Show Jumping

[monkeybum13]

I’m new to these boards and this is my first post so here goes!!

Watching the hickstead derby there were two things which were causing me and my friends some annoyance. These were show jumpers not wearing hair nets and riders using all strange combinations of bits some using snaffles and hackamores at the same time. Is it that these horses are pushed too far too young and have not had time spent on simple training or the fact that they are very strong horses and need some control.

Back to the hairnet issue, it always annoys me to see riders competing with long hair in ponytails. Why can they not use a hairnet as this looks much smarter and is safer. I never were my hair in a pony tail whilst riding and at Pony Club you are told to wear a hairnet for all mounted activities.

I would like to hear other people’s thoughts on these two topics.

 

[martlin]

Wow, what an entrance to HHO

Hello and welcome to the forum

 

[Elle1085]

The bit thing the horses jumoing at the high levels are very powerful and therefore the riders often need extra help with control and also because the courses can be so technical the riders need to be able to put a horse exactly where they want it. The bit a horse wears can also make a difference to the shape the horse makes over a fence. I also think some of the bits look worse than they actually are.

With the hair nets they're just not cool i'm afraid. Maybe it's because everyone was forced to wear them at pony club. I don't wear a hairnet to show jump or ever for that matter cos i think i look like a dork and to me it's an extra fuss i don't need

 

[lexibell]

Welcome Monkey Bum!!

I was at Hickstead it was great wasnt it?!

1. Hair nets : totally agree, I always wear mine and always have, my local pony club 'matron' would have strangled me to dead with said hair net if she caught me without one and I have very long hair. I thought it was scruffy and unproffessional.

2. Bits - I saw the combo your talking about and have no idea! Im not a whizz at that sort of thing to know enough, I suspect that it is that the horses are strong and feisty - they certainly looked it whilst warming up and one the parade

 

[hellspells]

Gosh that really is an enterance.

When riding the highly tuned creatures that they are they need all the control they can get, they need to be able to turn quickly and have control - I;m sure we are all aware of the fact at times horses think they know best and sometimes they don't.

Its people doing dressage without a hairnet that gets me more than jumping

 

[Kenzo]

Hello and welcome to the mad house.

Didn't catch the Derby but heard plenty about it

as for the hair net thing, its not the latest trend in show jumping, they were all at it last year, if you were a young lady with lovely long blonde locks it seemed to be the 'in thing' to show it off...sounds like there still doing it then.

Doesnt bother me so much, yes agree it's better in a net but at the end of the day, its a hair, it wont' effect the performance of the horse.

 

[fornema]

It is one of the whitakers who has the combo, robert isnt it? But reason for a hackamore/snaffle combo is due to the fact that the hackamore is strong giving you breaks but the turning with it is not very good and by putting in the snaffle it makes it easier to turn. I think they aare good in the right hands. But i totally agree with the hairnet thing, always wear a hairnet

 

[monkeybum13]

Thanks for informing me on the bitting situation. I do not know much about top class show jumping so it was great to hear!
As for hairnets I guess it is all just a matter of preference, but I do agree it looks worse in dressage.

Oh and I certainly know how to make an entrance!!

Thank you all for making me feel so welcome!