Flash nosebands rant!

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ShowjumpingPrincess

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Having a little rant so bare with....

Everyone says that drop nosebands are terrible and interfere with the horses breathing and flashes are fine, but if you look at a CORRECTLY fitted drop and a flash, the drop is actually better! They are fitted a lot looser and I think it is incredibly sad that the only reason flashes are used is because they 'look nicer' than drops/micklems and are in fashion. If you look at old photos and videos, everyone used drop nosebands or just plain cavessons!!

If you look at a horses nostrils after they have been galloping, you would see that a large area just above the nostrils becomes extremely inflated by oxygen, this is where the flash sits therefore the horses oxygen intake is extremely reduced!!

people say that 'if flashes were so cruel they wouldn't sell them' my answer is Why was the micklem multi bridle invented and why is it gaining popularity so quickly if flashes are so brilliant? :mad:
 
Aww.

I love it when people rant about a subject where they have done almost no research. It makes me feel so pleased with how well the internet is used nowadays.

Please tell Reg the drop is better for him- currently saving for a Micklem, to trial, but he is not a lover of grackles or drop nosebands. He is at his most relaxed and happy in a flash. We think the flash holds the bit up in his mouth more, offering more stability, and that's why he likes it and why Al finds him easier in it.

Horses for courses. A drop and a flash have different purposes, as far as I'm aware...
 
And i love the fact that years ago it was only a drop or bog standard cavesson used...the 'fad' nowadays is for flash nosebands...sigh, most of the time to clamp the mouth shut as 'the horse keeps opening his mouth' moan or a gag 'oh hes too strong'....ok there maybe some horses out there that do go well in these bits but if correctly schooled etc, there is no need for the gadgets...imo anyway! fin...
 
I personally use and like a drop noseband and my boy seems happy in one. My main gripe is it is near enough impossible to buy a cheap everyday drop noseband bridle whereas due to flashes been so common there are loads out there. I have to buy a separate drop noseband which doesn't actually match the colour of the bridle. As for fads, when I was a teenager, we all had grackle nosebands whether our ponies needed them or not!!!! 😳😳
 
My only issue with a flash is when they're done up so tight you can't get a bl...y finger in around them!

Much prefer a drop however my mare currently in a grackle as a drop wont do up around her gag piece.
 
I hate flashes that are done up so tightly you can see that they are squashing the horses face, when I decided to put a flash on my horse I was told my noseband was too loose so that needed tightening and my flash would need more holes to clamp her mouth shut.

I ignored that, kept my noseband where it was (can get two fingers under it) and put my flash on the last hole where again I can get two fingers under it. This is what works best for my horse, yes she can still open her mouth but not as much as she'd like and makes her easier to school (dont wear the flash for hacking) I've tried clamping her mouth shut before, she hates it and so just goes completely dead on me, locks her mouth and I can't move the bit at all in her mouth. With it being looser she's more relaxed and happier to work in it so I think it's what works for the horse.
 
Lolo, I totally agree!!!! The purpose of the flash isn't to 'clamp the horse's mouth shut', it is to stabilise the bit in the horse's mouth - the fact that most people misuse a flash doesn't make it a poor noseband inherently. You are better off comparing a grackle and a drop than a flash and a drop as the purposes are more similar...
 
I always smile when I hear about ye olde days when we only had 2 bits to choose from and a couple of nosebands, and that was it.
Nope. Sorry. Take a look at some very old tack and bit books, there was masses and masses of different stuff available years ago, too. I bet some of it was even *gasp* fashionable ;)

As for drops, I've got a couple, I like them. Second hand, though, as I agree with the other person they aren't as available as some nosebands.
 
drop nosebands are having a huge resurgence I would say. I see many, many, many dressage horses in a drop

And who is this everyone? Everyone I know knows that most tack has its place and it is what suits that particular horse which is important rather than fads.

A flash, used correctly can be useful. Just as a drop or a grackle or nearly any other bit of tack can be useful. What is important is whether it suits the horse.

ETS: I have also read at least one paper saying that if you are doing fast work a noseband is better than no noseband in terms of allowing a horse to breath. I will have to find it.
 
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blitznbobs said:
I'm going to say something very controversial here ... I like flash nose bands and use one on my horse and he goes very well in it..,
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That's not controversial... That's just a statement.

