do you use any gadgets when schooling (riding) a youngster?

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martinka

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And if so which one please? The reason I am asking is that I have seen lots of people using one thing or another and TBH I noticed on my own 4 years old that when she is ridden without a market harborough, she tends to stick her head up like a giraff half of the time when she does not feel like working. whereas the minute she is schooled in the gadget (it rarely comes into action) she is a totally different horse, working correctly and accepting the bit, contact etc. Obviously I would not want to ride her in the market harborough forever, but I am interested to hear other people's experience or opinion.
 
I did use a harbridge to help my TB ex racer start his flatwork re training but only at the start and then stopped using it. I was going to use it with my new ISH but he looks like he's not going to need it
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once i have got my youngsters established i use the abbot davis balancing rein. i also lunge in a passoa as this makes the horse use itself properly and engage its hocks
 
i think it depends on the horse really but my gut instinct would be to really try without first...although i would lunge in side reins or a pessoa...my worry would becoming overreliant on a gadget but they have their place if used correctly...my youngster was ridden in side reins when first broken (which i know someone will shout at me for but i had my reasons
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) but now has nothing on....and has a great mouth and head carriage...
 
nope, never used a gadget on a 4yro and never would.

the horse doesn't know any better at this age and you have a perfect blank canvas to teach the horse to go off the leg proerly into a good contact.

if you can't do the above without strapping it's head down/ wearing spurs etc then imo you shouldn't be on a 4yro
 
I lunge my youngster once or twice a week in a pessoa to which I find very beneficial to his self carriage and topline. I don't use any gadgets for riding. I would never use a market harborough as I despise them, I think they ruin horses. If absolutely necessary, I might consider very occasional use of draw reins instead - preferable to market harboroughs as the rider has complete control over how much they come into action.
 
Agree, I wont use gadgets on a 4yr old either. Mine goes in a simple snaffle bridle and occasionally a martingale if doing "exciting" stuff
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She gets lunged in a pessoa, or the rein over her back, but thats it.
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I hate Market Harboroughs with a passion as they "Hold" a horse in, and as a result stop them from accepting the hand. they also encourage the horse to go from front to back
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QR def not. Our homebred goes in a plain snaffle, and as Kat B says a martingale for exciting stuff. Has never been lunged in anything either, just encouraged to stretch through his back. OH has got on him for the first time this week, as i am away for a few days and want to compete on Sunday, watched him ride on Sun before leaving and was very happy with what I saw. Have always made sure that he has been ridden from leg into hand , especially when he giraffes, lots and lots of leg, hard work but worth it, good for the cellulite too!
Realised on Sun that gadgets would not have suited him, he would have only been encouraged to flip over, not part of the overall plan!
 
Just a running martingale. 99% of the time it doesn't come into play but if he has a silly moment it stops the giraffe impression! (Which on a 17.1hh horse, it's nice not to have their ears in your mouth!)
 
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nope, never used a gadget on a 4yro and never would.

the horse doesn't know any better at this age and you have a perfect blank canvas to teach the horse to go off the leg proerly into a good contact.

if you can't do the above without strapping it's head down/ wearing spurs etc then imo you shouldn't be on a 4yro

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I asked for an opinion but to be told I should not ride my 4 y old if I can't do without a gadget is just plain rude!
I have broken in all my horses throughout the years and all were ridden in a snaffle and competed successfully, without the help of any gadgets. But times change and lots of people (even professionals) do use gadgets to help a horse that has a problem or an issue. Gadgets are designed to help a horse and if used correctly ARE beneficial.
My current 4 y old is totally different to any of the others I broke in and she was not ridden in anything till just recently to overcome an issue. I did say I would not use the market harborough indefinitely, but right now it is helping. I also disagree that the Market Harborough gadget is "evil". It only ruins a horse if it is misused. The gadget also does not come into an action unless a horse becomes difficult, if it does restrict or pin your horses head down from the minute you put it on, then you do not know what you are doing and using it incorrectly.

Thanks very much for all the replies.
 
no need to be sensitive- i think you will find it is a common thought with youngsters that they should be taught how to go from leg to hand without having their heads strapped into position.

i'm not sure what issues you are having with your horse so can't really comment, but i would always go back to working the horse from the ground if there were serious ridden issues at 4 years old- any problems the horse has at this age should be able to be fixed by a good rider.

and yes, a lot of pro's use gadgets on their horses, but having working in many pro yards i know it is not for the benefit of the horse- they are used as a shortcut instead of installing the basics properly.

i'm not anti gadget at all BUT i am with babies and inexperienced horses and feel quite strongly about it.
 
In the early days I used a grackle as his teeth and jaw were still growing so this took the pressure off the fleshy part of the mouth. It was not done up tight though, and he could still mouthe the bit happily.
 
"Gadgets are designed to help a horse"

No, gadgets are used to help people. I don't think gadgets are 'wrong', but I do think that there are times and places, and I personally would use nothing more than a running martingale on a 4 year old while riding. And that is most certainly for my own benefit - I have seen noses broken when a horse has thrown its head up! I have come across youngsters broken by 'professionals' and have spent months helping to correct the issues caused by them (usually a fixed neck, with the muscles in the wrong place, and under developed back end). The good professionals I know still do it the old fashioned way, starting the horses with no gadgets, just patience and hard work.
 
