Gimmicks or Game Changer?

sbloom said:
Showing that increased ROM doesn't come from stretching....all joints need to be balanced (strength, stability and flexibility all leading to mobility) and working in water is so helpful though I'm full of admiration that presumably the whole thing is in water deeper than you can stand in?!
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Yes in water deeper than you can stand in. A floatation belt is worn as without you are not able to get the full range of movement, as you have to also keep afloat. Pool noodles and foam dumbells are also used for some exercises.
 
I have experienced many, many false dawns with gimmicks, techniques and all manner of ideas....I have had tricky horses and easy ones where I had competitive aspirations as a context for experimentation. But really the only things that work/have worked for me are the real basics. Understanding horses (also a Rashid fan and a Bill Dorrance one) in a way that means that patience, compassion and always trying to be fair and clear are the ground rules, properly fitted tack, and work, work, work at basic, straight, balanced riding in the saddle. A real game changer but not a sudden one has been my own understanding of the emotional impact we can have on horses, the need for emotional control and a personal approach to fear wrt horses and riding. That, particularly, has changed me over the last 20 years. I may no longer be really ambitious as a rider but I know I am not a fearful one and the change in enjoyment and 'success', improved partnerships with horses and other stuff has been transformational for me. I was definitely fearful as a younger rider. I really wish I hadn't been, in spite of bold and sometimes even good riding skills. But that is just me. :)
 
A saddle that fits the horse and fits my anatomy has been an absolute game changer for me. A McTimoney/Corley practioner who put my pelvis into a better position so I can now use my left seat bone, a pilates teacher who understands how I use my body when I ride and because she's trained as a physio completely understands what I find easy and what I difficult and most importantly, why and gives me exercises to help me. I just wish I had had this help when I first started riding, it has made a huge difference to how effective I am as a rider and probably how comfortable the horse is. I've also found that using the services of someone who understand bits and the conformation of a horse's mouth has also been a game changer.
I have gone for gadgets, a bungee on my daughter's little connie meant she had some control and that gave her confidence so very quickly she didn't need it. Rose really liked the VIP pad and I've had a couple of horses that went much better in a Micklem.
 
SEL said:
Now I just need a pair for the other horse because I'm too lazy to change between saddles.
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Lazy? First thing I do when I arrive at a yard is to remove their stirrups and leathers and fit my own onto the saddle of any horse I am going to hack - regardless of riding school or share. I have two pairs of stirrups to fit my summer and winter boots. A thread of red cotton on the slightly wider ones reminds me they are for my winter boots because Father Christmas wears red.
Nice learthers are a must for me as I am like the prncess and the pea at feeling any obstruction under my leg.
 
The biggest game changer for my current horse is ear plugs. Despite months of hacking out round the same routes said mare was still freaking & trying to charge off. Having realized she was very noise sensitive I decided to try some ear plugs, never used them before, it's the difference between a calm happy horse & a spooking over reactive nightmare.
 
Mine was changing to treeless/leather tree saddles and learning how to tweak adjustments myself.

Today, I felt like a genius. A saddle fitter was up at the yard today for a few people. A friend of mine was hoping to get a new saddle because she wasn't happy with how hers was fitting her horse. When I returned from hack #1, I asked her if she had her new saddle. She said that none of the ones the fitter brought worked for her horse, but apparently they were getting a new one of a different brand into their shop in about a month, and she would come back. But only when other people on the yard wanted an appointment because she would not come for only one horse. So my friend could be waiting for a month, or three. Who knows. And she spent £120 on the fitting, which she will have to spend again in a few months.

In the meantime, my arts and crafts activity this week has been hacking up a £7 yoga mat to make more shims to micro-adjust my saddle because my horse changed shape again. I was happy with how she went in it today.
 
wellep stirrup bars . Had them built into a new 20 inch saddle because the normal bars would have been way too far forward for me. Wellep bars let me fit the saddle which fitted the horse. Only problem was after 13 years the stainless steel fractured .I had the saddle rebuilt and replaced both bars .Thank heavens for old fashioned saddle makers . Mine came out of retirement for the rebuild of the saddle he originaly built. I do use cable ties as stops to prevent the leather sliding off the bar when jumping .They were essentially designed for dressage.
 
I (or rather the orange one) found the Micklem to be a definite gimmick. He made it quite clear that he did not like it & I’d best take it off immediately!

I have to say though that finding a bit a horse really likes can be a game changer. Got the chance to try NSs new bar one and horse went so much better in it that I bought one. There were things I’d been trying to get him to figure out for months that just seemed to suddenly click in a way they hadn’t before.
 
oldie48 said:
saddle that fits the horse and fits my anatomy has been an absolute game changer for me
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So glad someone's been through this sort of process, I see the difference it makes and it's way beyond a saddle that fits the horse ...stabilising the rider can make MORE difference to the horse than tweaking the fit for it alone. Counterintuitive but true.

Caol Ila said:
She said that none of the ones the fitter brought worked for her horse,
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And this is why I believe every fitter should be taking full histories and getting good photos before booking someone in. People may need to pay a tiny bit more for their fittings to allow for this but it saves a wasted visit in most cases.
 
The absolute game changer for me was clicker training. It let me break the training down into tiny increments, and helped Blue realise exactly what she was being rewarded for.

Not a total game changer but definitely a help is my R-Stor oh-s*** strap. I'm a nervous rider on a hogged cob - I need something to grab hold of just to reassure myself, and I don't have a mane! I used to just use a neckstrap, which meant I was riding one-handed if I was nervous, which wasn't great. The R-Stor means I still have pretty much full use of my reins, but it gives me a touch more confidence. And it's twice saved me from either going over her arse or jagging her in the mouth when she's accelerated unexpectedly!

And just for sheer comfort, switching to webbers instead of traditional leathers, is so much nicer.
 
A well fitted saddle bridle and bit is the starting point for me. Other than that, the VIP pad has been great as have the Acavallo opera stirrups but the true game changer was the Richard Maxwell halter which means my horse practically loads himself, and I can be safe in any situation.

Other than that, so many gimmicks that I’ve lost count, in the past I’ve been a sucker for them but now im trying to be wiser/more careful with my money.

Case in point this week - over the last month I’ve been struggling with my self belief as a rider, especially after someone said something particularly nasty to me whilst out at a show, and our right rein work has gone to pot. Couldn’t work out why as our lessons seemed to be going well and the issue only ever reared its head when in the school on my own. Started questioning my sanity looking at sports psychologists etc but instead asked a trusted friend to come and have a look as I felt it was clearly something I was doing on that rein…”Shorten your reins” she said…”and again” she said, and low and behold I had my horse back, pushing into a contact and nicely in self carriage once he worked into it. Note to self - next time it isn’t going well, shorten my reins!!
 
seems like we’ve all been suckered into a few gimmicks over the years, but a big game changer for me a couple of years ago was actually taking the time to understand the scales of training and then actually applying them to my schooling.
 
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