Neck Strap

Mahoganybay

Mahoganybay

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My boy is feeling the Spring grass & getting a bit buckeroo at the moment. He is hogged & I need something to grab hold off to aid me in sitting deep.

Any recommendations? Do I go for a neck or balance strap?
 
I always ride with a neck strap. It's very rarely used, but it gives me a huge a confidence boost to know it's there!

The gelding has a martingale so I just go for that if I need to. Her Ladyship doesn't need a martingale, so I think her neck strap is the strap from a standing martingale (or at least very similar, I didn't buy it myself) so it's much thinner than a stirrup leather. I find it easier to handle a fairly narrow strap and the reins at the same time, rather than a big wide one, although a wide one like a stirrup leather might give you a greater feeling of security?
 
I use a strap between the drings on saddle. For me it all depends where my hands lie. On some horses a breast plate is better positioned

I find a single neck strap going up the neck with you as no anchor (going forward)
 
I personally like stirrup leathers.
I used to ride a horse in a martingale but I didn't feel secure enough holding a tiny little strip of leather so I used to put a stirrup leather on as well
 
I have a balance strap on both my dressage and GP (hacking) saddle, but also ride with a martingale out hacking which enables me to hook a finger through it on particularly lively rides!
 
I find this all very interesting!

For those that use a neck strap/martingale strap......what exactly do you use it for? I appreciate it may be a security thing for a rider but how does it actually help keep you in the saddle?

Never used one and very curious to the effectiveness behind the idea?

If ever on a bad bucker, just tend to hold onto the pommel of the saddle. Feel placing my weight further forward trying to grab a neck strap would compromise my balance?

Or am I being really dumb here, if yes, please spell it out for me!
 
I use a neck strap on all my baby horses. If they were going to put their noses between their ankles and try to buck me off there is no way id be holding it, but for spooking, whipping round, leaping or just in new/untested times a finger under it can help keep you on. My old stirrup leather saved me enough times that I actually bought a proper one from eBay :)
 
I always ride youngsters with a Holy Crap Strap - If they start divving about or broncing then for me it's something to hold onto so I can, in theory, pull myself down into the seat of the saddle rather than hauling on the reins. I find breastplates and balance straps too far back for my liking.
 
Illusion100 said:
For those that use a neck strap/martingale strap......what exactly do you use it for?
Click to expand...

Personally I use a neck strap for two reasons - one, I'm not the bravest rider and it's my security blanket! And two, it stops me whacking the horse in the teeth if I get unbalanced, usually by a cheeky buck from my current chap! Also, on a horse not intent on getting you off, a sharp pull on a neck strap can surprise them into stopping mucking about, sometimes.

I'm actually looking at getting a hunting breastplate instead of my stirrup leather as I find it slips down his neck when his head goes down for the buck... I'm also considering a sh** strap for those times when I'm closer to the pommel than a wither strap! I'm probably making it sound bad - it isn't, really.

Ten years ago I was actually embarrassed to ride with a neck strap and felt it was an advertisement of my bad riding and lack of confidence. These days I don't ride without one and I don't care! A neck strap of any kind (stirrup leather / martingale / breastplate) is my first port of call.
 
Silmarillion said:
Personally I use a neck strap for two reasons - one, I'm not the bravest rider and it's my security blanket! And two, it stops me whacking the horse in the teeth if I get unbalanced, usually by a cheeky buck from my current chap! Also, on a horse not intent on getting you off, a sharp pull on a neck strap can surprise them into stopping mucking about, sometimes.

I'm actually looking at getting a hunting breastplate instead of my stirrup leather as I find it slips down his neck when his head goes down for the buck... I'm also considering a sh** strap for those times when I'm closer to the pommel than a wither strap! I'm probably making it sound bad - it isn't, really.

Ten years ago I was actually embarrassed to ride with a neck strap and felt it was an advertisement of my bad riding and lack of confidence. These days I don't ride without one and I don't care! A neck strap of any kind (stirrup leather / martingale / breastplate) is my first port of call.
Click to expand...