A correctly fitted flash should hold the bit up in the mouth. A secondary function of that is it does stop horses yawwing at the bit. Shouldn't stop them opening their mouths massively if correctly fitted. The reason micklems are so popular is it serves the first function without the second.

A drop noseband does actually stop them opening their mouths as its primary function. It does it better and in a kinder way than the flash. Hence why you shouldn't use one in lieu of the other.

A grackle stops the horse from crossing its jaw as a primary function, and opening the mouth as a secondary.
 
i am yet to find a drop that fits my boys nose! either wrenches the bit high up in the mouth or tried to break his nose bone!!!!!!

so i will stick to my flash! which fits nicely.... 2 fingers below cheek bone, sat up on nose bone by 4 fingers, can get 1 finger between nose band and nose! flash is fitted correctly and only comes into action when needed!
 
What's wrong with a Micklem. Far preferable to a drop in my book, but then I would dream of preaching or ranting about what other folk use on their horses.
 
I hate gadgets of any description. If a horse is opening its mouth or leaning on the bit, then surely this is a sign it isnt comfortable, and this should be investigated first before resorting to preventative measures. I have gone through over 20 bits in the last year to get to the root cause of my boys discomfort, finally found a bit and method of riding that he is very comfortable with and all the tongue and mouth evasions have disappeared. Did not resort to any form of noseband other than a plain cavesson
 
The thing that really annoys me about flashes (apart from overtightening) is that they are standard on most bridles so people (novices) think they are the norm. It irritates me that the standard cavesson has been pushed aside and i have to go to the trouble of having that irritating loop removed!
 
I've experimented with quite a lot of bits to see what my horse goes better in. With this I've also changed between Cavesson, Flash and Mexican Grackle bridles to see what combinations work best for my horse.
Everything is always correctly fitted.
To be quite honest, as long as the horse is in no pain (eg, bridle on so tightly that their face is squishing) what business is it to you?
Ahhh to be perfect..
 
Are flashes standard on bridles? I know they are everywhere, but I never have any problem at all getting my bog standard cavessons! Very easy to find imo.
 
Capriole said:
Are flashes standard on bridles? I know they are everywhere, but I never have any problem at all getting my bog standard cavessons!
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If you only want a cheapy jobby it is easier to find them with a flash than without. Obviously jeffries etc still sell plain cavessons but if you just want a work bridle a lot come with a flash as standard. I just craft knife off the loop though :p
 
I have nice bridles. But they're for best because I don't do much tack cleaning. So I have cheapy ones for everyday so they can get manky :\
 
mulberrymill said:
I hate gadgets of any description. If a horse is opening its mouth or leaning on the bit, then surely this is a sign it isnt comfortable, and this should be investigated first before resorting to preventative measures. I have gone through over 20 bits in the last year to get to the root cause of my boys discomfort, finally found a bit and method of riding that he is very comfortable with and all the tongue and mouth evasions have disappeared. Did not resort to any form of noseband other than a plain cavesson
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What's a bit if its not a gadget. I've gone though many more than 20 bits/bitless options with my mare and I found quite by accident she prefers the bit not to move. The Micklem doesn't keep her mouth shut by strapping it shut, it keeps it shut (mostly) because it stops the bit moving. She doesn't like a bit or actually anything but since I bought her to ride she has to accept something (and has now).
 
The flash was designed for horses that needed a drop and a standing martingale, so there was something to attach the standing martingale to. I agree that I don't like to see badly fitted flashes, a correctly fitted flash shouldn't interfere with their breathing anymore than any other noseband. I prefer drops to a flash, but I prefer no noseband at all on my horses. What really bugs me is the use of flashes on youngsters at futuritys, is there a reason for youngsters to need a flash?
 
Elsiecat, all the bits i tried WERE variations of snaffles. There are many many designs, different materials, thicknesses and cheek pieces, not to mention size and type of bit rings. So no....i did not resort to gadgets, merely a snaffle bit that suited a very sensitive horse.
 
Mulberryhill - Thats fine, but by the same token all the nosebands I tried WERE variations of nosebands.
I wish people could stop judging people on what tack they chose to ride in. If someone wants to come and ride my horse in a snaffle and cavesson then be my guest!!!
 
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