Is there a point or use for these things..??

SatansLittleHelper

SatansLittleHelper

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I've been unreasonably driven nuts lately by a few equestrian related designs that I cannot for the life of me work out the point of....is it just me..??

1) Crank nosebands. Horrid and fiddly and an absolute bloody nightmare when you're as cack handed as I am. Do they actually have a point to them..??

2) Jods/riding tights with silicone knee patches. Why..?? I get the point of full seat silicone, indeed they have saved my arse a few times on the rare occasion when Rocket decides to live up to his name....but why do people want their knees to "stick"..???

3) Plain reins. Slippery and unsafe, no grip..???
 
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Silicon knee patches , great idea. I used to rub sand from the parade ring onto my knees before a race ,just to lessen the shine and slip on the racing breeches. You need all the help you can get "over the sticks"
 
1 - So dressage people can get away with strapping their horses mouths tight shut whilst still having the image of a simple cavesson noseband.

2 - I don't get the fascination with jods or riding tights full stop. I don't wear them, never have unless I am competing.

3 - Plain reins should be used as a curb rein only or for little kids doing lead rein where you may need to pop some knots in the reins for the kids to hold. I use laced reins when riding in the ring, rubber reins at work but I have to have thinner ones than anyone else as my hands are tiny and I can't grip them properly otherwise!
 
Elf On A Shelf said:
1 - So dressage people can get away with strapping their horses mouths tight shut whilst still having the image of a simple cavesson noseband.

2 - I don't get the fascination with jods or riding tights full stop. I don't wear them, never have unless I am competing.

3 - Plain reins should be used as a curb rein only or for little kids doing lead rein where you may need to pop some knots in the reins for the kids to hold. I use laced reins when riding in the ring, rubber reins at work but I have to have thinner ones than anyone else as my hands are tiny and I can't grip them properly otherwise!
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May I ask what you wear? I can no longer bear the pull and squeeze feeling of the modern tights and jodhs and have been riding in ordinary trousers but would like something that feels and looks a bit more appropriate. I do not need anything sticky anywhere either.
 
planete said:
May I ask what you wear? I can no longer bear the pull and squeeze feeling of the modern tights and jodhs and have been riding in ordinary trousers but would like something that feels and looks a bit more appropriate. I do not need anything sticky anywhere either.
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Skinny jeans for the most part, occasionally jogging bottoms but rarely.
 
SatansLittleHelper said:
I've been unreasonably driven nuts lately by a few equestrian related designs that I cannot for the life of me work out the point of....is it just me..??

1) Crank nosebands. Horrid and fiddly and an absolute bloody nightmare when you're as cack handed as I am. Do they actually have a point to them..??

2) Jods/riding tights with silicone knee patches. Why..?? I get the point of full seat silicone, indeed they have saved my arse a few times on the rare occasion when Rocket decides to live up to his name....but why do people want their knees to "stick"..???

3) Plain reins. Slippery and unsafe, no grip..???
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1. No
2. No
3. No

I'll add

1001 different bits.
964 different girths
25,632 different saddle pads
108 different weights/styles of rugs

They just complicate life unnecessarily.

Can't you tell I'm old ? ?
 
Elf On A Shelf said:
Skinny jeans for the most part, occasionally jogging bottoms but rarely.
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You can always tell a pro groom by what they wear to ride in! I always used to wear jeans too because it's what I wore on the yard and skinny jeans are pretty comfy.

Now I'm not a groom anymore I do have a pair of riding tights and I've been surprised by how much I like them!
 
There was a study that showed crank nosebands can be comfortable and that some horses prefer them over a regular caveson style. I use them and have limited mobility in my hands in the cold, and have no problem. Also, just because the name involves the word "crank" doesn't mean it has to be tight at all. ;)

I don't like any silicone breeches. I don't want to be stuck the saddle and they aren't so good for the leather. Some saddle manufacturers strongly advise against them and/or won't honor a warrantee on the leather.

Plain reins (like a smooth one) are fine for the double bridle, that's about it, I think. One set grippy, on set plain.
 
stangs said:
I’ll go a step further - why do we need nosebands (when you’ve got a bit in) to begin with? Maybe Western riding has the right idea.
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I put a cavesson on mine because of aesthetics really. The whole 'look' of the bridle just looks so much better with a noseband on, but thats not to say it's done up tight, it's loose and comfy for him, it just suits his head - IMO.
 
I don't use a noseband at all if I can help it. But cranks tend to be padded with no buckle against the skin so I don't particularly object to them, though do object to the idea of 'cranking' a noseband very tight.

I imagine having sticky knees can make a difference with staying on in extremis, without having sticky material in constant contact with the saddle.

Plain reins for the curb rein.
 
stangs said:
I’ll go a step further - why do we need nosebands (when you’ve got a bit in) to begin with? Maybe Western riding has the right idea.
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I took the noseband off my bridle for awhile when my horse had/was recovering from a tooth root abscess because the bump was by part of the noseband. Made no difference, was less leather to clean, and brought out the noble features of his Spanish head.

I put it back on later for competition, but might not be a bad idea to ditch it for winter ?
 
stangs said:
I’ll go a step further - why do we need nosebands (when you’ve got a bit in) to begin with? Maybe Western riding has the right idea.
Click to expand...
I think it is daft that you can't compete in dressage without a noseband. I think it should be the opposite. Then we would see which horses are truly relaxed and happy in their mouths
 
Peglo said:
I love me plain leather reins ? gimme a set of them every time ?
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I like them too so I bought some for my share mare. Her old rubber reins were worn out but they were grippy and she used to lean on them. And I instinctively gripped them too. With leather reins that slip through my fingers she no longer leans.
This quite surprised me. That a simple change of tack could so alter her way of going.
 
Not a fan of cranks as find them bulky. Also don’t like plain reins.

I do disagree with the silicone knee patch and riding tights though. I find them really comfortable but I don’t like the excessive grip of full seat so I go for knee patch. It doesn’t really get in the way, doesn’t seem to rub or stick, so they work for me. Not sure if they have a bit of grip that is useful, over no knee patch at all (never tried those) but Im not sure if you can get no silicone at all?

Very sad that noble outfitters don’t do their balance riding tights any more. I’ve even trawled US sites to find them! You can get the odd pair now in horrible colours but they’re generally out of stock now.
 
I'd rather see a horse in a correctly fitted crank cavesson than a correctly fitted flash.
I have a non crank padded cavesson on my snaffle bridle, and a crank cavesson on my double - both fitted correctly, and Alf is equally happy with either
 
1) Crank nosebands came out better than plain Cavessons and flashes when Fairfax did noseband testing, even the testers were surprised by this.

2) I quite like my knee patches though I've got some full seat ones for more extreme situations. I don't sit the spins as well as I used to so every little helps. Also find riding tights comfy, use them for yoga too.
@Bernster I'm a big fan of the noble
ones too. I've been buying the balance ones from ecw the warehouse on Facebook. They are so similar, it wouldn't surprise me if they are made in the same factory. They are being discontinued too but on special for £25 atm

3) plain reins. Don't use them now that there are smart looking alternatives with better grip.
 
I have plain reins as a curb rein, my hands are pretty small so the least bulk for that the better.

I've never had a crank noseband, new share does, it drives me nuts so I've made a mental note never to have one ?
 
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