Pelham in the hunters

[BumbleBee1]

I want to start showing my lease horse in a pelham, and at the beginning of the summer my trainer said I could this fall. Today, I asked her if I could start riding him in a pelham to get ready for our upcoming shows, and she basically said I could either ride him in a 2 ring (which I hate, she says “he lifts his belly and feels so good in it” but even if that were true, I wouldn’t want to ride in it anyway because I hate the way having contact with straight leverage feels. Her reasoning for not wanting me to ride in a pelham is that judges don’t like it, but I’m not too worried about ribbons. I would rather have a great round and not place, then place with an ok round.

I want to ride him in a pelham because he tends to get strong and eat up the lines at shows (we did the leave out and it was so easy, it didn’t even look like we were rushing), so having a little leverage would be nice. I have only shown him once, and it was in a waterford on the first day, and a peter pletcher on the second day (I don’t like either bit, but I prefer the peter pletcher). I know how to ride in double reins, and he really doesn’t need a lot of leverage, I just want to use a nicer bit than a peter pletcher or a waterford. I ride him in a single jointed d ring at home and he is great. His owner would ride him in a two ring at home, and show him in a pelham or a waterford d ring. Is my trainer right that judges won’t place a horse in a pelham?

[MHM]

@BumbleBee1

Is my trainer right that judges won’t place a horse in a pelham?

No.

Most judges won’t care at all.

Occasionally, there might be a judge who could use it as a tiebreaker between equal rounds.

Even when that’s the case, you’re still better off having a good round in a pelham than a bad round in a different bit.

[CuriosoJorge]

A Pelham is a much more traditional hunter bit than a 2 ring.

Does your trainer have horse show experience?

[mroades]

judge here…most of us don’t care

[BumbleBee1]

He does not show in a 2 ring. That is not legal. My trainer has been showing at and coaching at A and AA rated shows for 20+ years.

[CBoylen]

Well, your trainer is not gonna be happy if you show up and tell her that people on the Internet said you should use a different bit. So you’re going to need to go with what she feels best represents her barn. Judges don’t care, but it sounds like your trainer does.

[dmveventer]

@BumbleBee1

Is my trainer right that judges won’t place a horse in a pelham?

No, but it’s not your horse so it doesn’t really matter if she’s right or wrong. Arguing with her and the owner about tack choices is a good way to lose your lease. You’ve only been to one show, that’s really not that much time to get used to how he is off property. I’d focus on getting more experience with him and really working on the rushing from a training perspective, and if it’s still a problem down the line you can (tactfully) revisit the bit issue then.

[McGurk]

I’m going to let more experienced people weigh in after me, but back in the day (my day, a long time ago), judges would look askance at a horse that went in the hack in a pelham, but no one would think twice about a horse that went in a pelham over fences.

I mean, if he dragged you down the lines and rooted down on the reins around the corners, that would be penalized, but not because of the bit in the horse’s mouth, but for the lack of manners/way of going of the trip.

[Demerara_Stables]

This is probably throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but it sounds like this is not the right trainer for you, because you don’t trust her. You are riding in her program because you respect her (presumably), and there’s a reason she makes the choices she makes, and a reason she’s been doing this successfully for 20 years.

I think it’s worth having a conversation with your trainer about how you don’t like the way something feels and ask her to explain why that is the better bit than whatever you want to ride in.

If you still don’t believe/trust/agree with her, then either suck it up and do what she says anyway or get thee to a different program.

[paw]

Your trainer might be worried that you’ll have too much bit at home.

It’s certainly more than possible to ride forward in a pelham, and it’s confusing why a 2-ring (which I’m assuming is also 2 rein) is ok when a pelham is not. Can you ask for clarification?

[trubandloki]

@paw

It’s certainly more than possible to ride forward in a pelham, and it’s confusing why a 2-ring (which I’m assuming is also 2 rein) is ok when a pelham is not. Can you ask for clarification?

The way I read the original post, they ride with one rein on the 2-ring.
Hopefully the OP can clarify.

