Cheltenham gag ,so confused please help!!!

[Haphazardhacker]

Hello,

The ex polo pony I ride is ridden in a cheltenham gag. I am doing a sponsored ride on monday and thought id buy some new cheek pieces as the current ones are a bit worn.

Went to the tack shop and bought some , got them home and they are smaller, yet they come apparently in one size generally according to the tack shop.

Is there a normal length? Are the new ones normal and the old ones ridiculously long?

Are the smaller ones fine as the travel of the gag action is enough when i pull the gag rein?

Hopefully the photo below work.

I am so confused :-/



http://i1368.photobucket.com/albums...4-2988-4913-BDA6-DC4E384D8D8E_zpsryen9ns6.jpg

 

[pansymouse]

As an ex Cheltenham gag user the new ones look rather short and the old ones the length I would expect.

 

[RunToEarth]

Theoretically the leather cheeks act as the shanks on the gag, and the longer the shank the more leverage pressure can be applied. Those new cheek pieces look very short to me and will restrict the run and have a poll pressure effect similar to that of the American Gag rather than the true action a Cheltenham should have?

 

[Haphazardhacker]

So shorter the cheeks the less strength of action ?

Trouble we have is that she was in a normal eggbutt snaffle and the owner couldnt stop out hacking so this polo friend of hers said to put her in a cheltenham gag as it is what she is used to.
It stops her but we have high head carriage at times (not sure if its how she is used to carrying herself or the bit) and head shaking so im not convinced anyway it is the right bit.

If the shorted cheeks will be less severe im tempted to see if she prefers it to normal length. The gag rein is there as an emergency brake -although at her first sponsored ride i can see me using it frequently!!

 

[miss_c]

A lot of polo ponies are in pelhams, so may also be worth trying a Pelham. You should find that if you sit up and put your weight back along with your rein aids then she should stop.

 

[atouchwild]

Theoretically yes the longer the shank the more leverage and therefore severity there is. The old ones look quite long to me, but then the new ones do look short!
Going from an eggbut snaffle to a cheltenham gag is a huge jump, I normally use a cheltenham for really.strong pullers after I have tried a lot of other options so for everyday riding I would be very tempted to try something else. Just because she has played polo and would be used to it doesn't.mean it's right for her. Also the cheltenham gag is designed to lift the head so is ideal for those that tuck their head in and pull, hence possibly why she is carrying her head high, and is she has a high carriage anyway this will probably exacerbate it. I would stick with what you.know works for your sponsored ride but definitely.consider other options later on.

 

[splashgirl45]

why not put another rein on to the snaffle so you can ride just on the snaffle and have the gag for emergency? obviously this means riding with 2 reins which you may not be used to so you could knot the gag rein and leave on the neck till needed....hope this helps..good luck

 

[Haphazardhacker]

Yeah i think i will try use the normal rein and bring the gag rein into play with a second set of reins if i get no response. I do suspect that when we are cantering her our forward seat is sending her a signal to go fast and we need to use our seat first to slow down rather than the rein. She does seem very responsive to the seat , you can steer her just by leaning a bit.
Really want to keep her ability to turn using the seat and also neck rein but to also steer using normal english style but as ive never learnt how polo riders ride, i feel im giving her mixed signals at times.

 

[miss_c]

She will go an awful lot off of your weight as you are finding. Leaning forwards will tell her to go faster. Make sure when you want to slow down you sit in the saddle and put your weight back. My old polo mare would do beautiful tempi changes if I leant from side to side!

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

That third keeper that you've got under the snaffle should be on top of the snaffle to tuck the spare headpiece strap into.

 

[Haphazardhacker]

Ah, yes i can see what you mean with keepers. Will sort that out . Was a bit stressed last night when i put it together , as wasn't convinced they were the right length.