Roundings on a gag?

siennamiller

siennamiller

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So, I was just reading something on the E-venting page on Facebook, and she was saying how people use gags incorrectly, and that they should be used with roundings. A few years ago you would see them everywhere, but not anymore.
I use a 3 ring gag, but with a single rein.
Any thoughts....
 
I absolutely hate the sight of 3 ring gags used with only one rein unless it's on the main ring or one down at a push. Nobody should be solely and constantly applying curb action IMO.

The problem IMO is that the 3 ring gag has become a fashion item and many people don't actually know how they should be used correctly and it's got a bit lost in translation over the past few years. I haven't ever used one myself but I do recall that they used to be used with roundings in the main.
 
They're not doing what they're designed to do when used with one rein! Always with 2 reins. My first pony used to be in one with roundings but I was 12-14 and did not have an independent hand.

One rein should be on the snaffle for constant pressure, and the other on the ring of your choice to be used independently as back-up or clarity!
 
I've never understood someone that uses a 3 ring gag with one rein or the middle of bottom ring! I used to ride my mare with a Waterford gag with rounding, on the top and bottom rings! she is the strongest horse in the history of the world and that combination was my only way of slowing her down!
 
Kezzabell2 said:
I've never understood someone that uses a 3 ring gag with one rein or the middle of bottom ring! I used to ride my mare with a Waterford gag with rounding, on the top and bottom rings! she is the strongest horse in the history of the world and that combination was my only way of slowing her down!
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To be honest I always view it as laziness, a fashion statement, or purely out of ignorance when people ride with only one rein on a gag. But I may be completely wrong.
 
Moomin1 said:
To be honest I always view it as laziness, a fashion statement, or purely out of ignorance when people ride with only one rein on a gag. But I may be completely wrong.
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or maybe they don't know any better? to be fair, I only used that bit with rounding because that was how I was told to use it! theres no saying that I was right, but it worked haha! I used to ride her in a mullen mouth Pelham with roundings, because that's what she came with! I've lost track of how many times I couldn't stop her with that combo!

I think the main probably is, if you don't have someone decent to advice you, you can make soooo many mistakes, not with bitting, but with sooo many tack options!

My mare was a happy hacker when I bought her at 16, so didn't have a reliable instructor
 
I always use two reins when I use my waterford 3 ring gag - only for VERY exciting stuff where there are lots of other horses. I dislike seeing 3 ring gags with just one rein unless it's on the snaffle ring. I did it once when I took him out on a group ride that I was expecting to be fairly quiet and about 15 people turned up. I only had 1 rein on the snaffle and had to put it down a hole half way round to prevent a certain death. I've always used 2 reins since then but often just tie the bottom rein up and only use it when I have to.

They do seem to have been very fashionable over the last 10-15 years and are very effective in the right hands, but I wish pony club would stop kids using them with just one rein, that would be a great starting point for education.
 
When I bought Roo 7 years ago, she came with a gag, I was a novice and didn't know any better, I used it with one rein.
Eventually I moved her onto a snaffle which she was perfectly fine in, but sometimes she would get excited jumping and the gag went back on just to remind her to listen and then I would swap back.
Now, i know better and have learnt a massive amount since then but it wasn't through fashion or ignorance, I was young and inexperienced
 
Personally I hate Dutch gags .
However a Dutch gag is what H goes best in so who am I to tell the horse they are nasty bits .
MrGS rides on loose reins 80% of the time and it suits him and the horse best so I cringe and let them do their own thing.
 
Oops, well that's me told then lol. Tbh when I bought her she was in that, and I just didn't really think about it. Now I stop to think, I know perfectly well that she should have roundings or two reins, but I am clearly a div :o.
 
RubysGold said:
When I bought Roo 7 years ago, she came with a gag, I was a novice and didn't know any better, I used it with one rein.
Eventually I moved her onto a snaffle which she was perfectly fine in, but sometimes she would get excited jumping and the gag went back on just to remind her to listen and then I would swap back.
Now, i know better and have learnt a massive amount since then but it wasn't through fashion or ignorance, I was young and inexperienced
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You see, I don't think being inexperience is an excuse when it comes to having your own horse. We have a duty of care to them and we should know what tack they are in and how it works/how to use it. If the horse came with that tack, then we should find out how it works/how to use it correctly rather than just trusting the previous owner's judgement/knowledge. Of course we all learn as we go along with horses, and we don't always get it right by any means, but the basics such as tack and basic care should be learnt straight away IMO.
 
I can never see the point of roundings, personally. They just fudge the action imo. I suppose that they became used because it is easier for a child to use one rein than two and many ponies have been ridden in a Pelham with roundings over the years.

