Flash / Drop Nosebands

They're not really so different just-me. The drop is designed to help keep a horse's mouth closed and to help prevent it crossing its jaw. The Flash was really only developed to allow a standing martingale to be used in conjunction with a drop noseband, the martingale obviously being attached to the cavesson element. The flash does also aim tokeep the bit steadier in the mouth.. I'm not personally a fan of flashes as I think it's not easy to fit so that the drop element is effective without the cavesson element being too low. However, many riders (better than I!!) use them very happily and with great effect. Other posters will almost certainly have something else to say about both nosebands.

They are both dressage legal
 
I think drops work better because for a flash to stay in position and not slip down, the cavesson part often has to be quite tight - causing the horse to tense it's jaw against the pressure rather than relaxing, whereas with a drop, there's very little for the horse to brace against...
Or that's what I've always gathered from what I've been told anyway
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I agree that drops are better. The problem with a Flash is that, if the cavesson part is high enough, the drop component is fastened at the wrong angle. With a drop noseband, the strap is more "horizontal" and more effective. Many apologies if I've offended any confirmed Flash users out there - I really don't mean too; that's just my experience.
 
drops are better, they don't have to be tight to be effective, so the horse can still move his jaw to salivate and swallow properly (very difficult when it is shut tight with a noseband, one of my pet hates).
drops sit beautifully with a full-cheek snaffle, they can't slide up the sides of the bit as they sometimes do with a loose-ring or eggbutt, so they can be loose (room for 1 or 2 fingers in chin groove strap) but still work perfectly.
my trainer told me that all Spanish Riding School horses are started and ridden in the drop noseband + single-joint full-cheek (or fulmer, i'm unsure) snaffle, before going on to double bridles.
shame that drops went so out of fashion, but i think they're creeping back now.
i can't stand seeing them too low though, affecting the horse's breathing, ugh.
 
Drops too low is a real bugbear of mine too Kerilli - makes me v cross!

Am I right in thinking that drop nosebands were actually invented by the Spanish Riding School?
 
Normally I never use nosebands, but had to on one of mine after some terrible results that we couldn't correct. So, we used a drop, not tight, and it worked a dream. I would not have used a flash. I know that a little more schooling and she will be back out of the drop again soon too.
Agree with everyone else here, drop is far better than a flash.
 
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