I don’t care for a flash. I have tried them with every horse and never felt that they made a big difference. OTOH, I have not had horses that thought getting the tongue over the bit was entertaining. If I did I would put a flash on.
I do like a crank for the padding under the jaw. I think for some horses that is a sensitive spot and they will brace their jaw to avoid being irritated by a buckle.
Errrrrrrrrr - don’t use either.
I should add, we just tried a squishy pad under mare’s noseband where the buckle goes, and she likes it. She’s pretty sensitive and the metal buckle was bothering her. This also helps keep the flash from pulling the noseband down.
(Still need to try a figure-8 with her, just to see if I can get it to fit her face better than a regular bridle does.)
Thanks guys! I understand the crank now, I guess I just thought it was named a crank because you can get it so tight, because IMO it is easy to over tighten. I have a dressage bridle with a crank (bought because it was a great deal ;)) and the padding that is on it is really nice. However I have found it is super easy to tighten it too much.
I guess I still don’t really understand the flash, but each to their own. I think of it as a gadget more than anything. I realize it does have a place, but to me it seems like something used because of a gap in training, much like a martingale. I’m probably still misunderstanding its use though!
If using a flash it’s my opinion the noseband should be snug enough to prevent it from being pulled down the nose. I don’t mean jaw-breakingly tight, but just so that it isn’t pulled down where the flash could then be over the more sensitive part of the nose.
I personally am not afraid of the flash. I don’t think you have to use it super tight. I don’t use it tight on my horse. I don’t know if stability is the right word but he has a very quiet and nice mouth. I use the flash pretty loose and I don’t think it would, the way I have it adjusted, keep him from opening his mouth or crossing his jaw. But it seems to make him more comfortable. When he’s in the double bridle I have to use a lip strap for the same reason. I don’t know if it’s just he likes to play around with the bit but when he has the lip strap he’s more quiet with the bits.
Honestly I can’t feel the difference when I ride with/without the flash but I’ve had two trainers I respect who are not into gadgets say he goes better with one and not because it straps his mouth shut. It’s obviously a subtle thing.
Anyway, I don’t see it as a gadget. I believe the SRS starts the young horses in drop nosebands. The flash was just a more convenient version. I like the flash over the drop because it’s hard to get a drop to fit correctly and I like that the flash is not as low over the top part of the nose. And I think the SRS riders have pretty good seats and good solid training ability so I don’t think they use it as a quick fix just to shut the mouth.
But I do think it’s a good thing people are often not using a flash these days because many people don’t have very independent seats and hands and so it’s easier for the horse to escape rough hands when they can open their mouth. When you ride with a flash you have to be much more in control of your seat and hands in order to be kind to the horse’s mouth.
In the past i have always used the drop part of the noseband, whether it be a crank (which I personally hate though finding a bridle without one theses days…) but to be honest I really didn’t know why, just my instructors said I had too and they did it up tight, however in the last year or so I have taken them all off every horse and they have been happier, if we break a horse in and it has a tendency to put its tongue over the bit, we put them in a double jointed snaffle (KK training bit) which seems to fix the issue.
I have no problem with someone using the drop part but at them moment I don’t need it on my current young horse.
I don’t use the flash on any horses at the moment but I do use a cavesson. Mostly because they have to in competition and I don’t want the horse surprised.
I have one mare that I alternate a drop noseband or cavesson on. She can get very strong in the trot canter transitions and the fm cheek pieces seem to jam under the cavesson but of course don’t with the drop.
I use a flash because my current bridle has one and I don’t want to open up the stitching to remove the tab and put it back together.
I ride with both my noseband and flash loose enough to slip my finger tips from both hands into it on either side of the bridge of her nose.
Both are loose enough that she can grind her teeth or evade or do any sort of naughty things. I want her to have that freedom so that I can work through it and strive to do the exercise where she has a quiet soft mouth because she is happy and not because her mouth is strapped shut.
The only time I rely on the flash is when we hack out and she gets bold at the canter. The flash keeps her from completely gaping her mouth when she gets really wound up and wants to gallop.
If I find a reasonably priced bridle without a flash next time I need a new bridle, I will probably invest in one.
I prefer to call a crank “padded”. Because the word crank with the word horse makes me feel ill.
Mine likes one for the stability that they provide the bit. Not put on tight, with more that enough room for a finger or two under it. She was treated harshly by past owners and something about the flash makes her feel more at ease and she relaxes. Her past owners rode her western and rode her with a big curb and no noseband. She will go ok without one but takes a while to decompress even with a loose rein. As soon as the flash goes on she is licking and chewing and she just “melts” into a more relaxed state. She dosn’t need it for control or any correction, she will ride fine in a hackamore, with/without a noseband or with the flash. However, she seems happiest with a loose flash on.
1 Like
So… experimented today. Took off the mare’s flash and kept the squishy chin pad under the noseband. She was golden (well, she’s always golden, she can’t help it, she’s a palomino, but you know what I mean.) Happy, much less fussy. She did open her mouth at times but I’d rather take our lumps for that than have her fussing over wearing a flash all the time.
