Dressage and drop nosebands

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mickey

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I have noticed that quite a lot of dressage horses that go in a snaffle are wearing a drop noseband. My horse is doing prelim in an ordinary snaffle. He has a flash noseband. However, I find that with me he can get quite strong/leans in hand. It's not so bad with the girl that competes him as she has a stronger core than myself so her weight is more balanced.
I wonder if trying him in a drop would help? I think I have limited options bit-wise due to BD rules?
Can anyone tell me the benefits of a drop as opposed to a flash. Thankyou!!
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Drop sometimes helps as for some horses flash nosebands create tension across their nose.
Also you can have a drop snaffle that might help too
 
The drop helps to stabilise the bit in the mouth and has a more direct action to prevent the horse from gaping the mouth than the flash. I think they are fantastic and I would use one myself except my horse needs to wear a nosenet and you can't attach one to a flash!
 
Sorry-this is the problem with having 4 names for one bit!
Yes did mean a hanging/drop/boucher any other names ive missed?!?!

Not so much leverage but poll pressure, some times just does the trick!
 
although the original purpose of the flash (lost in the mist of time!) was to satisfy the (predominately) hunting and polo folk who wished to ride in a drop nose band and a standing mrtingale, others soon found that you get a much more severe jaw closing action with this nose band particularly if you use the crank version (the work of the devil IMO). as some one said this has often had the unfortunate effect of creating more tension/resistance because to truly relax jaw and be 'on the bit' the horse needs the room to displace the lower jaw slightly forward.
also lost in the mists of time is the fact that the drop noseband will send to make the snaffle act a little more on the bars of the mouth and less on the corners. As smeone said therefore if you use with a hanging snaffle you do get quite a bit of leverage though not in the pelham/curb range of course.
Some people will tell you that you will get marked down in dressage for using one but they are either the victims of poor judging or displaying their ignorance as IMO as a judge it is alot easier to mask the symptoms of incorrect training with a flash on. Note that the SpanishRiding School train all their stallions in this noseband until their training is sufficiently advanced to merit a double bridle.
 
I changed my extremely fussy horses noseband from a flash to a drop a month ago- difference is amazing. He is a stressy habitual teeth grinder, so does not need jaw pressure like a drop or grackle but the drop 'babies' his mouth shut without it being strapped together. I have the view that the more tack on the horse, the more it has to fight against but not all horses are snaffle mouthed in a plain noseband. With the drop I may even think about showing my face in the white boards LOL.
 
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