Pros of using a figure 8 bridle in the jumper ring.....

[Samotis]

I have a coming 7 year old homebred that I have decided likes jumper much more then the hunters.

I am a hunter rider but this year I am going to try the jumpers out.

My question is, a lot of jumpers go in the figure 8 bridle. Is this something I should buy?

I have done up to the 3’3 in the hunters so I plan to start in the meter classes until I am more comfortable. He is very brave and willing so while he could start in the 3’6, I need a little practice.

He goes in a snaffle, but I have the fat noseband hunter bridle. Will the figure 8 be a better choice as far as steering etc?

I have ridden horses in both bridles before, just was wondering what the thought process is behind it.

[GoneAway]

If your horse has a tendency to cross his jaw, then a figure 8 is a good idea. If he goes well in a standard cavesson, then there’s no real need for the figure 8 unless you want it as a fashion statement.

[Belmont]

[QUOTE=GoneAway;7937655]
If your horse has a tendency to cross his jaw, then a figure 8 is a good idea. If he goes well in a standard cavesson, then there’s no real need for the figure 8 unless you want it as a fashion statement.[/QUOTE]

This.

I also don’t know if it was the “pressure point” or “even distribution”, but he my horse loves his figure 8. He never seemed happy in his regular nose band, so I tried a flash then a figure 8. He was much easier to work in the figure 8. I was really tired of him crossing his jaw to evade the bit, and this made a huge difference. I also heard they help breathing? I don’t know if that is true…

If your horse goes fine in what you have, keep him in that. Not all jumpers go in a figure 8.

[Pennywell_Bay]

Ride him in what he goes best in (and is legal). Don’t worry about what other people are using or keeping up with a trend, unless it will benefit your horse. It sounds like he doesn’t need it. Time will tell. Good luck.

[Samotis]

He has a good mouth and goes fine in a snaffle. So I will just keep him in that then.

Thanks. Interested on thoughts on the breathing?!

I don’t put my noseband tight so I can’t see it being an issue but I used to know a trainer ( and I am sure a lot do) crank the noseband so tight they couldn’t move their jaw at all.

There are certainly a lot of gadgets out there. I have ridden him his whole life and never felt the need for anything other then a plain snaffle bridle.

[Pennywell_Bay]

Re: breathing. My old timer pro -so now I’m going back 20 plus years- once described it as a Figure eight will allow the nostril canal (lacking the anatomical term right now) to expand more than a really tight regular caveson. Since 1. My noseband is never that tight 2. We just don’t exert that much energy anyway it wasn’t an issue.

Im sure someone may have a better explanation. If your horse’s tack is properly fitted, there aren’t any underlying issues, I can’t imagine it would make too much of a difference, as breathing goes. Of course there is always an exception.

I think the real benefit it to prevent opening the mouth or doing magical thing with the jaw to get out of listening.

[yellowbritches]

The breathing thing is figure eight vs a flash. And doesn’t really help breathing, so much as hinders it less. A flash can lay across the nasal passage and some horses fins it very uncomfortable. A figure eight, when adjusted properly (see sooooo many that aren’t. Same for flashes), sits up higher on the face and won’t put pressure in the same place. I’ve ridden a few that that made a HUGE difference in their way of going.

A figure eight does have a mild poll pressure effect. This can be world changing for some horses. And god awful for others!

I am a big believer in going up in noseband before trying more bit. A figure eight is typically my first stop (depends a little, but I rarely find a flash does much, and a figure eight, to me, is more aesthetically appealing). But if a horse is all good in a plain caves on, why fix what ain’t broke

[beowulf]

A figure 8, as YB touched upon, has profoundly more poll-pressure than a standard cavesson – mostly because you have to really tighten the fig-8 to prevent jaw crossing… When fitted lightly, it doesn’t have any more poll-pressure than a normal cavesson.

I wouldn’t switch cavessons unless your horse needs. I like the way figure 8s look, but they do have a purpose – which is to prevent jaw-crossing and evasion of the bit… and that, to me, means the horse ridden in them needs some touch-ups in their training or comfort.

[cleozowner]

I put my (not the highest quality) OTTB in a figure 8 sometimes because it makes him look much sportier, like he belongs. He schools mostly in a plain cavesson at home, which has the same function, riding-wise (i.e. very little function as I don’t crank my nosebands).
Some horses may have a huge preference one way or the other, but this green gelding doesn’t know enough or isn’t picky enough to have a preference.

[vxf111]

If you ever plan to go back to hunters, I’d try to stick to hunter legal tack so there’s less transition. When my horse did dressage, even though it sometimes seemed like we were the ONLY pair not in a flash or crank bridle-- he went in a plain snaffle. I don’t see the point is getting a horse that is just dabbling using tack you’ll later have to take away.