lucyg
New User
Hey Guys, I just wanted to let you know me and my trainer's thoughts and views on these breastplates so that you don't make the same mistake.
I recently purchased a new horse(Jack Dash) who came with his full wardrobe including a 5 point breastplate, so, we assumed as he had come with it, he should probably wear it even though his saddle fits. So, we went for a lesson with my trainer, Elaine Wilson(BE Accred.) and he was quite sticky into the fences, even though they weren't at all big and we had popped over them a couple of times. So we said, OK we'll come back another time, just to prepare for my competitions and get him moving forward a bit more. We hadn't changed his feed and he was having the same amount of and hay and turnout and was ridden the same amount if not more, however when we went the next time, we decided to try a normal breastplate rather than the 5 point breastplate, he was much freer and really taking on the jumps. Obviously we couldn't be sure this was because of the breastplate so, we decided to have a go i n the 5 point again, and as soon as we started jumping, the brakes went on. My trainer said that she was not sure why the breastplate had made so much difference, so when our saddler next came out we asked her to have a look and she said, although,when he was standing still, it wasn't tight, because he was such a big moving horse, when he started to jump and extend his canter, the breastplate would have been restrictive. Yet this was the biggest it could go, there were no more holes(and not room for a sufficient amount to be created) and this was a full size(the breastplate only came in 3 sizes, pony, cob and full). I am really annoyed about this, as the breastplate looks really smart on and is lovely leather but I didn't want to hinder my horses jumping, or make it a painful experience for him so, I resorted to the good, old plain breastplate. Maybe you've had a better experience with your 5 point, but for your horses sake, just have a look and check its not restricting him. They do look beautiful, so if you find that yours does fit and is good quality, please let me know and I might look into purchasing another one!!
Thanks
I recently purchased a new horse(Jack Dash) who came with his full wardrobe including a 5 point breastplate, so, we assumed as he had come with it, he should probably wear it even though his saddle fits. So, we went for a lesson with my trainer, Elaine Wilson(BE Accred.) and he was quite sticky into the fences, even though they weren't at all big and we had popped over them a couple of times. So we said, OK we'll come back another time, just to prepare for my competitions and get him moving forward a bit more. We hadn't changed his feed and he was having the same amount of and hay and turnout and was ridden the same amount if not more, however when we went the next time, we decided to try a normal breastplate rather than the 5 point breastplate, he was much freer and really taking on the jumps. Obviously we couldn't be sure this was because of the breastplate so, we decided to have a go i n the 5 point again, and as soon as we started jumping, the brakes went on. My trainer said that she was not sure why the breastplate had made so much difference, so when our saddler next came out we asked her to have a look and she said, although,when he was standing still, it wasn't tight, because he was such a big moving horse, when he started to jump and extend his canter, the breastplate would have been restrictive. Yet this was the biggest it could go, there were no more holes(and not room for a sufficient amount to be created) and this was a full size(the breastplate only came in 3 sizes, pony, cob and full). I am really annoyed about this, as the breastplate looks really smart on and is lovely leather but I didn't want to hinder my horses jumping, or make it a painful experience for him so, I resorted to the good, old plain breastplate. Maybe you've had a better experience with your 5 point, but for your horses sake, just have a look and check its not restricting him. They do look beautiful, so if you find that yours does fit and is good quality, please let me know and I might look into purchasing another one!!
Thanks