What tack rules for Jumpers where?
For straight up giggles I might hang my Hungarian Pivot Liverpool (on swale rings) on a spare dressage headstall and keep it in the trailer!
I have no issue with having my bit checked. However, my pony club PTSD will probably force me to make sure that my bit is also CLEAN when I see the TD coming around
What would be the issue with presenting your bit/bridle to the TD who can be in the show office at designated times when you pick up your show packet? I mean there is no guarantee that bit and bridle will be used in a class if inspected by a TD who is walking around the barn, any more than if you just show it to them in the show office.
The only way to guarantee this is if they do the full blown inspection after you come out of the ring.
Unless they mark it in some way, as others have discussed above.
What if your bit was like a pony card- you get it inspected, they put some sort of mark on it (TBD best way to do that) that’s visible when it’s in the mouth. You only have to do that once per bit. Then, ringside tack inspections can continue as they have recently- visual only, and as far as the bit(s) it’s just a matter of checking for that mark.
Similar to when they put a sticker on your spurs?
This would still require a TD/knowledgeable bit inspector person to be available for this all day, because lots of people don’t show up until closer to their ride times.
That’s true, but if it’s something you only have to do once per bit, vs every time you show, the volume would be much less- they could maybe set times bit checks would be available or something ahead of time, so you know if you’ve changed your bit you have to get there for the check. It’s not perfect, but might solve at least some bit check challenges. Anyway, just an off-the-cuff idea.
So the label would be permanent so it lasted from show to show?
Sounds great, until someone decides that bit is no longer legal.
hahaha good point… maybe it needs colors like annual car registration stickers
@trubandloki that was my thought, yes, although I’m not sure what sort of mark would actually serve that function.
Why not just make legal bits easily distinguishable via a certain color - like the bit rings are blue or something?
I vote for Purple.
That would involve many individual manufacturers getting on board with colour coding their ‘legal’ bits (probably by discipline and multi colours for bits legal in more than one) AND, worse, having to call out their “illegal” bits as well if by no other way than not giving them a colour.
Add on the way bit rules seem to change lately and you’d end up with suddenly illegal bits in legal colours.
Seems some sort of temporary marking may be best.
Those Fager bits are quite thin. And they have a pretty large variety of double jointed. My horses all really like the feel of the titanium metal btw.
Apparently still thick enough to be “legal”? Lola may get to a schooling show or 2 in the spring - probably ridden by the trainer. She’s super sensitive and tends to curl up.
last time i checked all of the Fager models i use, four were specifically identified as approved and one was under review.
I’ve never seen a bit check at a schooling show. That doesn’t mean it never happens, but I think it would be unusual.
I’m not saying g-you should intentionally use s bit that’s not legal,just that chances of your bit being checked at a schooling show are slim.
I remember that. One INTERNATIONAL competitor (as I understand) was using one or maybe two piaffe whips in the warmup and freaking out the other horses around them. It probably took another INTERNATIONAL competitor to complain for something to be done about it (if I complained, it would be ignored).
You know, if that competitor was hitting other horses or being cruel, they should have been yanked off their horse and sent packing, not a nicey nice one bad apple spoils the whole bunch rule change. They should have DIRECTLY dealt with it (and I believe this is the same competitor) that was involved in the lunging death of a horse and got sued for it.
Why are we so worried about the bits and the amateurs not having 68% to qualify for freestyles? Why are we not policing cruelty and abuse? I see abuse at every single damn show. I am talking abuse as in over-whipping and face yanking and holding a chin to a chest whilst kicking the crap out it. Why these horses don’t kill their riders, I’ll never know. But the abject abuse is not only being ignored, it is being rewarded. Please, enough of the bullshit and address the core problems of this sport!
And one more soap box rant: Yellow the effing card out of the upper level riders plowing over the amateurs, juniors and newbies. I was at a show last summer where some VERY self important wealthy GP rider yelled as she was on her horse walking up to the warmup arena for people to get out of her way because her horse was not going to stop. There was a person at the mounting block trying to mount a horse when this happened. She had to jump off the mounting block and back up her horse. My question is: if your horse is so crazy (not) that you cannot stop it while you are entering the warmup to show Grand Prix (HAHAHAHA), then maybe you should be handwalking it into the warmup and getting on at the mounting block, not screaming for everyone to get out of your way. THAT my friends deserves a yellow card. (And a public shaming.)