laps in front of them while covering up their view of others, These are moving soooo slooow the judge has plenty of time to see all of them wherever they may be. Or maybe the only way they get more then one lap in before the judge dozes off is the small circle around them?
Does anybody else think that one guy looks like a maestro leasing an orchestra?
Just to clarify, my comments were in response to RAyers asking where I see the issue come up–I was not specifically commenting on the Arabians. I will tell you that what I am seeing from the younger hunter riders is hands much lower (than what is shown in the Arabian clip) and their hands pretty much on the front of their thighs
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See that too, hands at knees, no pizza holding. But been seeing it since 1970ish
