Big fluffy nosebands do NOT work.....not on my horse, anyway!!!

[MizElz]

After all the positive comments I received regarding the slight head-lowering effect of a racing-type sheepskin noseband, I hurriedly bought one on Ebay, eagerly anticipating my first ride when using it, as I was confident that Ellie's incessant desire to carry her nose up high and survey the world - often crossing her legs as she does so - would be a thing of the past.

I was wrong. So very, very wrong! We spent the entire ride with her actually lifting her head to see how high she had to put it to see OVER the noseband.

That said, it does look pretty; Mum thought she looked like Red Rum! So it can stay, even if it serves no purpose other than the aesthetical!

 

[soph21]

LOL!!

 

[dianchi]

ah, bit of a strong mind there!

 

[Dressagebabe]

Didnt read your first post that prompted you to go and by a star-gazer band so this maybe irrelvant but is it not possible to school your horse out of being hollow & work correctly on the bit?

 

[MizElz]

[ QUOTE ]
Didnt read your first post that prompted you to go and by a star-gazer band so this maybe irrelvant but is it not possible to school your horse out of being hollow & work correctly on the bit?

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL....I am hoping it will be possible! I'm trying to get her to soften and deepen without having to resort to gadgets such as draw reins and bungees, but as someone the other day mentioned the fact that they had a sheepskin noseband that worked wonders on their horse, I decided to give it a go! She's always far too interested in what is going on around her, and is also very much a showjumper still - thus she is not amused at me trying to turn her into a dressage horse!

 

[xcalicox]

I was sooo going to put a sheepy nose band on when I saw your post.
I didn't get round to it,

and had a really good lesson on Tuesday.

Don't think I feel the need to dig one out after that.

 

[Dressagebabe]

loads of lungeing in either a pessoa or a chambon 3-4 sessions a week will really help with getting her to work in a long & low outline, she can only pull against herself and will soon realise her comfort zone is with her head and neck near the floor!! It is very difficult to school a horse purely just with you riding her unless you are very well balanced with a good seat and independent hands to keep her working on the bit from day one, if you lunge as above this will really soften & reduce the under neck muscle which builds up from being so hollow then you have a sporting chance of riding her in a correct outline.

 

[kerilli]

well, if you want rid of it, and it is nice and big and fluffy, i'll buy it off you, because i use them a lot.

it worked like a charm on my ex-sj stargazey mare, i wasn't fibbing, we dispensed with the martingale for good. proof:

oops, sorry, trying to resize.

 

[MizElz]

Dressage_Babe - thanks for the advice; you talk complete sense, and what you've said is basically what my instructor has told me. Thing is, it's pretty much impossible with Ellie; she was badly frightened on the lunge with her previous owner, and as such tends to panic. As I have no place to school her at this time of year, I cannot lunge her as I need a decent surface and secure enclosure to do so, in case she panics again. So my schooling mainly takes place going round our local lanes and, when not too wet, the fields! I'm fighting a losing battle I think.

 

[MizElz]

[ QUOTE ]
well, if you want rid of it, and it is nice and big and fluffy, i'll buy it off you, because i use them a lot.

it worked like a charm on my ex-sj stargazey mare, i wasn't fibbing, we dispensed with the martingale for good. proof:

[/ QUOTE ]

Awww bless ya! I think I'm gonna keep hold of it TBH; if it continues to serve no purpose on her nose, I will use it as a poll guard instead, as her current one is pretty tatty! I'm wondering if the noseband I bought isnt quite big enough, and so if I find a bigger, fluffier one, I may get it! Do you mind me asking where you get yours, and what make? The one I bought was Bartl; it was not very expensive.

 

[Dressagebabe]

Oh thats a shame, horses never forget but they do forgive and hopefully she will trust you enough to allow herself to be lunged again, it is short but regular tasks that help them tolerate things they have previously had bad experiences with. I hope you find somewhere you can securely re-educate her trust with lungeing as it will help her enormously. Good luck!

 

[MizElz]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh thats a shame, horses never forget but they do forgive and hopefully she will trust you enough to allow herself to be lunged again, it is short but regular tasks that help them tolerate things they have previously had bad experiences with. I hope you find somewhere you can securely re-educate her trust with lungeing as it will help her enormously. Good luck!

[/ QUOTE ]

I know, it is so sad! I've had her 8 years, but when we were jumping I never needed to lunge her - at least, never thought I did! What is a shame is that during last summer, when I was having regular lessons, we were able to lunge her in my instructors school for 10 mins beforehand each time, and she was improving and learning to trust us again. Have not had time nor money nor transport to have lessons over the winter, and as Ellie is kept at home, my lack-of-school situation isnt going to change either!

But thank you very much for your advice; I just cant wait until the fields are dry enough for me to start working with her properly again.

 

[ajf]

Ah where did u get it from???? I soo want one for my black chap, rekon he'd look way cool in it, or I'd never get it near him!!!! and if it helped put his head down even a fraction even better!!!

 

[MizElz]

I bought it on ebay, and it was with me the next day! Only cost me £6.99 plus postage, pretty good really! Its a Bartl one