Our first schooling show is tomorrow. I asked the instructor (this is the jumpers guy) what I should do about the flash. He said that since I was planning to do two warm-ups (the first, very early, just a go around and look at stuff, get used to the invasion of other horses at her barn, do a relaxed walk/trot work, etc.)… to keep the flash off for the first warm-up and see how she goes, If it’s good, keep it in my pocket during the second warm-up; I can always ask a barn friend to put it on for me if I have second thoughts.
I would love for someone to explain the mechanics of how a flash stabilizes a bit!!! Seriously. C’mon people…
I’ve always wondered this as well. I’ve been trying to find an attractive, well made dressage bridle as well that doesn’t have a darn flash on it or a crank. I personally find it ridiculous that every single bridle comes with a pre-installed “crutch” I wish they were the exception to the rule- they’re simple enough to add to a bridle, but not so much when they’re sewn in and I really hate the look of that little loop sticking out the front of my horse’s handsome face.
My gelding was the poster child for the fussy mouthed horse when I bought him. He was started by a trainer who thought that a mule bit, a spiked noseband with a metal bar chin and a tongue tie were a good idea on a green colt. He had a MAJORLY locked up, defensive mouth- he would just grab and lean on it. Now THAT was a rehab project. It took a long time to get him back and a gradual progression of less severe and obtrusive equipment. BUT the horse who used to fuss, wallow, cross his jaw, stick his tongue over the bit, etc… now goes in a smooth snaffle and doesn’t even need a noseband except for class requirements. It can be done! I usually don’t even put one on him to school- if I’m being heavy handed enough that he gapes his jaw, I’m not doing my job as a rider.
Count me as another skeptic of the “it stabilizes the bit” statement. I will agree that it keeps the horse’s mouth from moving around the bit as much, but don’t see how it would steady a bit? If you look at horse who are on the bit softly, the contact and their head position has usually raised the bit up just a little, away from the flash- it’s not interacting with the flash strap at all… And if your bit is so loose that it slops around in the horse’s mouth, it’s either too wide or your bridle needs adjusted.
1 Like
Have you looked at Stubbens? If you order then StubbenDirect.co.uk you can choose the type of cavesson you want. There are a few to choose from, I believe a crank, a regular w/ flash, a regular sans flash and maybe a figure 8. The price on the website is actually less than you will pay because it includes VAT and that is removed for international order. I got leathers from there to match my saddle for $89 and they are almost $140 from dover. Also got a bridle that was probably about $80 cheaper than from domestic sources. Bridle is great quality and very attractive.
I’ll definitely look into it PoohLP! I assumed stubben would be out of the price range for what I want to spend but looking at the website… perhaps not!
My dressage bridle is a crank (kept quite loose) and a flash. I use a happy mouth snaffle with my gelding but have used a rage of bits with other horses before. I actually have never tried the KK bits as they are way out of the price range I can/want to spend on bits. Single joints and french links have always worked for me in the past on my horses.
Does anyone else know how hard it is to find a dressage bridle without a flash these days (Besides the doubles)? Not easy at all. That being said, my flash is on my current horse and it is very loose.
My last horse hated a flash. Threw his head, chomped and acted plain uncomfortable. I took it off and he was great after we fixed some underlaying issues.
It is up to the horse. Is there ever a one size fits all approach that works?
Pink Equine also lets you buy bridles with no flash. That said, I ordered one forever ago, and they had changed suppliers, so still awaiting it. They are well-reviewed on COTH in other threads, but from my experience and a few comments on COTH, don’t expect it to arrive quickly! But the prices are reasonable for a nice quality bridle - I have seen them in person before, but not in a color I wanted.
I had very long waits for my two Pink Equine bridles, and never did receive the reins i ordered, or a refund, or the form i was supposed to get to claim a lost item, or whatever they called it since supposedly they sent it. It’s been a year now…
That said, i love my two bridles by them. If i were to order again though, i would go through a US rep.
Courbette offers a plain snaffle bridle in black. No flash, no padding, etc. I have one, but I’m not sure exactly which one it is. The leather is good quality, and the straps are fine (not wide).
Here’s a link with something similar- I’ve found discounted Courbette stuff on several sites in the past: http://www.courbette.com/Catalog/accessories/bridles/bridlespage8.html
Here’s a great link with explanations of all the nosebands. It explains how they are supposed to be fit/used and how they are generally misused. I’m one who goes with a loose noseband 2-3 fingers and no flash. I’m on the “it’s a crutch for training holes” bandwagon. But properly used I can see why one may use it on occasion. But it’s sad that it’s the norm…not the exception. Same with cranks. Not everyone cranks a crank but guess what…they designed them that way so you can! Yikes! And I’ve seen SOOOOO many cranked it’s the norm IMO. This is a GREAT read for the how’s and why’s and WHY you hurt your horse by cranking a noseband or flash. I think everyone should read this.
http://www.sustainabledressage.net/tack/bridle.php
