Please explain why this tack is necessary

That photo’s a few years old, but you only have to follow Helen Cruden’s Instagram account to see it’s still happening in the world of show jumping
 
Local BSJA show novice class, watching the antics in the collecting ring, trying to figure out what all the contraptions were. Geoff Billington stopped and asked us to grab him a coffee from the stall. We were admiring his horse, snaffle bridle no gadgets. He said " I feel quite under dressed really, oh well, all the gear and no idea eh?" He won the class nuff said .
 
Cloball said:
View attachment 109589now doesn't that look better, doesn't even had a full browband or throat lash!
Click to expand...

Great photo. I ride without a noseband or throat lash. I’m still looking for a secure headpiece so I can ditch the browband too. It looks so much better.

Imo, most of the public don’t pay any attention to tack, however, it only takes one image going viral.
 
Cloball said:
Luca Moneta Italian show jumper who famously did the puissance with very little tack and gave his little mare carrots after jumping.
There is another guy as well more recently going sans nose band and martingale in a snaffle and doing well. Edited to add his name is Gregory Cottard.
Click to expand...
There's also Jurgen Krackow who has ridden a couple of his horses in a bosal. Not that bosals are incapable of being unpleasant for a horse, but it's so much nicer of a picture.

109595

Interesting, there's been a several who ride in a bridleless bit or war bridle, but usually only for one 'quirky' horse. Can't think of anyone who consistently competes all their horses in one, unlike Luca Moneta who I think considers his tack part of his ethos (and who was going to pull out of said puissance, because he wanted to leave it on a good note for his mare, but then eventually decided to do the final round and won!)
 
Crazy_cat_lady said:
Showjumping of course, some of the contraptions they use....

Plus the ear covers, probably ear plugs too, surprised it doesn't have one of those masks which seem to be the latest "trend" (in edition to the ear net of course

That noseband looks really heavy too, then done up with metal..

There's more contraption than face. The mouthpiece of the bit doesn't look nice at all either - 3 strands of something, never seen that type before so not sure what it is but looks like it could be at risk of pinching. Yet I expect the rider will wear spurs...

The fact it's had to be wrapped in vet wrap so is presumably rubbing his face. How can this be a happy horse having to wear all that? I can get cross nosebands etc, pelhams, a hackamore on its own but this is a hackamore, and some sort of nasty bit plus an additional noseband like a walking tack shop

Looking just under the chain that fastens the hackamore - is that white hairs? So has it rubbed him previously? Looks faintly like white hairs in the shape of a chain but may be the light...
Click to expand...
Please don't lump things like ear bonnets and masks in with horrible things like this. People use those to try and help/calm their horses so pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum to that contraption.
 
I've ridden 5 horses today with no noseband as we were just lobbing about the place.

The 6th on I put a grackle on as he was working but as you can see it's not tight and you can see daylight between the leather and the horses face 😂
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20230318-132108_Gallery.jpg
    Screenshot_20230318-132108_Gallery.jpg
    392.1 KB · Views: 83
  • Screenshot_20230318-132116_Gallery.jpg
    Screenshot_20230318-132116_Gallery.jpg
    564.6 KB · Views: 85
stangs said:
There's also Jurgen Krackow who has ridden a couple of his horses in a bosal. Not that bosals are incapable of being unpleasant for a horse, but it's so much nicer of a picture.

View attachment 109595

Interesting, there's been a several who ride in a bridleless bit or war bridle, but usually only for one 'quirky' horse. Can't think of anyone who consistently competes all their horses in one, unlike Luca Moneta who I think considers his tack part of his ethos (and who was going to pull out of said puissance, because he wanted to leave it on a good note for his mare, but then eventually decided to do the final round and won!)
Click to expand...
Love that pic
 
Mynstrel said:
Please don't lump things like ear bonnets and masks in with horrible things like this. People use those to try and help/calm their horses so pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum to that contraption.
Click to expand...
Quite. This is my mare in her Fenwick calming mask, she loves it and it has helped to completely settle her TMJ and poll issues. And another pic of her in her Fenwick ears, which she wears for comfort along with her Transcend bitless bridle :).

109596

109597
 
I'm trying to work out what everything is doing there. I think the ultra tight neck strap and vet wrap is because the hackamore pulls the bridle up towards the eyes (mine does that - we have a strap further down the bridle)

Is that draw reins then going through the bit? Normal reins working on both the hackamore and bit at the same time?
 
sakura said:
Great photo. I ride without a noseband or throat lash. I’m still looking for a secure headpiece so I can ditch the browband too. It looks so much better.

Imo, most of the public don’t pay any attention to tack, however, it only takes one image going viral.
Click to expand...
I don't use a noseband or browband and just have a normal headpiece - it doesn't move
I ditched the browband one day when he had a swelling (an insect bite probably) where the browband would sit
We were fine without it so it stayed off
 
Elf On A Shelf said:
In what world is ALL of this kit needed in one go?

A bridle that sits right behind the eyes.
A throat lash done up incredibly tightly.
A hacakmore with a massive shank and a chain across the back, again incredibly tightly.
A snaffle with mouthpiece that just looks evil.
A drop noseband done up tightly that has a chain across the back of the chin not leather.
Draw reins.


View attachment 109584
Click to expand...
linka said:
This appears to be the same horse and set-up, attached to an unsurprising if hideous news report
https://horsesport.com/horse-news/andrew-kocher-suspected-using-shock-spurs-horses/
Click to expand...

If it's the same not surprised the poor horse won't go forward given all that c*** on its head. So let's shock it to go forward, but cover its head in c*** to control it... Logic...

Not surprised it's hard to control if it's being shocked
 
Fern007 said:
Not sure what the chaps name is but his horses are ridden at the highest level in sj without a noseband or martingale. Perhaps its time top riders take a leaf out of his book. I appreciate not all horses can be ridden in basic tack but surely non need that lot on their head. Poor poor horse.
Click to expand...

I think perhaps you're referring to Grègory Cottard? 😊 A big horse magazine in Sweden did an interview with him and apparently he spends quite some time figuring out which bit and bridle setup each of his horses likes best. More people should learn from his approach. I think he had a "one ear head stall" (a western bridle) on his grey horse when he jumped the last competition I watched.
 

Attachments

  • 329111757-1916714088667656-4330342731888806357-n.jpg
    329111757-1916714088667656-4330342731888806357-n.jpg
    247.1 KB · Views: 50
There is a guy called Mark Smith who had a fight with BE as he wanted to compete in a bitless bridle. He also ran a Team chase team who went round using headcollars with reins attached but then changed to bitless bridles.https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/bridleless-not-brainless-to-team-chase-in-bitless-bridles-311677
 
Rowreach said:
I have quite a bit of vintage tack that was used by members of the GB team in the 50s/60s and while it was quite simple, the snaffle bits were huge, sharp, nickel things which weren't all that kind, particularly given the slightly gung ho un-finessed riding of most of the riders. So it wasn't all rainbows and fluffy clouds back then.

But what is so appalling to me is that pro riders across the disciplines think that wrapping so much kit and ironmongery round a horse's face is in any way good for its welfare, let alone enhances its performance, and the rules don't seem to be doing much to stop it from happening.
Click to expand...

I’m always surprised at how short running martingales often were back in the day too
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top