Newly illegal crownpiece

I love this comment, mostly because the man on the horse in the link posted by the OP has that horse’s throatlatch entirely closed, the nose if BTV, and the jawband does indeed appear to be cranked down tight. The horse doesn’t look happy. Not a great picture to advertise your bridle, I think.

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I only see a browband on a white background?

Look at the banner across the top.

It’s shows half a horse’s head for me- it does look a bit over bent but I can’t tell anything about the bridle fit. Regardless I think there’s an awful lot of forest for the trees going on in dressage

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Here you go! :slight_smile:
Screenshot 2024-10-07 121952

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that’s so weird- I’m looking at it on a PC too, not a phone and the banner photo on mine cuts off just under the horse’s eye. I would definitely agree that this is not the photo I would choose for a horse being comfortable and correct in the bridle

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My mustang loves that crownpiece so I guess now I have another reason not to drive four hours one way to a horse show.

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NOOOO! Both of my horses love that crownpiece. I think it is nice because it gives relief to the more sensitive area and the area you clip. There is some thought that each side of the crownpiece operates independently, but I have not really seen that–it’s more that it gives relief.

When my young horse came back from the abusive colt starter (who pulled a three piece bit through his mouth while twirling and beating him–I saw that and broughvt him home), the only bit he would accept is the basic eggbutt WTP. This shaped bit has no up and down movement and limited lateral movement due to a flat link in the middle that is about the same size as the Turtle top link. It is a very kind, very mild bit, but because it comes from the company that makes tongue plate bits (Winning Tongue Plate = WTP) but DOES NOT HAVE A TONGUE PLATE, USDF banned it. I know several trainers who have had a very good experience with that bit for horses that have sensitive mouths and are having trouble accepting contact. It is neither a lockup bit nor a tongue plate and there are no rough or sharp edges–it just allows only limited movement. If they would read the literature before making these decisions, they wouldn’t be banning helpful equipment.

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They screwed up so royally with the Baucher you’d think they’d look more carefully at equipment before deciding something’s illegal.

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Right? There cannot be leverage action if there is no lever below the fulcrum, and the rein acts in line with the mouthpiece. I’m still irritated about that, and I’m not even riding let alone competing!

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To add to all the kvetching: effective October 1, really? As in, after qualifying shows but before many regional championships and national finals? Why TF wouldn’t it be effective December 1 for the new show year? Thankfully my dressage horse doesn’t use a crownpiece like that (my eventer does on his jump bridle, a Shires Velociti that I find extremely ergonomic). I am going to regionals this week and if I were just learning I had to replace a piece of tack, I would be seriously pissed.

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I heard it has to do with some pressure measurements made by Clayton.
I have no other info.

She’s the one who insists that the Baucher has leverage. She has big credentials, but I wonder how much she really knows.

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The rule just says that the part “that contacts the horse” must be smooth and continuous, so my lawyer self would argue that you could add a poll pad (of the legal size/width) and make a crownpiece legal that otherwise would not be.

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It actually went into effect as of Sept. 1st (unless I read the wrong document?). Created a bit of a stir at our regionals in September.

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Yes, some friends of mine had issues at Regionals this year. A lot of running around and stress. What a shitty thing to do to people who have worked so hard to qualify. (And yet, we must put off the new welfare rules until the start of a new membership year.

Several of my barn buddies currently running around getting new Bridle to Fit headpieces before we leave for a show next month. The B2F rep is tearing her hair out…

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I saw a post on Facebook last night from someone who was caught out a regionals. She not only had a ride score deleted, she received a Yellow Card from the TD. This is not only a stupid rule…it was rolled out at the dumbest time ever. I could understand if some critical new evidence of horse torture came out, and all our horses with this crownpiece started bleeding from the eyeballs or something, but really…this is just so dumb.

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It is sounding like not much…

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What happened to the Baucher? Is it now banned?

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It was, and then they limited the dimensions of the cheek piece to something that was nearly unattainable. Based on someone who is not an engineer in any sense declaring it has leverage, when it literally has no capability of providing leverage at all.

All of the directives on it were extremely unclear and muddy.

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