I have a NS Universal which I use with 2 reins. The snaffle rein is the one which is used while all is going smoothly and the curb rein comes into play when the mare threatens to get strong. It settles her down very well.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I can never see the point of roundings, personally. They just fudge the action imo. I suppose that they became used because it is easier for a child to use one rein than two and many ponies have been ridden in a Pelham with roundings over the years.

I have a NS Universal which I use with 2 reins. The snaffle rein is the one which is used while all is going smoothly and the curb rein comes into play when the mare threatens to get strong. It settles her down very well.
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Yes I was always under the impression that roundings were invented for children as it buffers the curb effect a little more and also makes it easier for them with a single rein.
 
I detest roundings (on a gag or a pelham). Horrible things, you end up with no proper contact whatsoever.

Can someone explain exactly why its bad to use a gag with only one rein, other than it being harsh? And why it's so wrong to use one without a curb chain? I showjumped my old boy in a Dutch gag with a single rein and he went brilliantly, it worked for us so I don't necessarily see why it being 'incorrect' is such an issue. Out hacking I had two reins because mostly I only needed the snaffle rein.. That wasn't the case in a sj arena.
 
As the writer of said article I would clarify I would only suggest roundings for a rider not happy with two reins (although to be fair i wouldn't ave those riders riding with a dutch gag in the first place ;) ) but it is always preferable to use two. For those that haven't read the article I won't link it personally as otherwise I'm sure my wrists will be slapped but it can be found at the top of the e-venting home page ;) :)

Jo_x I explain in the article why one rein shouldn't be used on it's own :)
 
Jo_x said:
I detest roundings (on a gag or a pelham). Horrible things, you end up with no proper contact whatsoever.

Can someone explain exactly why its bad to use a gag with only one rein, other than it being harsh? And why it's so wrong to use one without a curb chain? I showjumped my old boy in a Dutch gag with a single rein and he went brilliantly, it worked for us so I don't necessarily see why it being 'incorrect' is such an issue. Out hacking I had two reins because mostly I only needed the snaffle rein.. That wasn't the case in a sj arena.
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I'm not sure that anyone has said it's bad to use one without a curb chain? Unless I am mistaken.

It is perhaps not necessarily 'wrong' to only use one rein with a gag, however it is easily open to abuse in the wrong/inexperienced hands and that coupled with the 'fashionable' status of the 3 ring gag makes it a little undesirable to witness on such a large scale these days. Every other horse you see seems to have a 3 ring gag with only one rein on the bottom ring, and worryingly with many of them being child riders/teenage riders tearing around a SJ course seemingly out of control. It just doesn't sit well with me. But maybe I am soft.
 
Moomin1 said:
I'm not sure that anyone has said it's bad to use one without a curb chain? Unless I am mistaken.

It is perhaps not necessarily 'wrong' to only use one rein with a gag, however it is easily open to abuse in the wrong/inexperienced hands and that coupled with the 'fashionable' status of the 3 ring gag makes it a little undesirable to witness on such a large scale these days. Every other horse you see seems to have a 3 ring gag with only one rein on the bottom ring, and worryingly with many of them being child riders/teenage riders tearing around a SJ course seemingly out of control. It just doesn't sit well with me. But maybe I am soft.
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Basically that! they can be used without a curb and with one rein. With one rein only the rider must have VERY good hands which sadly the majority do not (although if poorly fitted it is counteracted as they produce little to no poll pressure anyway with how they are fitted). the curb prevents over rotation of the bit plus produces a lifting action of the head to counteract the rounding nose on chest type reaction often seen displayed in showjumping and eventers arenas!

the bit can be used successfully and non harmfully in a manner not as it was designed and is regularly by riders up to and including international/olympic level BUT there are many riders expecting it to do something it can't do with how they have fitted the bits and then wonder why their horses have their heads pinned to their chests ;)
 
Many years ago I rode my strong mare in a gag on the third ring (single rein). My instructor at the time recommended it. I also rode her in a Pelham with roundings to jump.

After a while I decided I was strong enough to hold her and moved her into a snaffle thinking brute force would stop her (I was an ignorant child at the time) Absolutely no problem, she moved far better, jumped better and was easier to hold. She's now been in just a snaffle to jump for the last 10 years with no issues.

I now realise how inexperienced this instructor was and would never dream of doing this now. I think a lot of people think a gag is the next up from a snaffle plus many people don't have the skill to ride with two reins. Or they are told they need a harsher bit. I have recently ridden her in a Pelham with 2 reins but it was to much and I reverted to a snaffle.

I don't think you can be so harsh on a new owner riding in what a (well respected) instructor has told them to. By definition a new owner will not know or understand every aspect of horse care or the intricate workings of different types of tack. Bear in mind I was 12 when I got this mare, I listened to what the people in charge told me, to ride in a gag.
 
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