Bridle lame?

Boxers

Boxers

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 April 2003
Messages
4,771
Location
Lincolnshire
Visit site
Anyone heard of this expression?

Friends pony has a bit of a nod in trot if he's not on the bit and not balanced. Someone said he is 'bridle lame'. Anyone heard of this before?
 
Yup, I've not found them very often, and generally find it's the lazier horses, when you push them into a good rhythm and forward going pace and stop them sitting behind the bit then they normally stop. Also if you change the rein on a less co-ordinated horse they'll feel like that sometimes - but normally only lasts a few strides, again, solved by riding the change with more control and leg
 
Its supposed to mean horses taking a slightly shorter step to evade working forward into the contact. In truth, its usually used to describe slight, intermittent lameness that nobody knows the cause of, and riding through it is a more convenient approach than trying to actually fix it, IMO.
 
Bridel lameness is used to describe a horse that is lame when ridden but not when trotted up in hand.

The following was taken from one of the books on my bookshelf.

The term "Bridle Lameness" refers to the training techniques and riding posture that instigate this condition, namely, any item of tack or rider fault that induces the horse to consistently travel forward on the forehand and behind the bit, which ultimately results in gait abnormalities. However, in the majority of cases, it is the severity of the bit in unyielding hands that can be acknowledged as the main perpetrator.
 
It is very easy to be idealistic about training horses but it is a fact that some horses do not readily work forward through the contact from behind. This can be for several reasons - conformation, lack of correct training, lack of natural suppleness and balance, sharp teeth, discomfort, tension are some that spring to mind. While some of these can be addressed, some return in times of stress so it is not necessarily man made. Of course if the horse works happily from behind taking the contact forward in a good rhythm then there is no problem but not all horses read the manual so it is not that simple.
 
D'you think there's a lot of owners who investigate their "lame" horse when they don't want to accept that the horse maybe isn't the shiny perfect beast that they visualise in front of them?
especially as bridle lameness depicts a lazy horse or a less than perfect rider?

I knew someone that has a good few pounds spent taking bloods etc.. .as her horse was "reluctant to leave the yard" but "always a lot perkier on the way home" and just saying "he was lazy" really wasn't an answer she'd entertain
 
Totally agree oldvic, I used to have a pony who rushed everywhere as a youngster but was not really working through properly, she was also very very tense and this made her bridle lame. Once she learnt to relax and go forward properly she was no longer bridle lame.

My big mare was recently bridle lame, had everything checked and it turned out to be her saddle, which had been checked 4 weeks before by a Master Saddler. It was pinching her behind her right wither, one new saddle later and hey presto sound horse!
 
Yes I agree. It is very easy to look for problems that have caused behaviour. It can be that there is something wrong but also it can be attitude (of either horse, rider or both), training or the horse quietly getting away with little things until it becomes an issue or he realises he is actually in charge. With so much more available to us in the form of alternative measures, it can be that we can be over-analytical and cloud the picture. It is not wrong to be aware of what can cause problems but it does mean that problems may become bigger and more established while we maybe hide from the truth. The answer is sometimes simple!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top