Go on, admit it, what gadgets do you use?

R2R

R2R

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What gadgets do you use, when, and what do you hope to achieve by using them?
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Also what level are you at - schooling/competing (sorry added that bit)
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When my mare was in work I used to lunge her every so often in a de gogue to encourage her to stretch down, she did seem to work very nicely in it and was very soft i.e. not tense. That was about it though, didn't even use martingales or a flash on her as she tended to fight against them.
 
Pessoa after kissing spine surgery as recommended by vet.Helps strengthen the muscles over the back and gets them working properly providing you do it correctly of course.
 
no ridden gadgets but I do lunge in a pessoa. The horse in question is a very long,lanky tb who has raced in the past so would not work in any sort of outline and used to put his head up so high you could see the blaze on his face. Under vet advice as this behaviour was causing him back trouble we treated him as a rehab KS patient so lots of work in the pessoa with no ridden at all for the first month. It completely changed his way of going and he will now do a respectable dressage and qualified for a showing champ. I know they don't suit every horse but it really did change my horse for the better. I now use it once a week just as a top up
 
I occasionally use a chambon when lunging, esp if I feel its going to be a day when all he's going to do is run round as fast as he can, buck, and fart
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None when ridden, although wouldn't some purists think of a snaffle cavesson bridle as a gadget?!
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I have used:

- draw reins, as advised by my dressage trainer at the time which was about 10 years ago. It was a big mistake as I didn't have a clue about impulsion (still don't have a clue, but it's not as bad with a snaffle!!). Now I know better!

- martingale and flash on R on hacks only because he has a tendency to piss off without them and that is too dangerous on the roads.

- elasticated side-reins for lunging for R who leans on the forehand, they seem to help (but I only lunge him about once a fortnight)

- I have recently tried elasticated reins on F who is reluctant to take the contact forwards and he seems to really like them
 
got to admit I ride one of my mares in draw reins when shes out hacking, only done so after recommended by my dressage instructor as she winds herself up out riding.
I also have a pessoa to help strengthen my mares back doing low work, but it gets used rarely as I cant lunge in my field
apart from this though, dont use any, not even martingales.
 
Just started to use a pessoa on Mr M, back person advised me to use it to help with his back muscles as he's not in ridden work at the momement as he was turned away this year.

Other than that, never used anything, never needed to.
 
elasticated side reins for lunging....

none other than that - mullen flexi eggbutt with no noseband unless we're out and about - then i stick a cavesson on to look better lol! no martingale etc - even for hunting

level i'm at - v amateur
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do a bit of everything though (hunt, xc, jx) and just about to venture into stressage and may try sj'ing soon
 
I dont use any ridden ones but when I first got my mare I lunged her in elasticated side reins otherwise she tried to bugger off, she got the idea after a few goes so I removed them. I used them as a safety precaution and to encourage her to behave.
 
I lunge in a Pessoa once a week or once a fortnight.

I ride with loose draw reins fitted, because my mare is fab when shes fab, and very very very naughty when shes naughty.

My baby will be backed with a plain snaffle and cavasson, as that is how I ride most things, just my own seems to be the one that is the worst behaved!
 
I use drawreins in various different ways for lunging (very rarely in the true "draw rein configuration" though) occasionally a pessoa although not a huge fan. I also own a bungee for lunging, but very rarely use it on any horse! On the lunge I aim to get the horses as long and low as possible, so really stretching their topline and engaging their stomach.

Riding I will occasionally use draw reins, but literally very occasionally. I only use them to remind a horse to stay where it should do hen teaching it new stuff/working on transitions. They should never be used on a horse that doesnt know about an outline already! I don't use martingales though!

I compete at low level affiliated Eventing, Sjing and dressage, and have produced my horses from babies
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I use elasticated side reins for lunging and a running martingale for hacking and jumping - as pony can sometimes get a bit excited hacking and i'd end up with 2 ears up my nostrils otherwise
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I don't use a huge amount but do have few.

-Elasticated side reins for lunging, however I don't always lunge in them and rarely lunge anyway as he is such a monster on the lunge recently!

-Grackle noseband for hacking/Jumping at competitions (not that we do many of those!)

