Advice on Market Harboroughs Please

chickeninabun

chickeninabun

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 July 2007
Messages
2,000
Location
Yorkshire
www.wix.com
My mare is getting stroppy at the moment. We hacked out the other day and she kept spooking, opening her mouth, throwing her head up and tanking off, even cantering down the road with me. :mad:

I took a short whip with me, which I don't normally, but thought I would give her a little tap on the shoulder when she put in a stupid spook, but it just made her throw her head up even higher and tank off again:rolleyes:.

She is just in a loose ring NS snaffle with lozenge and a flash, but it's not really tight. I have tried her in a running martingale but it doesn't seem to make any difference at all.:confused:

I am thinking about trying a market harborough, but am worried I might do more damage, as I have no experience of these sorts of things, gadgets and the like. I don't want to change her bit, as she's not strong when she's behaving, and again I worry I don't ride light enough with my hands to have a stronger bit.

Do you think a market harborough might help and is there anything I can do to make it work better or anything to not do??
 
I use one with mine for hacking and jumping as out hacking he throws his head up to the point beyond control and takes off, i find it useful, others will have other opinions no doubt. Like you he's not strong as once his head is down we brakes. If you do use one make sure you keep your leg on with it espicially in downward transitions as mine did have a buck the other day ( he hasnt done it before and it was v windy) Have you tried a standard martingale?
 
You could try a standing martingale, that would stop her head going up without interfering with the mouth, so no need to worry about being "good enough"
 
leflynn said:
Does she only do it when hacking out or all the time?
Click to expand...

No she does it pretty much all the time, when she doesn't want to work or listen. When she's not in one of her moods she'll work nicely, not quite on the bit all the time, but close enough and we have plenty of brakes/control, it's just when she wants to go or doesn't want to turn that way. And most of all over jumps, she just sticks her head up and runs out, even in a full cheek snaffle I have no steering.
 
I use a standing martingale for mine- he does a fair bit of head-in-the-air when pratting about but most of thime he is fine. I like the standing martingale because it doesn't pull on the bit and only comes into play when he throws his head high......oddly enough he used to do this more often in his NS loose ring too......I've just changed to an Eggbutt revolver snaffle and he's better in that too......
 
chickeninabun said:
No she does it pretty much all the time, when she doesn't want to work or listen. When she's not in one of her moods she'll work nicely, not quite on the bit all the time, but close enough and we have plenty of brakes/control, it's just when she wants to go or doesn't want to turn that way. And most of all over jumps, she just sticks her head up and runs out, even in a full cheek snaffle I have no steering.
Click to expand...

I'd check teeth & back and then consider a different bit, I use a market harbrough on my boy but only when hacking and for jumping once as at all other times he works lovely (only 5) and I use it sparingly as I don't want to be stuck in it all the time and for him to get overdeveloped under neck muscles from resisting it (same for a standing martingale).
 
KristmasKatt said:
You could try a standing martingale, that would stop her head going up without interfering with the mouth, so no need to worry about being "good enough"
Click to expand...

I haven't tried a standing martingale. I always think of them as a bit too severe and interfering (I'm really not a big fan of any "gadgets") and we do do a little jumping occasionally, so didn't think a standing would be any good, although I see that it would stop my worrying about being heavy handed.
 
A standing martingale is much less interfering than a running martingale or market harborough. I don't understand why people think that they are severe. The beauty is that they don't interfere with the contact, or put pressure on the mouth, if the horse is behaving they do nothing, if it puts its head in the air it acts on the nose.

You can also jump in one providing they are correctly fitted. They used to be standard hunting kit and are still common in the usa. If you are jumping relatively small it shouldn't restrict the horse.
 
I also use one on my mare when jumping as on approach she will chuck her head so high she does not see the jump! They are very effective but remember they should only be used with a snaffle.
 
Standing martingale I think would be better to try first.
You can ones with the elastic in and bob a fluffy noseband on (which may help to lower head and cushion if she's sensetive) with a good cavason or hunter noseband.
They only come into action when they decide to de some girraf impressions and won't interfere with her mouth, if your not a gadget person I'd say a standing martingale is a much simpler yet effective piece of equipment to use.
 
I'd go for a standing martingale first as this only comes into play when she throws her head up - will also save you from getting smacked in the face. You can also safely jump in it so long as it is correctly fitted.

To fit - do up neck strap so that you can get one hand span between the neck strap and the withers. Attach the lower strap to the girth and the upper loop to a Cavesson noseband - or if you use a flash noseband to the top part. Make sure that the nosband is halfway between the projeccting cheek bone and the mouth. With the horse standing see if the etrap will reach into the throat - is so then it is the correct length - if too loose or too tight then adjust the martingale by the girth.

The Market Harborough is a very useful gadget when the horse evades the contact in a transition as it only allows the head to go to the height you set it at. It also encourages the horse to stay in an outline, but because of the way it works can encourage the horse to drop behind the verticle.

To fit ensure that the straps from the centre of the chest are attached to the D's on the reins so that the horse cannot get it's head higher than the withers.

I find that they don't tend to lean into this as much as they do the standing martingale. I would definately suggest that you don't use a running as they have a very strong influence on the bit in the mouth.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top