Dressage quote in H&H

Troggy

Troggy

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I can't remember the exact quote (I'm at work, mag at home!) but I read in this weeks H&H a quote that went something along the lines of "Now more dressage horses are wearing snaffles, they all look like eventers, just fatter". This sounded to me as though the only reason double bridles are used then is for appearance rather than having an actual need for them. Surely the more you can do in a snaffle the better?
I also cant remember the exact quote so apologies, think it was one of those heard in the stands bit in the report section.
Just a thought, am I misinterpreting the quote? What do others think? I don't have a huge knowledge of dressage, or the rules etc, this is just my opinion!

If I have mis-read this quote, then apologies!!!
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I think there are two schools of thought on this one - if you ask my dad, who is very old school, he will tell you that a snaffle is for someone who doesn't have the skill to ride in a double bridle. Whereas the modern thinking seems to be that the more you can do in a snaffle the better rather than having to resort to a 'stronger' bit or gadgets. Sounds like your commentator was from the first school of thought! I think double bridles are used in dressage because they give a more refined aid/feel to the horse, but not every horse finds them comfortable or goes well in them, so I think it's good to have the choice.
 
Was the quote not something about the riders in top hat and tails but horses in snaffles look like eventers only fatter. I thought it was a quote regarding what it looked like rather that the use of certain bits but again i might be wrong
 
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Was the quote not something about the riders in top hat and tails but horses in snaffles look like eventers only fatter.

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I think they thought the horses looked fatter not the riders
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I thought it was a quote regarding what it looked like rather that the use of certain bits but again i might be wrong

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Yeah but I think the two are connected - because eventers traditionally have been more likely to use snaffles instead of double bridles, and you could argue that's because until recently they haven't had to reach the same level of dressage training as pure dressage horses/riders, and according to the school of thought I outlined above therefore perhaps haven't needed the refinement of a double bridle?
Whether this is the reason or not it's certainly true that double bridles are more commonly associated with dressage than with eventing, and the reverse perhaps with snaffles, but it does seem to be changing, and I think the change in trends works both ways - I saw a picture of Gamour CX (hope I've got that name right!) which won the CCI* (or was it 2 star, sorry can't be bothered to check
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) at Barocca d'Alva this month, they'd just finished their test and I did a double take as the horse looked like it was a grand prix dressage horse - double bridle, real cresty dressage type... not very eventer-like at all!
 
How funny, I was thinking this when I went to the Jennie L-C demo at Hadlow, one horse came in wearing a double bridle and it was fab as you can imagine, I think working at elementary/medium level.
Anyway the next horse in was working at the same level but wearing a snaffle, that went really well too, but it just didn't look right in a snaffle, the one wearing the double just looked more 'correct'.
Although I have worked in a dressage yard where everything wore a double so it's just normal to me I suppose!
 
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