Do small changes in equipment really make a huge difference to....?!

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KatB

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The way horse go? I ask because I personally always aim to get the best for my horse (he is spoilt!) but I sometimes woder if it makes any difference...?! Looking back in the good old days where no-ne thought of what saddle to use/bridle pressures etc and yet still got good results...or is it just with these "advances" standards have got higher so we now "need" these new types of equipment etc to keep up?Opinions and thoughts Please
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I think it does, yes. I am in no way the most experienced person when it comes to horses, but over the past few months i have seen my share horse change her way of going as she got fitter and muscled up, and consequently responded differently to her saddle. I've ridden her in four different saddles and she goes beautifully in the one she is in now, compared to the one i was using before.

If i was a more experienced rider, I'd probably be able to get an equally good performance out of her irrespective of saddle. For a rider like me, though, having the right equipment can make all the difference between a horse that willingly goes forward and works to the best of her ability, and a horse thats holding itself back, even a little, because its uncomfortable with what's on its back.
 
You'd have thought so, but this theory does come unstuck when you consider the top olympic riders who all seem to use the same saddle etc on every horse.

If you were jumping for a gold medal wouldn't spend some money on having a saddle that actually fitted?
 
Agree DD, and also all the new things that have come out like padded headpieces, specially designed girths, hundreds of different types of bits etc....?!! But how much is the horse doing the job cos it has to with a pro, so they just get on and do it, where as us amateurs need everything to help us?!
 
no, i don't think so. the rider's capability is much more instrumental. ALso, if the rider suspects a problem with a part of tack, it becomes psychological and the rider may back off. change the suspected problem tack, rider thinks this will work and rides completely differently.
I think i'm guilty of this- it was niggling at me that a bit was pinching, bought a new bit and the "excuse" for problems was gone, so got tougher and better result. Hope that makes sense.
 
I think we do have a tendency to mollycoddle our horses a bit with regard to comfort headpieces etc - but why not? Quite often there is a lot of anecdotal, and in some cases, scientific research to back thse products up, and as long as the horse isn't suffering then I think people shouldn't be discouraged from spending their money - afterall we as a society have more disposable income than ever before!

With reference to the 'good old days'...
My grandad was only telling me this morning (after criticising me for not working my mare who is 8months pregnant) that they used to work the farm horses while they were in foal, and that often the mares would foal while out ploughing
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. He also cannot understand at all about me wanting saddles that fit, or regular shoeing, or vaccinations....
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My grandad's ideas of horse care aside - I think horsemanship was much more common back then as horses were a part of life back then, so they had to know. Now horsemanship has gone out the window a bit as people, often not born into horsey backgrounds, are pushing themselves to compete without establishing the basics of communication - hence the need for as many gadgets as possible to try and make the communication easier and cover up the short cuts they have taken!
 
But, you could also ask do small changes in equipment make small changes?? At professional level in any sport, a small difference, especially if that change is the limiting factor can be the difference between winning and losing! At lower levels of sport, there's far more limiting factors, which most, if not all, I expect are to do with rider experience/capability/skill.
 
i think the knowledge and choice these days is far greater. back in the day it was very much cavvessons and snaffles on all the ponies i rode, with saddles that were hardly ever checked by an actual saddler, and very standard not tailored diets. when i look back and remember all the problems they had i can think of all the things that could have helped with their ridden issues.

my pony has lots of equipment, gadgets, different bits etc and i think it has helped her immensely, when i got her she had very plain tack and her schooling was pants, after some bit changes, noseband changes etc she is like a different animal.
Not to mention the difference with a properly fitted saddle.

So even though i think we molly coddle our horses these days i dont see the harm, quite the opposite infact.
 
Hmmm, very good question. I'm sure the comfort headpiece, etc, etc, will make a difference on some horses, but probably not nearly as much as the designers would have us believe. Perhaps the 'new' equipment makes training or schooling a wee bit easier generally? Aren't horses generally performing better than 20-30 years ago? Although I suppose that could just be down to better/more selective breeding..
Sorry, am rambling!
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I think the fit of the saddle makes a massive difference. So many people may have a saddle that actually fits their horse if they actually put in in the right place on the horses back. So many & particularly people who show jump, seem to fit the saddle halfway up the neck. This restricts the horses shoulder movement & really causes it problems. Just to fit the saddle where it should sit would make such a difference to so many riders & many problems would be ironed out immediately.
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Agree DD, and also all the new things that have come out like padded headpieces, specially designed girths, hundreds of different types of bits etc....?!! But how much is the horse doing the job cos it has to with a pro, so they just get on and do it, where as us amateurs need everything to help us?!

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They all endorse these new super bits of kit - are you saying they don't use them
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Agree PF, maybe these bits of kit do make our lives easier which is ultimately why they sell, but how much of that covers holes where proper horsemanship and hard work would have filled before?!
 
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