Slight BE Backtrack on Dead Sheep

meardsall_millie

meardsall_millie

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Following on from the comments in the Lincoln Video post (where a certain 4* horse was till wearing a sheepskin noseband despite dead sheep being banned), there have been a couple of posts on the BE forum. It would seem there's been a backtrack......

Carolyn Simm says;

"Re: RE: Sheepskin Noseband
Just to clarify the rule, it has been slightly re-worded and now reads:

Sheepskin cheekpieces and any other attachment fitted to the cheek pieces that may affect the horse vision – not permitted

So a sheepskin noseband is permitted"

Francis Whittington has commented on one of the posts - seems he's not a happy bunny at all about the whole business...... ;)
 
And the very reason that you use a sheepskin noseband is what? To make it nice and soft for the poor lickle horse's nosey-wosey? Do you suppose Paul Nicholls uses one on Kauto Star because it likes the feel of the sheepskin? :p
I'm damn sure when I've used one it has been to alter the horse's vision so that it correspondingly altered its head carriage or to prevent it gawping at ditches.

Allow both or neither. Another rather disgruntled bunny :mad:. And how odd that certain pro's seemed to know they'd get away with it when none of us would have dared try?
 
It was on the BE website a long time before Lincoln and infact appeared as a news item in advance of Carolyn answering on the forum.
 
popsdosh said:
It was on the BE website a long time before Lincoln and infact appeared as a news item in advance of Carolyn answering on the forum.
Click to expand...

In which case I shall gracefully retract my last statement. However I'm on there every couple of days and it certainly hasn't jumped out at me! I'll have another look...
 
The International 3 day horse Chatham would not jump a ditch without a sheepskin noseband! I do love how BE make everything as clear as mud.
 
hang on hang on... so both fluffy cheek pieces and nosebands were banned... then this horse (don't have a foggiest who it is) was shown running in a fluffy noseband... and now BE are allowing nosebands but not cheek pieces? Could I please ask one of the top pros to ride in fluffy cheek pieces this weekend so BE will back track on the rule of fluffy cheek pieces too?!
 
i thought it was just fluffy cheekpieces that were banned?
i used to use a fluffy noseband on a mare, she wasn't 'ditchy' at all but it did make her lower her head a little... i prefer this to mechanically preventing them from raising their head with a martingale.
hmmm, interesting if they are now changing the rule, though.
 
meardsall_millie said:
The initial rule change included any sheepskin on the bridle - there was even a comment from a BE Staff Member on the forum about trimming the fluffy pad on a grackle if it protruded too much! :eek:
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i've just seen that.
that proves that they know NAFF ALL about horses' vision - they can't even see right down the middle of their face, so even a very fluffy grackle pad (unless it was literally half a dead sheep) would have no effect upon their vision at all.
Crikey, i do despair sometimes. Who the hell makes this stuff up?!!?
 
meardsall_millie said:
The initial rule change included any sheepskin on the bridle - there was even a comment from a BE Staff Member on the forum about trimming the fluffy pad on a grackle if it protruded too much! :eek:
Click to expand...

In fact, the response by the moderator on 4th Feb was;

"As per previous responses, no sheepskin or any other attachament which may affect the horse's vision is now permitted - this covers cheekpieces and sheepskin nosebands alike"

(thread here)

There is no updated response on that thread, yet on the more recent thread (here) the same person's comment reads;

"Just to clarify the rule, it has been slightly re-worded and now reads:

Sheepskin cheekpieces and any other attachment fitted to the cheek pieces that may affect the horse vision – not permitted

So sheepskin noseband is permitted"

This last response was posted today.

Thank goodness I don't need to trim my grackle's fluffy pad though?! :rolleyes: ;)
 
meardsall_millie said:
The initial rule change included any sheepskin on the bridle - there was even a comment from a BE Staff Member on the forum about trimming the fluffy pad on a grackle if it protruded too much! :eek:
Click to expand...

As a side point, does JAS count under BE rules? As I noticed that the photograph of the winner in the latest edition of Eventing has a dead sheep on the bridle (can't remember whether it was cheeks or nose or both) but it was definitely on there!
 
Seems a bit unfair to only advertise the back track on the forum, surely I can't be the only one who is rarely on there? Or will they include it in one of the update emails?
 
I think it's pretty ludicrous as well. I have used sheepsking side pieces on a very looky horse and hand on heart he jumped better with them, which surely makes him safer? Thought the rule was fine the way it was, which had a limit to how far they could protrude. What does the FEI say about the matter?
 
tigers_eye said:
I think it's pretty ludicrous as well. I have used sheepsking side pieces on a very looky horse and hand on heart he jumped better with them, which surely makes him safer? Thought the rule was fine the way it was, which had a limit to how far they could protrude. What does the FEI say about the matter?
Click to expand...

Well apparently it's to bring BE in line with FEI rules but I thought cheekpieces were FEI legal :confused:. I've certainly run XC FEI in a noseband and definitely seen WFP showjumping in one at 4*. In fact I'm fairly sure I saw Francis Whittington going XC in the CIC*** at Burnham Market in cheekpieces :confused:
 
The FEI only banned sheepskin cheekpieces last winter. Sheepskin nosebands have always been allowed and still are so I suspect that BE in their wisdom got it wrong and have now rectified their error.
 
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