-Flexi Reins, a brilliant thing
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just gets Pickle softer in my hand.
 
None at all. I school at prelim level and compete in endurance at 30 - 60lm level. I hate draw reins in particular, I've seen them misused so often and can't believe people hack in them!
 
When I lunge my horses (which is very occasionally) i use a pessoa. I have used drawreins in the past, when hacking a horse that used to bolt, she had a fit if you used a bit stronger than a loose ring snaffle, so drawreins helped me when she decided to go (amazingly she didn't mind the drawreins at all!!) Depending on the horse I may use a gag or hanging cheek waterford xc, generally with a grackle, plus a running martingale. On my big event horse I do do the dressage in a double bridle.
 
will use side reins to lunge in but other than that zero. and still get show winners....
last year i went to a very well known and respected, dressage orientated equestrian center. this was an evaluation lesson, which cost me £35. i was preparing myself to go and have some lessons to brush up on my straightness/ballence etc.....anyway...they had never met me before... did not know my standard of riding...yet the first thing they decide to do, once i have mounted.......is attach draw reins and ask me to procede....i was horrified. for the whole half hour lesson i was repeatedly told to tighten the draw reins......now, not only do i hate draw reins... but i was there to work on myself...and they did not know that i had good/bad hands......luckily, i was very gentle with them,,, but come on...this is not a good avert for a well repected e.c. needless to say... i never went back...
 
Side reins for lunging.
Market Harborough 4 times post pony tooth op to persuade him he didn't need to be a giraffee any more.
Pelham for hacking as I like living.
Flash noseband about 6 times to persuade him to control himself a little in canter.
Hanging cheek snaffle to try and persuade him to behave when out and about, this failed.
All may make an occasional comeback IF ever required.
 
I school in nothing. My horses are ridden in flash bridles with loose ring snaffles. They jump etc all in same kit - no martingales etc.

I hunt in a martingale becasue I like the neck strap to hold on too...

I use bit rings on my 4 year old as he is funny in his mouth. They help.

I lunge in loose side reins... but hardly ever lunge, once you have got the gear on IMHO you may as well get on and ride, thats what they are there for after all!

As I said in another thread, I hack my 4 year old in a VERY LOOSE market harborough, I find that rather than sitting there and correcting him every five minutes, it helps him walk in a loose outline and would rather have that than sitting there like I am schooing in order to get some benefit out of hacking.

I will also hack horses in draw reins for similar reasons. My ex racer, they helped with LOADS, I now dont use them.

I wont school in them though, I prefer to do things properly in that respect, however I would if I needed to as I am a firm beleiver that so long as they AID you to achieve the results and you can still achieve them without using them, they are fine to use. I would rather use something to aid a horses training than sit there having an argument with it!

I also hate it when people have no feel for the way horses are going, and think they are doing a good job just becasue their nose is tucked in. No no no no no -gadget or not! This is not a critisim at people who dont know, it is a critisim at people who THINK they know and trot round on uncomfortable looking neddies who are not actually traelling anywhere
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Side reins for lunging, but not all the time just as a reminder every so often. He has a martingale for jumping but I have jumped him without and I really only have it to help if he gets a bit excited!

Last time he was ridden he didn't even have a noseband and went an absolute dream - sometimes less is more!!
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We have some draw rein addicts on the yard at the moment who seem to have little clue how to use them and it really p*sses me off. I actually have no problem with the use of any gadget as long as it is only used for as long as needed and to achieve an end result, however, I don't think anything substitutes good solid schooling with any horse.
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I lunge in a pessola type aid or with a bungee at times when wanting to build up a bit more topline for showing.

Riding - on the odd occasion have used a market harborough for not for over a year, though considering it on Farra to help me as she is a big girl for me to hold together when schooling.

At the moment mine have no gadgets which includes flash/strap noseband or martingales - plain nosebands for my two. Farra is in a french link snaffle and Stinky has a wilkie snaffe, drop french link snaffle or a double depending on what we are doing.

I have in the past on occasion used martingales, market harbrough and on the very rare occasion in a lesson draw reins but these were on my TBs and WBs.

Farra is doing basic schooling and a little jumping, Stinky is a little more advanced and does a lot of showing though at the moment is having fun doing jumping.
 
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