People who aren't keen on "gadgets"

vhf

vhf

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Have any of you tried the pessoa (for example) and decided gadgets aren't so bad after all?

I wonder whether the time has come to reconsider my position on gadgets! I know several people who swear by them, but none who've changed camps...
 
I am not keen on 'gadgets' as in horses wearing a awful lot of rigging for the sake of fashion, sometimes even gadgets that counteract each other in effectiveness...

However I am a fan of the Pessoa - but it is the only gadget I have
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I am a new convert to Pessoa's and I don't really like gadgets.

I have used and dislike draw reins, bungees and that kind of stuff. I am liking the Pessoa so far. My ned has shown no sign of "What is this crap"? attitude which pretty much means he is comfortable in it.

He works nicely in it and it seems to help him. I do warm him up without it and cool him off and let him stretch at the end without it. Just to make sure I am not over doing it.
 
I bought a pessoa for my extremely lazy horse who would go round on the lunge doing his own thing, head in the air and looking at what was going on in the field next door. Pessoa made a world of difference, although he was still lazy, he was going in a decent outline.
 
A pessoa is the only gadget in my tackroom and have no faith in much else. IMO it's brilliant and wouldn't have bought it except on the express advice of my physio who also showed me how to use it as the instructions were rubbish.
 
Having had the pessoa recommended to me by an equine vet, and two McTimoney chiropractors both for remedial work and work on a horse with no problems, I don't really think of them as a gadget like the others, more of an aid to correct muscle development in much the same way that correct schooling is an aid. Mind you I jump in a pelham with martingale and have been known to use draw reins on occasion, so am not totally anit-gadget, just anti-misuse!

Cannot see the point in lunging with nothing though, don't see what benefit it would have. I do not class lunging with two lines 'lungung with nothing'.
 
The pessoa and the chambon are the most frequently used 'gadgets' in my tack room. I use them for correct muscle development, with the aim of keeping them sound in the long run
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Have used side reins and a bungee to help with remedial horses - side reins to get the horse to work into the contact, and a bungee for a severely upside down neck. I wouldn't have trusted the remedial horses not to have found some way to hang themselves in the pessoa ropes, otherwise I would have used it!
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Not keen on gadgets on the whole though, and will never use one unless necessary, and never to obtain 'instant' results by using too tight etc.
 
Thanks to all for some really interesting points of view.
I hope this thread continues for a while while I contemplate my position!
Am now definitely considering trying a pessoa, so would be delighted to label them an aid instead (thanks for that!) and would be interested in those improved instructions - as I guess an awful lot of people would be?
I'm wondering whether using one for a specific purpose/specific horse would be better than sticking to my guns for the sake of it, if that's what it is.
After all, I expect saddles were a gadget at one time...
 
We use the pessoa on most of the horses once a week. Can't think of any other gadgets - we have one martingale in a tackroom of about 60 bridles - never use draw reins etc. We think the pessoa is great!
 
I think so far the feeling the Pessoa gives me is that it is not forcing the issue. It is like it is "cuddling" the horse and helping the horse work the entire body.

Draw reins etc seem to strap one part of the horse in to position and then leaves the rest of the body to compensate.

Just my opinion. I am not a professional or anything.
 
The other thing I have found is that used correctly, the pessoa is brilliant for teaching young horses to balance themselves without a rider, but still in a correct outline. Invaluable imo as they can figure it out for themselves without any extraneous input from a rider to confuse the issue! Usually corresponds with a great deal of bucking in my experience, then they 'get it'!
 
The only gadgets I have used are a market harborough when riding and a bungee for lunging.

That said, I really think I am going to invest in the pessola when Chancer is a little older - now 3. My instructor said it will really get him correctly moving and muscled something that can be done with little stress on a youngster without having to ride them.

Whilst people have told me to wait and not use on a three year old, can any recommend when to start using one? Chancer is very used to long reining, working round the school on the lunge and is lightly backed. He is a very sturdy gypsy cob and whilst not as bad as many cobs, tends to use the front end more than the rear.
 
I use a pessoa however after reading a few posts on this forum and a couple of articles I took further notice of my horses hind legs and connection to the bit. There is a lot of movement going to her mouth, dear god i hope my hands dont create as much "noise". I am reconsidering using it again,but still on the fence
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Not keen on the use of them as schooling aids, but sometimes a certain thing does actually benefit a horse and as long as it is used with care the there can only be good things achieved. I was dubious about the Pessoa because initially it was the richer than thou dressage clique round here that used them instead of riding, but having used one on my ex racehorse I can see the benefit, bt nothing is a substitute for good riding.
 
I am also a big fan of the pessoa. I also use the bungee, as I think that the elastic effect it has stops the hind leg being blocked from coming nder the body.. I use it to encourage a really long and low outline. None of my horses have had negitive reactions to it, and I have found it very useful for hacking out tricky horses!!

I used a method that I saw in a Reine Klimke book, where they loose school youngsters in side reins, to allow them to find their balance in an outline, in a situation where they are changing pace/direction naturally.. I found it very helpful for some of the horses, others didn't like it, so I am not sure if I will try this again..

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