I have seen the nosebands with the chain/studs in the noseband, but not until after he was retired. At the beginning of his hunting career it was a training issue, which we were able to resolve. Later it was me not listening to him saying he was uncomfortable in the situation.
Boy, do I ever hate those door and gate openers.
I had one once and got rid of it the first chance I got.
CSSJR
Our master considers a standing martingale correct turnout for hunting. It is mostly for the safety of the rider…may possibly keep you from getting hit in the face However, we also add a big brass clip to the breastplate where it attaches so it could be disconnected in an emergency. Many years ago one of our staff had a horse almost drown from tipping over in a huge stream, and they had to get the martingale off in a hurry for him to get his head out of the water.
Don’t ask me how, but SHE did it!!
I always carry two things.
Wire cutters on my saddle.
A very very sharp knife on my belt.
I don’t even exercise on my own farm without both.
CSSJR
I’m an eventer and foxhunter. For foxhunting I’m in the standing martingale camp. I have many times had to pony a horse or throw my reins to someone else to hold my horse in an emergency. Tough to do with a running martingale.
Also I’d rather have it acting on his nose than his mouth. I’m in his mouth enough in the hunt field and he does toss his head a lot.
Eventing he goes like a hunter both XC and stadium and goes in a snaffle without a martingale. I’m always asking him to go forward.
Hunting he’s in a two ring with a standing martingale and I’m always Whoaing.
I had an interesting day today.
I hope the litle girl that said she never had a horse that spits out the bit and runs across the field with his head up has the time to read this.
As I may have mentioned before, I am working with an OTTB that I got on December 15th.
With all of the snow, I have probably missed a full week of working with him, so we are making progress one step at a time.
Mostly walking with an occasional slow trot so as to build him up (he has been off the track for some time and floated from one home to another so he is really soft).
I may have mentioned before that I am 81, so I have developed a few ways of working a new horse.
This horse is OTTB. I never saw anyone ride him before I got on him. I work my horses by myself. So in order to keep things under control, I do things in a way that makes me more in control.
So, after trotting him over several trails with good results, I started cantering him. I cantered him up a short hill, probably 125 yards or so long. That works him enough to build up his quarters a little and is short enough that it does not pound his feet on the hard ground.
It also has the advantage that up hill, I have the advantage over the horse in the event he bucks, tries to run off, whatever.
Much harder to ride a bad horse on level ground or down hill.
So the drill is, up the hill at a canter, circle around and back down to the bottom of the hill, no reversing, canter up the hill and repeat three times.
Nice. A really super nice canter.
So today I took him out on the trail for 30 minutes, crossed creek both ways, etc., and back to the farm.
I have a nice one mile path around old hay fields that makes a really good place to work a horse after he gets fit.
Since this guy is not fit, I had a nice level 1/4 mile part of the track that I planned to canter a little faster, almost a hand gallop to see how he would do. After all, the short canters up the hill, which I have done for about 3 days worked out very well.
OK, at a little faster, 2 point is the right way to ride.
Well, the minute I went 2 point, you have never seen such head shaking, ill manners, ears laid back, head in my face…If I had not had a standing on him, I would have had a bloody nose at best, maybe a broken nose or loose teeth.
It was so bad, that he went almost to his knees at one point because he was so mad he was not looking at anything.
That standing saved my face from getting smashed.
All of this a total surprise. He had cantered up that little hill like a school horse.
So I thought that over a little bit and decided to try exactly the same area at exactly the same speed sitting the canter.
Like an old school horse.
So apparently he got put off the track for being sour and when I put my weight in the irons, he was thinking bad jockey me no run.
But the point in all of this is that there are surprises with horses.
Here is an OTTB that is a very quiet horse. I will turn him into a perfect ladies hunter. But surprise me he did and without a standing, it would have been more than a surprise.
And even the quietest horse can surprise you at times.
CSSJr
My old riding instructor used to ride all new/young horses for the first outings in a standing martingale and an overcheck rein. He said both helped to keep the horse from having an upper hand with rearing or bucking.
A standing properly adjusted will not prevent a horse from rearing, but what it and the overcheck rein will do is keep the horse’s head in a position that he can be controlled.
A horse with his head between his knees or in your face, nose higher than his ears is not a horse that can be controlled.
With his head in a controllable position, you can turn the horse or use other control methods to keep him from rearing, so you instructor was correct.
CSSJR
check the saddle!
The points of the saddle tree may be digging into his:eek: back; check for hard/ sore areas :sadsmile:behind the withers on either side
The saddle fits.
His back is fine.
He stands like a rock while being mounted.
His trot and canter are like a school horse, unless I take a 2 point position.
Remember, he was a failure at the track. There is a reason.
He is a horse with an exceptional memory for very small things.
I see it in too many ways to go into here.
Something happened to him on the track that made him the equivalent of ring sour.
My wife’s horse won a lot of money on the track, so he came to us under different circumstances. Bad hocks.
Quiet as can be with her. Gets jazzed up when I ride him.
Saddle? Not likely. Much more likely that he was galloped by men, raced by men and so I light his Christmas tree.
Horses are not smart in the same sense as dogs, but it is my belief that their memory is far superior to dogs.
CSSJR
