Padded Crank Nosebands - Love em or Loathe em???

[cariadssogreat]

Just wondering how people feel about them - I have two bridles with them now - and personally I hate them

 

[Tierra]

Bit in two minds :/ They're ok in decent hands, but the problem is that its so very easy to over tighten the damn things. We have a few people on our yard (dressage yard) who ride with them extremely tight.

I got a new albion bridle just before christmas - nice plain cavesson

 

[lizzie_liz]

mine are in flashes so don't really have an opinion
used them last year on previous horse and he went well in it, so can't complain too much

 

[madhector]

depends on the user, took mine of my tbs bridle as found it was too easy to accidently over tighten it, have plain one now

 

[WishfulThinker]

I had no Idea what was as so googled it, and found this

http://www.sustainabledressage.net/tack/bridle.php

Read a bit of it and am now actually questioning nosebands! My old mare never wore one at first, but as she got fitter needed more control so we got a drop as was never really taught about cavessons............lol.

Yhink I might try my drop noseband on Beau as right now he is in a falsh, which I was told to do up tightly, but now reading that I feel bad!

 

[_April_]

Thanks for posting that. I was going to ask about it too

 

[Malibu]

i use crank but on 2nd hole so very lose and not OVER tight like some!

 

[Stella]

I like to use them, but only because fastened fairly loosely, they are just a very nicely padded cavesson. That is how I use them with my mare. I prefer not to use anything to 'fasten the mouth', but if I had a horse that was in the habit of opening its mouth enough to cause a problem and teeth done, bit change, schooling, didn't help, I would probably go with a flash. Even with a flash, I like to see the horse able to move its mouth and jaw a little. It seems unreasonable to me to tie its mouth completely shut

That said Beau - If you look around the sustainabledressage site, you may come away with the idea that the person who wrote the stuff is just a bit of a weirdo, who is happy to spout inaccuracies if they support their case. That was the conclusion I reached anyway (and I'm well into kind, natural methods al la Kelly Marks, Richard Maxwell etc)

No doubt there are valid points on there, but the drivel put me off trying to find them!

 

[igglepiggle]

I had to take the flash off and have it on the first hole otherwise he hates it, wish I hadn't got it but no option with Elevator. Won't be getting another Elevator though. Will just get cavesson with normal fitting next time.

 

[Pidge]

I have the elevators as well and always fasten the noseband loosely, I would never crank it tight like some people I have seen. I like them as they look good, IMO.

 

[hunteress]

My horse now has a mark on his nose from these nosebands wish i'd never got one you don't see the damage till its too late they should have a warning notice on them and I thought I was being kind to my boy how wrong I was SORRY boy.

 

[dieseldog]

I wanted a pair of rubber reins and it was cheaper to buy a whole bridle, it came it with this noseband, but I no longer use the flash and have it done up loose. I also only ride in it at home as its a horrible colour.

I think it depends how you fit them

 

[Murphs_Mum]

I have the Elevator too which came with the crank. I just don't fastening tightly. I think they look nice but wouldn't have chosen one to be honest.

 

[Tempi]

i think they are great, they provide a nice even pressure around the nose and are lovely and soft and comfortable.

i dont do mine up really tight either i might add.

 

[tabithakat64]

I use one of these on Fudge, a nice soft padded one but am now worried that I might have it too tight

How tight should they be fastened?

 

[PapaFrita]

I'm not keen purely because they're quite bulky and wouldn't look right on PF. They might suit A though. I don't think I'd put it on very tight though so the whole purpose of the crank would be lost.

 

[mrdarcy]

I used to love them but now I loathe them. It's far too easy to do them up too tightly - their whole design is to enable the rider to use leverage to get the noseband as tight as possible. The way most of them are designed with the padding extended up and round the chin and onto the side of the horses face also means that when done up tightly the noseband presses the side of the horses face against it's teeth. There have been cases where lacerations of the inside of the horses mouth have been caused by crank nosebands being done up too tightly.

 

[squirtlysmum]

I only have padded crank but use them sensibly ie not too tight.

 

[Chex]

I have one on my good bridle. I think they're a bit bulky for some horses. I don't do mine tight at all, he doesn't actually need a noseband. So done up very tight - I loathe them, done up loosely they're ok lol

 

[Oldred]

I assume the 'crank' is too allow the user to tighten the noseband tighter than would be normal with a buckle? Why would anyone need to do that? My intepretation would be, seeing anyone riding with it very tight, that the horse wants to evade the rider's hands (by opening the mouth, tongue over bit, crossing the jaw) so another question surely is why does it feel the need to do that? The implication must be the rider's training and riding skills are at fault.

If the noseband was required for riding fast across country for safety reasons fair enough but for schooling or competing in an arena?

 

[horsimous]

My friend used to have hers so tight that her horse got quite a few grey hairs in the areas where the pressure was most. I used to use one, but only fairly loose. Then I got the benefit of the extra padding without the pressure of the cranking

 

[Harveysmum]

is it just me or do they just seem to be the trend at the moment? Personally I don't hate them and think as some people have said they are ok in the right hands.

I like the padding just not so keen on the crank. I recently managed to find a bridle with a very nice padded flash where the padding went all the way around though was well pleased with my self

 

[mitchellk]

I have a plain crank nose band on my bridle, it is on the loosest setting (no flash) and I like it because it has padding under the chin - everything rubs my horse accept this nose band- don't like it when they are over tightened, not keen on shutting horses mouths shut, unless def needed.