What is the actual purpose for a flash & noseband

[J-Lu]

Nosebands also help the horse focus on accepting the bit. Without one, horses can overwork the bit, gape at the mouth and evade, not accept the bit, etc. Even with good hands… It is an aid. A noseband helps the horse refocus these resistant behaviors. It is not uncommon to see Western horses be argumentative with snaffle contact without a noseband. Most western horses have seemingly quiet mouths because they have much harsher curb bits that the average english horse is not ridden in (who generally has a snaffle).

I use and recommend a crank. People get weird about cranks, but they have the best padding under the jaw and overall comfort. There is no need to “crank” on the crank. I fit mine snugly but not tightly, and my horse can open and gape if he wants to. Leather allows that and there is space in the way the crank fits - the strap doubles back through a loop on itsself.

The flash is common and helps keep the horse from gaping the mouth open. It doesn’t penalize an accepting horse. I rode with flashes until my last mare. The flash irritated her fleshy lips and I just removed it (never had a comment through fourth level shows) and my current gelding also has fleshy lips and is super sensitive so I leave the flash off. He otherwise accepts the bit well. I ride/rode both horses in a very mild Herm Sprenger Training bit, and the mare in a very mild curb with her double. Note that most double bridles have comparatively mild curb bits. I don’t know any Western horse (and I know many ) who go in such mild bits.

If anything, I’d say that dressage riders (I’m a dressage rider) are WAY anal about the comfort of their horse’s face and overall being.

[Posting_Trot]

You may have seen this website as you looked for information: it provides some (critical) discussion of flashes as well as some history of the use of the noseband.

http://www.sustainabledressage.net/tack/bridle.php

Personally, I don’t like to use a flash. This is partly because my previous horse hated the flash. No matter how it was adjusted it annoyed her and became a distraction in itself. With the noseband I’ve always followed the 2 finger rule, but I’ve had some people look at me funny when I mentioned it.

Currently I’m using a Micklem bridle. It’s a somewhat different set-up that appeals to some horses and not to others. It’s possible to over-tighten a Micklem too, so it’s not a magic fix.

[mydogs]

@CERT

The noseband is there on English bridles to prevent the bit from being pulled through the mouth. It is the same reason Western riders use curb straps on their snaffle bits (though I have seen at least one rider still manage to pull the bit through…).

How does the noseband keep the bit from being pulled through?

[mydogs]

@J-Lu

Nosebands also help the horse focus on accepting the bit. Without one, horses can overwork the bit, gape at the mouth and evade, not accept the bit, etc. Even with good hands… It is an aid. A noseband helps the horse refocus these resistant behaviors.

I think this is where I get very confused and lost about the noseband. I don’t understand how it helps accept the bit. In my mind, if a trained horse is gaping at the mouth, I immediately think discomfort, especially if the horse is pulling their tongue to the back of their mouth to avoid pressure. So if a horse is doing this, tightening the noseband doesn’t solve anything, it just makes it worse for the horse.

Or maybe on the typical horse the noseband helps to accept the bit? But the horse who is pulling their tongue back and opening their mouth is expressing pain not related to the noseband?

[CERT]

@mydogs

Or maybe on the typical horse the noseband helps to accept the bit? But the horse who is pulling their tongue back and opening their mouth is expressing pain not related to the noseband?

I had one mare I retrained early in my career who would gape at any touch of the reins, no matter how light. No issue with her teeth, but some bad previous training. I ended up using a cavesson, still fairly loose, and working her on long lines so I could see when she finally closed her mouth. The noseband prevented her from rewarding herself by completely avoiding the bit through a gaped jaw. It took some time, but she was eventually able to be ridden without the noseband, even with contact. I do admit that now I might address the problem differently, especially if the owner was open to bitless options, but she did ultimately accept the bit and the cavesson helped her get there.

@mydogs

How does the noseband keep the bit from being pulled through?

It prevents the horse from gaping wide enough for the bit rings to be pulled through.

[Willesdon]

If you look at a military bridle, the caveson has a rope attached which is used to tie up or lead the horse, and also provides some protection from sword cuts under the neck. When the bit is removed, while the horse is at rest, then Hey Presto, it is a head collar, which I believe is a called a caveson in French. Horse fashion often has cavalry roots.
If you look at 19th and early 20th century fox hunting prints, the horses are often in a double without a nose band. Riding in a double was evidence of a finished rider with good hands precisely because the happy horse was unlikely to open its mouth.
The flash appeared in the 80s or so at the European WB sales, as was said above, where young horses were (are?) pushed to be as showy and WOW! as possible and the flash physically strapped their mouth shut so they could not visibly object. Similarly the crank, which is designed to pull much tighter than a caveson. However, research (Fairfax?) shows that a loose crank is actually softer than a caveson because the extra ring at the end of the cheek piece allows more movement and so less poll pressure.
I had a recent discussion with a Master Saddler who pointed out that a horse might express discomfort with its bridle by displaying unlevel gaits or even lameness.

[mydogs]

@Willesdon

If you look at a military bridle, the caveson has a rope attached which is used to tie up or lead the horse, and also provides some protection from sword cuts under the neck. When the bit is removed, while the horse is at rest, then Hey Presto, it is a head collar, which I believe is a called a caveson in French. Horse fashion often has cavalry roots.
If you look at 19th and early 20th century fox hunting prints, the horses are often in a double without a nose band. Riding in a double was evidence of a finished rider with good hands precisely because the happy horse was unlikely to open its mouth.
The flash appeared in the 80s or so at the European WB sales, as was said above, where young horses were (are?) pushed to be as showy and WOW! as possible and the flash physically strapped their mouth shut so they could not visibly object. Similarly the crank, which is designed to pull much tighter than a caveson. However, research (Fairfax?) shows that a loose crank is actually softer than a caveson because the extra ring at the end of the cheek piece allows more movement and so less poll pressure.
I had a recent discussion with a Master Saddler who pointed out that a horse might express discomfort with its bridle by displaying unlevel gaits or even lameness.

That is super interesting! Thanks!!