Noseband padding? Horse getting rubs

[fordtraktor]

My young horse is getting rubs from his noseband under his chin. The skin is fine but he is wearing the hair off. It’s a PS of Sweden leather padded crank with flash. It’s properly adjusted to a little loose because I am absolutely neurotic about not using tight nosebands, but this particular horse has a bit of a tongue issue in that he likes to lick his lips quickly and often. and that is a difficult habit to eradicate without doing things I won’t do! Of course I will continue to work on his acceptance and relaxation but he is a very lick-oriented horse in the barn and even paddock, so I don’t doubt it’ll take a while. He licks his stall door, me, the dog…lol.

Best products to offer more protection? Gel, sheepskin, etc.? Thanks for any assistance!

[scislandsprite]

I would probably go with something soft or fluffy like sheepskin or one of the machine washable fluffy halter things. The only reason why I don’t always use gel products is that it gave my horse a bit of a rub since I think gel products sometimes have a bit of wiggle whereas the sheepskin/fluffy products just kind of sit and don’t wiggle/rub IME!

[atlatl]

I use this.

https://www.dressageextensions.com/chin-eeze-caveson-pad/p/X1-120414/&rrec=true/

[Danged_Arab]

I just buy a 6- or 8-foot piece of pipe insulation, cut the length I want, and widen the slit as needed. Cheap, but it works. Something like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Frost-King-1-in-x-6-ft-Foam-Plumbing-Tubular-Pipe-Insulation/3130679

[Willesdon]

How about trying a plain, well softened leather noseband, no padding at all? Padding itself can rub and collect sweat. I’m writing this and running through my mind if I’ve ever seen a horse with a rub from a plain leather bridle.

[fordtraktor]

I clean my bridle every day and the noseband has 2 fingers clearance. This is a rare situation with a horse that doesn’t stick his tongue out like many with a tongue issue, he licks to the side when he’s thinking. He does it not ridden, like when I was dumping his grain in his bucket in the field tonight he did it twice in 10 seconds, especially when he anticipates and is thinking. It’s a bit of an odd quirk. The noseband is padded and soft, well conditioned. I think the rubbing might be worse with a plain caveson and no padding as it would be more concentrated.

His licks are kind of lizard like…tongue flashes in and out so fast it can be hard to even see!

[crthunder]

My sensitive red OTTB had this issue and I swapped the crank pad for an equifit curb chain cover. No rubs and happy horse!

[Willesdon]

Horses are such individual characters, but we love them all!

[sascha]

Mine is a licker and chewer. Sniffle bits are more chew toys than means of communication in her mind. Like someone above mentioned, the licking is whenever. Call her in from the field, watch her lick her lips 3 times in 60m. Offer her a plain hand or stand too close your hand or your clothing is going to get licked to prune or soaked.

She rubbed her jaw raw after I backed her. I added padding (a velcro gel/neoprene crown protector). She still rubbed. I tightened the noseband (she could still take and eat a mint, but might not have been show legal ) and the rubs healed and did not come back.

Currently she has a padded jaw on her snaffle and a padded crank on her double. Neither rub. Probably both within show legal limits of tightness

I don’t know exactly what worked, but maybe years of riding with a tight noseband with the gel padding allowed her to sort out the degree of licking and chewing and brought it down to a dull roar? I was also very careful to keep the padding clean - washer and dryer and I kept 2 on hand in case I forgot one at home in the dryer.

Good luck. It’s not a fun thing to try to fix especially when you’re trying to do everything right with a looser noseband, etc.

[2tempe]

Horse Poll, Chin, & Noseband Guard | Horse Nose Guard

price is right!
Dressage extensions carries something similar, "Ridewell Chin/Crown guard. $9.95

[pluvinel]

How about no noseband? I know it is not “show legal” but if you are trying to understand why the horse does something, go back to minimal tack and see what happens.

[SIGU1963]

@crthunder Did you make any changes to the crank strap or still same setup with the 2 keepers on either side and strap doubling back? So all you changed was removing the chin guard and using the equifit cover?

[crthunder]

I used the “keepers” of the equifit cover as keeers for the strap when it doubled back so I didn’t need original keepers. Hope that makes sense!

[eightpondfarm]

i have two riding horses, both in English discipline, who go with no noseband. Having tried several different bits and bridles, once i took the noseband off, the objectionable bit all the sudden became ‘ok’.
One goes in a fullcheek mullen and no noseband. Other one full cheek snaffle and no noseband.

[hoopoe]

I too would go back to no noseband. If that sorts the acceptance, move on to a regular, conventional headstall, no crank no drop. Add a fuzzy if needed. You need to double check rules for show on the fuzzy. Consider using no oil or soap, only water and rag, when cleaning that area of the bridle

Neither crank nor drop are needed. They are a convention many people use without question

[Mondo]

Have you tried a Micklem bridle? The cavesson piece is not tight, nor under the jaw. The dropped noseband piece sits in the chin groove. It might help with the licking AND stop the hair loss. Worth a shot.

[SIGU1963]

Understood, tx.