neck straps

Auslander said:
Incidentally, although it seems that most think of the neckstrap as a safety handle, we used it primarily as a stopping/slowing down device. All the Fox Pitts horses were hacked out on the buckle end of the reins, and we used the neckstrap rather than picking up the reins at all.
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Interesting... I tend to hack on the buckle and some schooling too to try and control my seat/legs... Not thought of bringing the neck strap in as a form of applying breaks... Is it an easy aide to train?

Can PM rather than derail the thread... :)
 
I use an old martingale strap it's instinct for me to grab it when things go wrong It was drummed into me when I learned in an old fashioned Riding School . I also pull it and say whoa when starting babys it's good if they get a bit strong a alternative to the reins it's good at shows as well when they are fresh.
I can't count how many times it's been my get out of jail card, keeps you off the reins and saves your balance when everything going pear shaped.
 
"ALWAYS the neck strap- NEVER the mouth!" as a great instructor once told me- i never ride without- even in dressage.

We have them from ebay- nylon straps i find them softer and finer in the hand than leather so you can still use you hands more effectively - also machine wash!
 
I don't use one but surely it's just a stirrup leather masquerading as a neck strap most of the time. All of mine have long manes which are handy. I will have a (stirrup leather) neck strap on my youngster when I get on her although I do think something on the Ds is in a better position. I'm not sure I've ever successfully grabbed a neckstrap in an emergency. Grabbed a bit of mane when my pony had a fit at a tractor but she wasn't actually doing anything at that point she was stationary going OMG OMG OMG so I had time to think hmm I might go for a bit of mane here just in case :)
 
it must just be me but i just cant use one:o I find where they sit means that when Ive ever needed one, mid jump/left behind etc, that to bring my hands back down the neck to find the damn thing just wouldnt work, Ive always just grabbed mane:cool:
 
FfionWinnie said:
I don't use one but surely it's just a stirrup leather masquerading as a neck strap most of the time. All of mine have long manes which are handy. I will have a (stirrup leather) neck strap on my youngster when I get on her although I do think something on the Ds is in a better position. I'm not sure I've ever successfully grabbed a neckstrap in an emergency. Grabbed a bit of mane when my pony had a fit at a tractor but she wasn't actually doing anything at that point she was stationary going OMG OMG OMG so I had time to think hmm I might go for a bit of mane here just in case :)
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Only problem with manes s that they are firmly atttached to the horse, so if it starts whipping its head and neck around, you'll find yourself going with it!! For me, something attached to the D's is too far back - even a breastplate strap feels wrong on a horse that is launching. The neckstrap gets your hands forward, so you aren't blocking forward momentum, and is in just the right place for you to lean back, stick your feet forward, and use the neckstrap for balance. I've got a balance strap on my saddle, but only use that for positional corrections - its hopeless for security.
 
NeverSayNever said:
it must just be me but i just cant use one:o I find where they sit means that when Ive ever needed one, mid jump/left behind etc, that to bring my hands back down the neck to find the damn thing just wouldnt work, Ive always just grabbed mane:cool:
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It was one of the first things I was taught at four/ five years of age how to slide your hand into the neck strap it never left me its instinctive now.
 
So happy to see this thread! I have been tempted to use a neck strap BUT though everyone would laugh at me....
My youngster has a huge pop & cat leaps at times - I do let reins slide but sometime can become a bit off balance!

What could I use as a substitute for today?? Wouldnt mind trying it out later on, cant get to tack shop till tomoro!
 
I use an old dismantled martingale, just the neck strap bit. It's thinner and easier on the hands.

Once you've trained your "whoa steady" with the neck strap, it has the advantage that if you want to play around with no bridle at all, you still have brakes the horse understands :D

I used it initially because young horse would get very upset if I took up a contact in a scary moment (i.e. him scared), and fling head around. I found he was still able to "listen" to the neck strap when he couldn't handle pressure from the reins. Still happily use it - you wouldn't normally notice it, as I have it and a hi viz neck strap linked
to one another. I wouldn't want elastic in it either, btw :)

ETA Showpony - you can use anything. A leadrope knotted in a loop works fine too.
 
Always have one out hunting even on the experienced hunters but especially useful on babies or horses you've never ridden before. I find it especially beneficial on the top of a big double bank with an overgrown excavated drain at the back, just grab the neck strap and give the horse his head, great for self preservation:). (Closing your eyes and praying optional)
 
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