Bit and bridle

What about those dreadful cranks that the dressage community love to sport.
ETA: I wrote this last night but didn't manage to post it. I see now that Wheels has mentioned these. Would seem to be a device of the devil! (along with flashes). I went out to buy a bridle for my little coloured horse nearly 20 years ago and was amazed how hard it was to find a bridle with out a flash. Not keen on just taking the strap off as you still get the little loop. Even though I spent £100.00 at that time I still had to ask them to make me a different head piece so that the throat lash split away in the correct place. i.e below the brow band.
 
Ive had a bridle and bit fitter out once. I know how to fit a bridle and wasn't surprised when she said it was fine however it was useful to be able to have access to lots of different bits at once. Im happy with my bit now and know what really doesn't work for her (any poll pressure whatsoever) so I probably would not need to get one out again.
 
Is this the latest marketing ploy? "You're too stupid to read the Pony Club Manual or any other of dozens of books/articles about how to fit a bridle & bit, so pay me to have a "professional" look at it and sell you something"? Good grief, the modern horse world makes me weep. Surely any halfwit can tell when a horse is not comfortable?

And saddle fitting isn't exactly rocket science either....
 
Cortez said:
Is this the latest marketing ploy? "You're too stupid to read the Pony Club Manual or any other of dozens of books/articles about how to fit a bridle & bit, so pay me to have a "professional" look at it and sell you something"? Good grief, the modern horse world makes me weep. Surely any halfwit can tell when a horse is not comfortable?

And saddle fitting isn't exactly rocket science either....
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Probably is, but as most people now seem to buy a horse and some ill fitting tack and get on with riding it after maybe half a dozen lessons at a poor riding school it is to me a welfare issue to make sure the horse is comfortable I am old enough to have been taught how to fit a bridle and saddle for that matter. I am also curious enough to go to these talks to see if I can learn something new I almost always do even if it just new technology and new research. I guess I am not too old or too inflexible to learn something new every day. I have kids come and ride my pony who have been riding at a riding school for years and they dont even know how to put a headcollar on or even hold the reins correctly so I never assume that people have any idea about the correct fit of any tack never mind how to put it on. My guess is that unless someone has been taught or directed to or had the interest in making their horses comfot paramount they just want to ride ride rde until something goes wrong and the horse inevitably suffers.
As for saddle fitting I think it too is a band wagon thing as people are looking for excuses for bad riding and lack of riding etc but there are plenty people capitalising on it
Oh and how many people put harsher and harsher bits in their horses mouth as it is strong or are told as I was by a well know showjumping coach to" put in a three ring gag and yank its back teeth out" and this was to an impressionable young teenager riding my pony never went back
 
windand rain said:
Probably is, but as most people now seem to buy a horse and some ill fitting tack and get on with riding it after maybe half a dozen lessons at a poor riding school it is to me a welfare issue to make sure the horse is comfortable I am old enough to have been taught how to fit a bridle and saddle for that matter. I am also curious enough to go to these talks to see if I can learn something new I almost always do even if it just new technology and new research. I guess I am not too old or too inflexible to learn something new every day. I have kids come and ride my pony who have been riding at a riding school for years and they dont even know how to put a headcollar on or even hold the reins correctly so I never assume that people have any idea about the correct fit of any tack never mind how to put it on. My guess is that unless someone has been taught or directed to or had the interest in making their horses comfot paramount they just want to ride ride rde until something goes wrong and the horse inevitably suffers.
As for saddle fitting I think it too is a band wagon thing as people are looking for excuses for bad riding and lack of riding etc but there are plenty people capitalising on it
Oh and how many people put harsher and harsher bits in their horses mouth as it is strong or are told as I was by a well know showjumping coach to" put in a three ring gag and yank its back teeth out" and this was to an impressionable young teenager riding my pony never went back
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It is truly sad that in an era when the knowledge of the entire world is literally in most people's pockets, basic knowledge (what was formerly known as common sense) is now so rare that people have to pay someone to point out the bleeding obvious. Don't these people have instructors? One of the first things I do when meeting a new pupil is check over the tack and explain how to fit it. Takes 3 minutes.
 
Cortez said:
It is truly sad that in an era when the knowledge of the entire world is literally in most people's pockets, basic knowledge (what was formerly known as common sense) is now so rare that people have to pay someone to point out the bleeding obvious. Don't these people have instructors? One of the first things I do when meeting a new pupil is check over the tack and explain how to fit it. Takes 3 minutes.
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Yes but as explained above how many times have you had to adjust the tack and in doing so surprised your pupil that they hadnt fitted it correctly I didnt know that different makes of bit have different amounts of slide that was something I did learn and that that makes a huge difference to the action of the bit It never occured to me to measure it or find out about it or hhow to correct the problem
 
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