@BumbleBee1

I wouldn’t want to ride in it anyway because I hate the way having contact with straight leverage feels

[AmmyHunter]

@BumbleBee1

Is my trainer right that judges won’t place a horse in a pelham?

No. People want to blame the pelham, but often overlook the fact that it usually is attributable to the fact that the horse went around looking like it needed that pelham and being on the muscle. I’ve seen horses in pelhams placing in big classes at big shows, but the round was relaxed and smooth and didn’t show any signs of needing to use the leverage of the pelham.

[BumbleBee1]

You are correct, half of the reason I hate the two ring is because having any kind of contact just feels so weird. In a snaffle, I can just have a gentle feel of his mouth, but in the two ring? even if I try to have gentle contact I feel like I just can’t

[BumbleBee1]

She wants me to use the two ring at home with one rein. A pelham might be too much for flatting at home because he is lazy, but really picks up when we start jumping.

[BumbleBee1]

I’m going to talk to her about it soon.

[RedFox]

Another Judge here…if it works and he has the best trip, the pelham doesn’t come into play. It won’t change his spot in the stagger.

[LazyA1]

I learned this years ago: Some horses, when you put them in a pelham, just get light on their own. You can ride them with minimal contact, and loop the curb rein if you want. Personally, I keep the chain very very loose. The Trust baby pelham is an amazing bit. Other horses curl – they are not candidates for a pelham.

You can always use a snaffle for the hack.

One of mine can get heavy. He came with a Peter Pletcher, which I consider a severe bit. I won’t use it. I would rather use a pelham than use pain, and he goes fine in the Trust pelham. Happy relaxed horses are so obviously different from pain-trained ones. Judges can tell.

This is a training issue. Like your horse, I ride mine in a two ring elevator at home. I thought it would be too much for some contact, but it is not. Maybe because I always use a poll pad (Benefab). It is my job to ride well and teach him the aids for lightening in the corners. Lift, let go.

Finally, these trainer issues are exactly why I don’t ride with show barns. And I don’t do those week-long USEF extravaganzas. If I want to try a bit at a show, I do. If it works fine, if it doesn’t, the experiment failed, and I’ll try something else. Nothing to lose, since I’m out only the $300 bucks or so I paid for a local show. That’s a decision for you to make, assuming your lease does not specify a bit. Tell your trainer you want to give it a try. If you win, yay. If you don’t, you’ve learned something. How the heck do you learn what works for your horse, if you don’t try things!!! That is the problem with USEF shows IMO. So expensive that nothing is left to chance. Lunge, drugs, school, severe bits, more lunge, etc., etc.

[dmveventer]

@LazyA1

That’s a decision for you to make, assuming your lease does not specify a bit.

Since OP mentions the owner is still riding and showing the horse I’m assuming she’s half-leasing, so whether the lease specifies a bit or not it’s really not her place to push back. Even if it’s a full lease, insisting on using a bit the owner and trainer don’t want you to use is a pretty bold choice. I’m also assuming from the tone (and I could be wrong) that OP is a junior which also changes the dynamic.

She asked, she was told no, end of story. It sounds like trainer and owner both like how the horse goes in the 2 ring so she should accept that or take the option to ride in a snaffle if she prefers, which is already more flexibility than a lot of leases offer. As an owner, if I was getting this much pushback from a relatively new leaser over the bit I would be pretty annoyed and start wondering what other decisions of mine she might be ignoring when I wasn’t around. If OP wants to keep this lease and relationship with her trainer she should drop the bit thing and just focus on improving their ride on the horse.

[LazyA1]

She said: His owner would ride him in a two ring at home, and show him in a pelham or a waterford d ring.

Sounds like the horse’s owner would approve. How are you getting half-lease from this? Many owners lease their horses.

[dmveventer]

I read that as the owner is still riding and showing him, which wouldn’t happen in a full lease. I could be reading that wrong but either way OP has been given a clear no on showing him in the Pelham so it really doesn’t matter what anyone here thinks.