NO....only me.
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Surely a youngster has not developed the correct muscles to work in an outline? I always thought the best thing to do was to get the steering sorted, get em moving off your leg icely and keep a nice soft mouth and gentle contact......and progress from there
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Now, I am no expert at all....but thats what I'm doing with our 5 year old, who was very green when we got him last year and no, he isn't working in much of an outline at all but he is coming along very nicely and I just don't see the point in rushing and spoiling....

*runs off and hides in case gadgets are lobbed in my direction*
 
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NO....only me.
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Surely a youngster has not developed the correct muscles to work in an outline? I always thought the best thing to do was to get the steering sorted, get em moving off your leg icely and keep a nice soft mouth and gentle contact......and progress from there
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Yes, to some extent, but they have to use the muscles todevelope them
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My 4yr old works in an outline, and I am quite strict with her about it, BUT only for short spells and not in a rigid outline, it is purely what she offers through accepting a still hand and moving off my leg into the contact. As their strength and balance inproves, you then ask for them to lighten their forehand and take more weight behind, which is built on from the foundations of accepting the leg and moving forward, into a still contact
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Ha!....know what you mean, but currently our 5 yo has the balance of a one legged duck.....he's all feet and legs at the minute.... someone told me ( who is very knowledgable about highlands) that they are not fully mature until they are about 8......so I guess I'm in it for the long haul
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PS we have had an outline ( of a sort) for a minute or two....gonna take me till he's 8 to get up to a couple of circuits of the ring
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But times change and lots of people (even professionals) do use gadgets to help a horse that has a problem or an issue. Gadgets are designed to help a horse and if used correctly ARE beneficial.


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I'm afraid professionals use gadgets to cut corners and save time! If a youngster has a problem - or issue - the BEST way to help it is to go back 2 or 3 'steps' and sort it out where it started!

This is a a big (17hh) gawky 3 year old - 1st week under saddle.

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This is the same gawky 3 year old - 3 weeks later.

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And yes - those pics are 'good moments' - he's had his bad moments too
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- but we didn't rush for a gadget! The first few months in a horse's ridden career are THE most important in his life. Get the foundations right - there WON'T be problems or issues!
 
my 5 year old (just backed) came with a martingale.
took it off straight away.she did poke her nose a little.
now aged 6 , 12 months on(she works really well, ive allowed her time to develop muscles and understand forwards off the leg is what i want first and foremost, not 'nose in'
i lunge in side reins or pessoa.
 
I cringe with the idea of a market harlborough on a 4yo sorry.

Agree with the majority, no gadgets on a 4yo just correct schooling, and no I would not use one except a neckstrap and as amaretto says a kavalkade lunging aid which are brilliant as they reward the horse for stretching down.
 
i agree with the above, gadgets aren't for the horse's benefit, they're for the rider's.
my 4 yr old really pokes her nose and goes in a horrible outline naturally. it's just how she balances herself - short thick neck in the air, big muscle building up underneath, etc. i couldn't see how she'd build up any of the correct musculature going like that (this was after weeks and weeks of patient leg-into-hand, etc).
i was lungeing her in looseish draw reins, because she totally misunderstood the chambon, and to be effective (because she has such a short thick neck) side reins need to be tighter than i'd like, and i didn't want her thinking backwards. lungeing in loose draw reins was giving her the right idea of looking and stretching forward downwards.
so i thought that, even though i DETEST the flipping things, i'd try schooling her with the draw reins on after lungeing, but keeping them VERY loose, as in, each side prob 4" at least too long, flapping slightly really, so NEVER taking any weight on the draw-reins, just having them hanging there. contact in true reins only.
after two 10 min sessions like this, although the outline was pretty good and she was plenty engaged enough, she started feeling slightly 'dead' in the contact... just as if i'd had a LOT of weight in both hands. unbelievable.
so, i'd say, proceed with enormous caution if you do decide to use a gadget on a 4yr old, and use it as little as possible.
 
I can't stand gadgets on young horses... they are not a replacement for good riding. When I have problems/wanted to learn more with my young horse I sought professional help or schooling. 99% of the time the issue is with the rider and not the horse.

Having seen some very nice 4 and 5 year old horses schooled regularly in draw reins (with professional riders), it does not take long to notice how stiff through the back they become and they lose their nice, natural swinging action. People forget that a young horse is not MEANT to look like the image of the finished product, they will be unbalanced, have inconsistent outlines (unless they are superstars) until they are sufficiently developed both physically and mentally. All I would worry about with a 4 year old is keeping them going forwards in a good rhythm. Gadgets mainly manipulate the front end which is a big no no, especially with a young horse.
 
I rarely use gadgets, but things like possoas etc and side reins are quite usefull at showing them the way down.

Also if i have a youngster which is having difficulty in learning the concept of coming down on the bit, then i might use draw reins a few times, it shows them quickly and effectively so when you go back to schooling without, a litlle jiggle on the bit and 'ahh yes! got it mum!' I never use them for an easy way out.
 
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