Using specific nosebands/martingales/breastplates for the sake of fashion?

[Mango20]

My first thought was how do you know it’s only for fashion? But, I also see what you’re saying. I see a lot of tack used that’s not really necessary. I know several 10-13 year olds eventing BN with 5-point breastplates, eventer watches, super matchy outfits, and micklem bridles just because they want them and their parents oblige. I think only one has a runnnig martingale in that mix. Meanwhile, my horse goes Training with no breastplate, martingale, or even studs, and a cheap watch with big numbers from Walmart. The extra stuff on the kids’ ponies does no harm and hopefully they’ll take care of it and have it around if they ever really need it in the future.

I switched to a figure 8 on my strong horse because I thought it would work better with her curvy jaw conformation, but saw no big difference (but kept it because it does really fit her face better than a flash). I bought a used boucher to try on her for dressage, but noticed no difference. I stuck it on our pony’s bridle, and it made a huge positive difference for her! I don’t know if it was the boucher, or the fact that we went from a single jointed snaffle to a french link, but she is clearly happier about it, with less negative reaction to bit pressure. So, I guess I’m not opposed to trying different things to see what works best for your horse. I really wish my main horse would tell me clearly what she prefers, but she actually seems to go the same no matter what I do.

[Edre]

Honestly, I a minimalist because I am lazy. The fewer pieces of tack I have to clean (and the fewer buckles I have to do up/things I have to bother with when I’m tacking) the happier I am.

I am fortunate enough to be able to ride boarder’s horses in lessons with my trainer. Frequently I will look at all of the equipment I see set out for the horse and then just contact trainer to see if I can just borrow whichever snaffle bridle of hers is size appropriate. 99 times out of 100, a plain snaffle bridle with a standard noseband/no flash is perfectly sufficient and I get the green light to proceed. In those cases however, it’s not necessarily that the owners have fallen into trying to make a fashion statement with their gear so much as it is different skill levels might necessitate different approaches.

Just because I am completely comfortable riding a horse without any form of martingale in a french link when schooling cross country does not mean that the same horse under a different rider will go the same way. Obviously the goal is to bring riders’ skill levels up to the point where they can use the least gear (and the most unobtrusive!) but that’s not where everyone starts and I think we all generally acknowledge that.

Ultimately, if the equipment in question isn’t detrimental (flashes, breast plates, martingales) and is properly fitted, it’s never really going to come into play unless the situation changes and it becomes activated by circumstance. Passive gear like that isn’t really an issue to me. I, however, am lazy and cannot be bothered with more than is necessary. To each their own.

[BayBondGirl]

@Mango20

I really wish my main horse would tell me clearly what she prefers, but she actually seems to go the same no matter what I do.

Same! Some clear direction from her would be nice, but I suppose I appreciate how casual she is about anything changed in her gear haha.

[Eclisped]

@Angela Freda

That they didn’t when you rode them, or ridden by you… Doesn’t mean they don’t now or with a new rider.

As someone noted, most of them do no harm and this isn’t your horse, so why worry about it?

I was just looking for other points of view. Apologies if I came off as worried of if this is annoying, I just thought of it and wanted to know what other people thought. And you’re totally right, I haven’t worked with any other horse besides my own for quite some time, so apologies for not thinking this through

[Angela_Freda]

@Eclisped

I was just looking for other points of view. Apologies if I came off as worried of if this is annoying, I just thought of it and wanted to know what other people thought. And you’re totally right, I haven’t worked with any other horse besides my own for quite some time, so apologies for not thinking this through

No need to apologize.
It’s just always really smart to remember that we don’t know what we don’t know.
I’m a big one for asking questions and sitting in on lessons and clinics and other opportunities to learn from others’ experiences.
I can’t have ## horses… but by observing, listening, and asking questions I can learn from more than I can have.

[Eclisped]

@Angela Freda

No need to apologize.
It’s just always really smart to remember that we don’t know what we don’t know.
I’m a big one for asking questions and sitting in on lessons and clinics and other opportunities to learn from others’ experiences.
I can’t have ## horses… but by observing, listening, and asking questions I can learn from more than I can have.

A great way to learn!

[Rusty15]

Ok, I don’t want this to come off wrong, but in MY experience, I think it has to do with maturity. When I was a teenager I was very into the look of certain tack. I would be that person that would want to use a certain type of noseband or half pad or whatever just because I liked the aesthetic…not that I ever had the money to buy a lot of that stuff, but hey a kid can dream lol.
Now that I have 20 years of riding experience under my belt, I still want my horse and I to look put together and I’m very into making sure my tack matches and everything fits well but I don’t use anything extra that isn’t needed. That being said, I don’t think there’s any harm in using tack for the aesthetic as long as it isn’t affecting the horse negatively. The one big pet peeve I have though is hunters using dee rings like they are required. I show hunters but my main horse goes better in a loose ring so gosh dangit I’m going to use a loose ring!

[Pennywell_Bay]

Funny thing about this topic- my kid and I wear Charles Owen helmets because they fit our heads best. My trainer is sponsored by Samshield and he and his kids wear them. Kiddo got in the Samshield kick. (Eye roll) She just got a new CO, so I said we’ll look in to something different, if it fits well, when she needs a new helmet.

last week at my lesson, trainer says “So- I got a CO. The one with MIPS. Apparently they fit my head better”

So- thankfully sometimes it isn’t all about fashion and the latest trend.

[SuzieQNutter]

I have never suffered from peer pressure. Not for what the horse wears and also in life not for what I wear.

I think fashion is silly.

