Strange comment from an instructor

[Winters100]

I have been cleaning tack all evening, and it reminded me of a strange comment that I heard last time I was in the UK.

I took a friend's daughter to a local riding school for her first lesson. The place was fine, nothing amazing, but perfectly nice little ponies for a beginner. I was leading her as her Mother had an injury, and part way through the lesson the instructor started telling me how her rein had broken recently while riding. She seemed to be almost proud of it, and elaborated on how she took the martingale off and used that instead. To be honest I did not take any notice at the time as I was focused on the child, Thinking about it now though how does that happen? Surely an instructor should know to clean and check tack regularly? Or have I just been lucky and it happens even to those who are careful? I am not worried about the child as it will anyway be a while before she is doing much, but I begin to wonder about the instructor now.

It was also a good reminder to me that I was right to turn down an offer that I had to clean my bridles. A child on our yard has a lame pony and I have been letting her ride my schoolmistress, she offered to clean tack for me, but I know that it is the only time that I look closely at every buckle and every piece of stitching, so I did it myself.

What do you all think? Would a comment like that put you off?

 

[FlyingCircus]

I'd be confused why she was sharing in that situation. But I have had a bridle break, which was regularly cleaned and checked. One minute I had 2 reins, then 1 ?

 

[CMcC]

I think you are over thinking this!
Instructor told you an anecdote about a broken rein and you are questioning how often she cleans her tack. These things sometimes happen.

 

[teddypops]

I have had a hackamore break while galloping through woods and my tack is all good quality and well looked after. It happens. Bit odd to chat about it to customers but I wouldn’t really give it a second thought.

 

[Mule]

I think that accidents happen and I wouldn't worry.

 

[Cowpony]

How often have we seen videos of professional showjumpers' bridles breaking? I'm sure they are well maintained, but it still happens.

 

[MissTyc]

What an overthink!
But as an aside, when I was working as an instructor I was so busy that my own tack would be the last things in the world I would take time to clean! Nothing snapped ... although I have lost a brand new cheekpiece that just "went".

 

[AUB]

I’d think she was just making smalltalk. Nothing more.

 

[Snowfilly]

It happens. I had a damn good branded English leather girth snap mid ride, and a stirrup leather break mid jumping round, I’m religious about cleaning and checking tack but sometimes there’s a flaw that you can’t see and it just gives up. I’ve seen reins break as well but never had it happen.

Which is why all the old books say to ride out with a length of string in case you need to fix something!

I’d assume she was just chatting.

 

[Quigleyandme]

Pretty sure Mark Todd and his staff cleaned and checked his stirrup leathers before Badminton. I bought my son a piece of kit as he often rides other people’s horses. It is simply a neatly coiled leather strap with a roller buckle at one end and a clip at the other which can be used as an emergency stirrup leather, rein, neck strap, lead rein or tourniquet.

 

[exracehorse]

The buckle somehow came apart on my reins while cantering on the edge of the field last summer.

 

[PSD]

I’ve had a stirrup leather snap mid hunt…it happens

 

[Pinkvboots]

It happens I wouldn't be worried about it

 

[scruffyponies]

Much more odd is the urge to apportion blame for a slight incident. Just because someone is unlucky does not meant that they were the cause of their own misfortune.

 

[Winters100]

Much more odd is the urge to apportion blame for a slight incident. Just because someone is unlucky does not meant that they were the cause of their own misfortune.

Well it is not so much that I am apportioning blame, it was more that she was telling the story as if she was proud of the incident, which I find rather odd, especially as at the time she was giving a first lesson to a child!

 

[Winters100]

I bought my son a piece of kit as he often rides other people’s horses. It is simply a neatly coiled leather strap with a roller buckle at one end and a clip at the other which can be used as an emergency stirrup leather, rein, neck strap, lead rein or tourniquet.

That is actually a really great idea. You would probably sell thousands if you made more and packaged them nicely! We all know that as soon as a product has 'horse' or 'equestrian' on it the price triples!

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I used to use the webbing reins with the stoppers on. One day I was competing xc and was luckily coming towards end of the course. I took a pull and my rein snapped on the webbing bit I regularly clean my tack and hadn't noticed it was weak.

 

[Shilasdair]

I think the instructor should be burned at the stake.
And then I think you should teach the child yourself, with the high level of expertise, tack cleaning and scrutinising that you obviously employ.

 

[Goldenstar]

It happened to me new reins used perhaps a dozen times galloping up a hill ( thank fully it was up ) the rein came off in my hand , the billet had come out .

 

[poiuytrewq]

I broke my martingale a while ago. Nothing to do with maintenance, I stupidly got too close to a gate and It got caught, horse freaked out, it snapped. It was literally a week or so old.
These things happen (annoyingly)

 

[Fire sign]

I fell off during cross country schooling at Somerford and snapped a brand new pair of reins..
Was absolutely gutted and the instructor was very cross as I had ridden very badly, the incident was all my fault and she had to telephone for a helper to bring new reins ...

 

[HappyHollyDays]

This has reminded me of a FB post from the other day where Naylors (I think) were showing a video of how to take your tack apart to clean it. I was more gobsmacked that people didn't know how to do it. Some people were commenting that they would give it a go but probably end up swearing. Honestly do people in the horse world not even learn the basics these days.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I am not a regular cleaner of tack by any means but I do give it all a quick scrutiny from time to time just to make sure all stitching and buckles still ok etc. I've had a few tack fails now and then but nothing that caused injury to me or the horse, just a few oopsie swear words if we were moving at speed!

OH wait - yes when I was a child about 7 I think, my girth snapped trotting on the road and I fell off with the saddle and had a lump as big as an egg on my forehead - rushed to A&E where my mother was on duty, I think she nearly passed out when I was wheeled in lol!

Even the best tack can fail and I do remember years ago an old timer warning me that over oiling tack can weaken both the leather and the stitching so I have stretched that bit of advise to include all cleaning best done sparingly and perhaps just before shows or whatever.

 

[Winters100]

I think the instructor should be burned at the stake.
And then I think you should teach the child yourself, with the high level of expertise, tack cleaning and scrutinising that you obviously employ.

Bit uncalled for. I still think that being proud of this incident, as the lady seemed to be , is odd, especially when teaching a child who is a total beginner. Had it been me I would probably be telling the story from the point of "and I learned a lesson to check my tack more carefully" or alternatively "I had checked it a couple of days ago, just shows how careful you need to be". I dislike showing off about near misses in front of children, they do not need to hear this sort of thing, especially when it is portrayed as some sort of trophy.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Maybe they were proud that they solved the issue by re-purposing the martingale? Some people aren't very good at problem solving on the fly.