Has anyone bought one of the cheaper versions of the pessoa rig? What brand and is it good quality? TIA
Yes, bought one off eBay that was a brand made in the UK…it was a few years ago so I don’t remember the exact brand. It is almost identical to my trainer’s Pessoa except the hardware is slightly different. It cost me $40, I’m very happy with the purchase.
I bought one off ebay too. Like the other post, my hardware is different but it works the same. Been using it for years on multiple horses. There is really no reason (IMO) to pay over $200 for these things; if you are handy you can even make one pretty easily. It is really just rope and hardware.
I have the knock-off from Horze that I’m relatively happy with. It is a PITA to adjust, but I’ve only used a Pessoa once and don’t remember if it was also difficult to adjust.
I made my own long before there was such a thing in any tack store, brand name or not. These things have been around for years, probably centuries.
If you understand what it is you are trying to do, it’s not that difficult. Used correctly for a specific purpose, you aren’t going to wear it out and I always thought all these things were too expensive for occasional use when a trip to the hardware store will get the same job done.
Or borrow somebody else’s for a few weeks.
I have the Schneider one and I’m happy with it
I have the Schneider one. I think I may have had to clinch the pieces a bit tighter that the ropes pass through because they allowed the horse to lengthen the ropes if they tugged/leaned hard enough, but that was an easy fix accomplished with a pliers. I’ve had it for ages and it works just as well as the name brand version.
I also knew someone who made their own, but I found that to be too confusing. The Schneider one was quite affordable.
Waldhausen also makes one - $55 at Big Dees.
Add me to the list that made one. Some cotton rope and pulleys from Lowe’s and an old surcingle. I borrowed a friends, laid in on the kitchen floor and replicated. Took a couple hours max.
I would love to get the hardware for it. One of the pulleys with a snap on it is broken on mine. I have never been able to find this part. Where are y’all getting this hardware?
I got the WALDHAUSEN LUNGEING SYSTEM from Dressage Extensions, $79.95. I needed it when my mare was rehabbing, and used it regularly for a few months last year and from time to time since then. The quality seems fine, nothing is wearing out. The only drawback is that the rollers are a bit too big to fit through the side rings on my surcingle (this was not a problem with the real Pessoa that I borrowed before I got my knock-off). I had to tie loops of baling twine to the side rings to pull the pulleys through, which is probably safer than the rings, but is a PITA to set up and remove. I also like to use the surcingle to lunge with side reins and the Equiband, but it’s a bit of a production to remove fake Pessoa. Then it’s a production to set up the Pessoa again next time I want to use it. Not the biggest problem in the world, I probably notice it more because I’m usually lunging because I’m in a hurry and want to give her a good workout in less time. If I lunged more than once every two months - which I probably should - I’d probably just get a second surcingle.
Check out Amazon. I didn’t make one but you could improvise with a double snap and pulley if need be.
I also have the Horze brand. It was super inexpensive, and works great. I had to tie off the ends a bit tighter to keep it from slipping/getting looser than I wanted (loose is good, progressively getting looser as you use it…not so much lol). So it’s a tiny bit annoying to adjust, but not enough to make me say you shouldn’t get it. It looks like they are listed for $60 now, but I don’t think I paid that much. I must have gotten it on sale. I definitely wouldn’t pay for the Pessoa branded one when you can get them cheaper and just as good.
Thank you for the suggestion, but that won’t work because that contraption will be too heavy. This will attach to the bit, so it needs to match the one on the other side.
I’ll look on Amazon, but I have not had luck before looking anywhere… evah. I hope this thread somehow helps me find the right part!
I’ve seen so many people saying they made one that there has to be a decent substitute somewhere! There used to be directions on one of these forums but I can’t find it now.
I did. $100 off ebay. Make sure all the “ropes” are elastic . Mine is still in use. Once it is adjusted to a particular horse, off and on is easy. That first adjustment is a bugger.
I made ours. Bought a lunge surcingle, rope, some pullies, two… rope keepers that let me adjust how long the rig is (I can’t remember their name but can send pics), bungee cord and fleece cover. Every once in awhile I replace the rope when it becomes frayed.
I can try and put together a “how-to” if anyone is interested. I need to re-string it with rope as it is.
Here ya go. https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/how-to-make-a-pessoa.19853/
These are the directions I used for mine. I’m pretty sure I cut the rope the same length for each side, but I always have to adjust one side way tighter than the other in order to keep them the same length. So that’s odd and mildly annoying, but it otherwise works well. I have not use an actual Pessoa rig before so I do not know how it compares. It gets the job done in the way that I wanted.
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