[Xanthoria]

I wouldn’t mind a properly fitted standing on every horse I see doing hunters except they’re not properly fitted. They’re tie downs. I don’t think there’s one person I’ve met since pony club who could describe the correct way to fit one, and it bothers me to see so many horses forced to wear them so tight.

[streamline]

Have y’all seen some western riders? We branded yesterday and there’s some people who go allllll out. Tie down, German martingale, those extra horse hair things that go on the girth. Just some random stuff.

Everyone was in a heavier bit, which I kinda get. Everyone neck reins and those horses are 10x more responsive to leg than any fancy English horse I’ve sat on.

I’ll echo what others have said, I’m lazy and like to keep it extremely minimal. I don’t use a breastplate unless I’m riding western. I haven’t jumped in 4+ years at this rate. I don’t even really use boots anymore since I ride in the pasture… what I have been using lately (which might be gimmicky?) is pastern wraps. I feel like they’ve made a huge difference

[endlessclimb]

I was riding a horse for a lady for awhile. He was a solid bred paint horse, really nice guy, extremely well broke. She rode him in a eggbutt snaffle with a running martingale, adjusted really loose - to the point you thought it would never do anything. He was ridden english, lots of hacking, jumping tiny stuff. By how quick he was to move his hips all over, I believe he was originally at a western barn in training for WP. Very cool horse, I liked him a lot.

After riding him for a month, I thought to myself - he doesn’t need this running martingale. I have never seen him test it, never really needed it.

I figured out VERY quickly why he was ridden in that. That horse put his head in my lap and was absolutely out of control the second he realized it wasn’t on. It really was the weirdest thing - he was such a good boy when he was wearing it. I have no idea how he knew it was on or off. But by god, he did. I spent that whole ride alternating between 10m circles with extra bend trying to get his damn head down, and having his ears in my throat.

I never rode him without it again.

You can’t tell just by looking what a horse needs and why.

[SuzieQNutter]

@endlessclimb

I was riding a horse for a lady for awhile. He was a solid bred paint horse, really nice guy, extremely well broke. She rode him in a eggbutt snaffle with a running martingale, adjusted really loose - to the point you thought it would never do anything. He was ridden english, lots of hacking, jumping tiny stuff. By how quick he was to move his hips all over, I believe he was originally at a western barn in training for WP. Very cool horse, I liked him a lot.

After riding him for a month, I thought to myself - he doesn’t need this running martingale. I have never seen him test it, never really needed it.

I figured out VERY quickly why he was ridden in that. That horse put his head in my lap and was absolutely out of control the second he realized it wasn’t on. It really was the weirdest thing - he was such a good boy when he was wearing it. I have no idea how he knew it was on or off. But by god, he did. I spent that whole ride alternating between 10m circles with extra bend trying to get his damn head down, and having his ears in my throat.

I never rode him without it again.

You can’t tell just by looking what a horse needs and why.

This only shows the hole in their training. The action of the martingale means that they actually develop the muscle to bring the head higher that people think the martingale is doing the opposite of. This means when the martingale is taken off the head goes higher than it did before.

The quick fix is to put the martingale back on, but that is not actually a fix as the hole in the training is still there.

It is possible to train the horse to not need the martingale, but it does not happen overnight and needs an experienced trainer.

[endlessclimb]

@SuzieQNutter

This only shows the hole in their training. The action of the martingale means that they actually develop the muscle to bring the head higher that people think the martingale is doing the opposite of. This means when the martingale is taken off the head goes higher than it did before.

The quick fix is to put the martingale back on, but that is not actually a fix as the hole in the training is still there.

It is possible to train the horse to not need the martingale, but it does not happen overnight and needs an experienced trainer.

The martingale was so loose that it never actually took hold when he was wearing it, that was the weird part. He went around fine, it was dangling like a useless piece of equipment - that’s why I elected to try a ride without it. I honestly don’t know how he knew it was off, but the whole game changed. He really was perfect with it on, super fun, down and on the contact. I never saw it actually take effect - it was adjusted 3" longer than to his throat.

It wasn’t my job to train him. Just ride him around while the owner was out of town. I just put the thing back on, not a problem.

[SuzieQNutter]

@endlessclimb

The martingale was so loose that it never actually took hold when he was wearing it, that was the weird part. He went around fine, it was dangling like a useless piece of equipment - that’s why I elected to try a ride without it. I honestly don’t know how he knew it was off, but the whole game changed. He really was perfect with it on, super fun, down and on the contact. I never saw it actually take effect - it was adjusted 3" longer than to his throat.

It wasn’t my job to train him. Just ride him around while the owner was out of town. I just put the thing back on, not a problem.

Yes but you dont know what happened before they put it on and when they put it on.

[16_Hands]

@Mango20

My first thought was how do you know it’s only for fashion? But, I also see what you’re saying. I see a lot of tack used that’s not really necessary. I know several 10-13 year olds eventing BN with 5-point breastplates, eventer watches, super matchy outfits, and micklem bridles just because they want them and their parents oblige. I think only one has a runnnig martingale in that mix. Meanwhile, my horse goes Training with no breastplate, martingale, or even studs, and a cheap watch with big numbers from Walmart. The extra stuff on the kids’ ponies does no harm and hopefully they’ll take care of it and have it around if they ever really need it in the future.

The kids running around BN with all that gear just want to be part of the scene. They see their riding idols using a 5-point or a Miklem and they want to emulate them. If their parents are willing to indulge their kids, more power to them.

[endlessclimb]

@SuzieQNutter

Yes but you dont know what happened before they put it on and when they put it on.

Understood. But the question in the thread is in regards to seeing people all kitted out for seemingly no reason. There might be a reason that isn’t easily seen.