Canvesson - who rides with one, who rides without?

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Brambridge04

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I have never really thought about why i use one, but upon taking up mare today, i'm not sure what happened, but something spooked her and bridle fell to floor and my noseband snapped, so i rode without it.

I must say, she didnt seem any different, and she actually looked nicer!

So why use one?
 
Are we talking about a cavesson? I don't wear one atm because the one I have is too small, when I do wear one it has no real purpose other than to break her face up :)
 
Someone posted a link to a very interesting article about nosebands recently. Having read it I will now use a cavesson all the time and I used to often go nosebandless (if that's a word ;) ).

Anyhoo... cavessons were invented to stop horses breaking their lower jaws if they unfortunately fall over and land on their noses the lower teeth can catch on the ground and then the jaw can snap. I know that it's actually very, very unlikely to happen but I've had such bad luck recently that I'm not going to risk it.
 
my everyday bridle i use without a noseband, the same for my western style hacking out bridle.

However my competition bridle just has a simple raised cavesson on it.
 
Reg has his on, and a flash. He seems to take comfort from the flash being there and goes so much more confidently into a contact with it- believe me, we've tried to convert him but his opinion is final!

I also think it finishes off the look of a bridle, and it makes Reg's long TB face look even longer if there isn't one!
 
I didn't use one on my gelding because the one I bought him didn't fit and I couldn't be bothered to spend money on another one (skinflint!), but I do think most horses look nicer with a noseband and I am using one on my new mare because she has a big white face that would look weird without one. Interesting to hear that about preventing broken jaws... that sounds very painful!
 
I have one bridle with and one without... for some reason he headshakes violently in the other one - have checked for anything that might be hurting but no, nothing. Just doesn't like it so I just took it off.

I ttok a browband off one mare I rode as she headshakes with it on, too tight probably.

Horses for courses.
 
Faracat said:
Anyhoo... cavessons were invented to stop horses breaking their lower jaws if they unfortunately fall over and land on their noses the lower teeth can catch on the ground and then the jaw can snap. I know that it's actually very, very unlikely to happen but I've had such bad luck recently that I'm not going to risk it.
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I never knew that.
 
Be interested to read the article on their benefits as TBH I've always been taught they do nothing so I tend to leave them off if I'm not sharing tack all the time (with other riders, not between horses). Current horse doesn't have a throat lash either which took me a while to get used to but seems fine :-)
 
I just think a correctly fitted cavesson (i.e. not too high or low) look better, I feel a horse looks a bit naked without. However I don't think horses tacked up for Western look naked without, but then they have much more going on with the rest of their bridle.

The one thing that does annoy me is when people think a crank noseband and a cavesson are the same thing, which they're not.
 
Tickles said:
Be interested to read the article on their benefits as TBH I've always been taught they do nothing so I tend to leave them off if I'm not sharing tack all the time (with other riders, not between horses). Current horse doesn't have a throat lash either which took me a while to get used to but seems fine :-)
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Have a look at this:
http://www.sustainabledressage.net/tack/bridle.php#noseband

Goes into a bit of detail as to the purpose of nosebands. :)
 
Faracat said:
Someone posted a link to a very interesting article about nosebands recently. Having read it I will now use a cavesson all the time and I used to often go nosebandless (if that's a word ;) ).

Anyhoo... cavessons were invented to stop horses breaking their lower jaws if they unfortunately fall over and land on their noses the lower teeth can catch on the ground and then the jaw can snap. I know that it's actually very, very unlikely to happen but I've had such bad luck recently that I'm not going to risk it.
Click to expand...

Yep, this is what I was told nosebands were for so have always used one.
 
Hmmm... interesting... so, the idea is that even if I'm off balance (as in flying through the air holding onto the reins) and pulling like crazy on the mouth the nose band prevents horse opening mouth (to avoid the pain I'm putting it through with the bit) and hence protects horse's jaw...

To me that seems like a great argument for bitless, not necessarily nosebands. Also, at various times in the past bits were designed to keep the mouth open (reading an interesting history recently...) so I suspect this wouldn't be /as/ common now.

Definitely food for thought though...
 
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