So do you hold the neck strap etc constantly? Does this not interfere with schooling? Or is it a grab it in dire emergency type thing?

P.s. Never be embarrassed. I do that everyday and feel sadly let down if everything goes to plan! :)
 
Illusion100 said:
I find this all very interesting!

For those that use a neck strap/martingale strap......what exactly do you use it for? I appreciate it may be a security thing for a rider but how does it actually help keep you in the saddle?

Never used one and very curious to the effectiveness behind the idea?

If ever on a bad bucker, just tend to hold onto the pommel of the saddle. Feel placing my weight further forward trying to grab a neck strap would compromise my balance?

Or am I being really dumb here, if yes, please spell it out for me!
Click to expand...

For me, when something goes wrong, I feel less balanced putting my hands down close to me to grab the pommel or something close to it. It makes me feel very stiff in my body and elbows, whereas putting my arms out for the neck strap at the same time as shoving my weight into my heels feels like it's lengthening my body and helping me stay relaxed. The minute I tense up I drop off the side! I like that a free neck strap can move, because I feel like I can move to balance myself through particularly gymnastic episodes. I find just holding it, even if it isn't really tight against anything improves my balance enormously. It's probably my brain playing tricks on me, but if it helps, I'm happy!

Sorry, I'm not very good at describing the feeling, but so far it seems to have worked for me. (Frantically touching everything wooden I can find!)
 
Woolly Hat n Wellies said:
For me, when something goes wrong, I feel less balanced putting my hands down close to me to grab the pommel or something close to it. It makes me feel very stiff in my body and elbows, whereas putting my arms out for the neck strap at the same time as shoving my weight into my heels feels like it's lengthening my body and helping me stay relaxed. The minute I tense up I drop off the side! I like that a free neck strap can move, because I feel like I can move to balance myself through particularly gymnastic episodes. I find just holding it, even if it isn't really tight against anything improves my balance enormously. It's probably my brain playing tricks on me, but if it helps, I'm happy!

Sorry, I'm not very good at describing the feeling, but so far it seems to have worked for me. (Frantically touching everything wooden I can find!)
Click to expand...

Seems it can be an individual preference thing then. Out of curiosity sake, I will put a stirrup leather on as a neck strap on a few horses tomorrow and see how it feels!

P.s. Love your touching wood comment! :) (I do this often, usually by banging my head off a door lol ;))
 
I never really got the whole neck strap thing either. I cant see how something not fixed can help keep you on!
I do use a breast plate if its something dodgy (not that i ride anything too dodgy these days)
 
I have a 3 point elasticated breastplate for my mare, I can attach a martingale to it for hunting and as I'm feeling a bit delicate at the moment I have it on loose so I can hold it with a finger. I might add a flash or spur strap to it so it makes it a bit easier to hold.

When i had my TB I never remembered to grab the neck strap when he was being a retard, the best I managed was a handful of mane!
 
My martingale strap saves me all the time when my TB throws an extravagant jump! I just hook a couple of fingers round it. I have used a hunting breastplate on a rearer in the past too as it was more fixed than a martingale.
 
Illusion100 said:
So do you hold the neck strap etc constantly? Does this not interfere with schooling? Or is it a grab it in dire emergency type thing?

P.s. Never be embarrassed. I do that everyday and feel sadly let down if everything goes to plan! :)
Click to expand...


I use the martingale strap, I agree though you can't school in one without comprising where your hands are, I use mine for spooky situations hacking only and when taking off for a canter in places I might get some shapes thrown at me. For this it's great, I link one finger in it up the neck and I'm already just out of the saddle for the canter so it's in a perfect place
 
I always ride with a neck strap but one particularly clever little monster once bucked so huge that she got the neck strap over her ear and I was powerless to grab it to sit out the next buck and leap - thankfully she decided to stop after that and I stayed in the saddle by sheer luck I think!! I now tend to use a [loose] running martingale on the trickier ones to minimise strap slippage risk ;)
 
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