Tack - just out of curiosity

[SouthWestWhippet]

I was thinking last night about all the different bits and stuff on the market, so I thought I would put together a poll on what people use when they ride their horses. I'm sure I've missed a ton of stuff so feel free to post your opinions on what you use and why.

My horse is schooled/hacked/SJ in a hanging cheek mullen mouth snaffle with no joints and she does XC and fast work in a hackamore. She wears a running martingale and a flash noseband (not with the hackamore natch!). I would love to be able to remove the martingale, especially for flatwork but she is a devil for throwing her head in the air and running off.

 

[truffles]

Chloe has a loose ring french link sweet iron for flatwork, SJ and hacking.
For XC and other incredibly exciting things she has dutch gag on the 2nd hole, although I am going to try and do this xc thing next Thursday in a snaffle and see how we get on, as she doesn't really like the gag's poll pressure.
She has a grakle which has een a lifesaver - the flash didn't work at all, and she would try and fight it, but now she accepts the grakle and is much better in it! For fast work she wears a breastplate, and will probably pop her martingale attatchment back on for xc.

 

[TGM]

I use a loose-ring snaffle with lozenge, cavesson noseband and no martingale. Daughter's pony arrived with eggbutt Dr Bristol, flash noseband and running martingale, but is now ridden in loose ring hanging cheek french link, cavesson and no martingale.

 

[Tempi]

both mine get schooling in normal flash bridles with KK ultra snaffles. Archie also gets hacked out in his.

Bloss gets hacked out in a french link rugby pelham with two reins and a martingale as she can get quite strong out hacking. I jump her in her KK and a martingale and flash.

 

[fairhill]

Megan is ridden in a single jointed loose ring snaffle, cavesson noseband and no martingale.
I've tried her in a couple of other snaffles as she's a bit fussy in the mouth (unjointed/french link/lozenge) but she seems happiest in the single one.
She is very easy to stop, hence I'm keeping her tack as simple as possible.

 

[Chex]

I try to ride in my myler snaffle, but with our recent problems he's in a gag, possibly changing to waterford or something else. I use the same bit for everything apart from when I HAVE to have control for the sake of others, like common rides or riding out with a mad/novice horse. I use a cavesson, no martingale.

 

[Honeypots]

My cob: loose ring french link snaffle, no noseband,
Daughters pony: french link baucher, no noseband,

 

[samp]

Lottie wears a loose ring NS snaffle bit (can't remember name) with a flash. When jumping she wears the same with a brestpalte with running attachment

 

[Nic]

Kangaroo french link snaffle for dressage with a grackle for BE & a flash for RC.

Single joint Dutch gag for SJ/XC fast work with a grackle. Running martingale fro sj/xc/fast.

 

[HBII]

I school and hack out in my Loose ring lozenge snaffle, in a cavason bridle with a flash. I have only done one fun ride on her and I kept her in the snaffle for that too. I do have a running martingale on her which is on a breastplate - something for me to hang onto if I lose my balance. Also I feel naked without the breastplate now lol. In addition to that I have a balance strap on the saddle - guess I look like a walking tack shop but who cares?!

When the previous owner SJ her I think her bitting was upped.

Hb

 

[Helenabbey]

My 4 year old is in a loose ring snaffle, flash and standing martingale, the martingale is loose, just enough to keep his head from being uncontrollable.

 

[ecrozier]

My gelding is ridden in a KK ultra snaffle, cavesson noseband and a running martingale except for dressage. (he has been in everything from a dutch gag to a flexi mouth straight bar rubber snaffle, eventaually discovered it makes little difference and it is all about the seat and legs!)
My mare is in a french link snaffle and a cavesson, put a martingale on for sponsored rides but thats about it.
OH's mare is in a waterford and flash noseband - she's a big strong girl, and if I ever take her hunting/team chase, she will def be in a pelham!!

 

[*hic*]

Bigger cob - alternates between a french link eggbutt full check snaffle and a cavesson or drop noseband - depending on what we are trying to achieve - and a happy mouth pelham used with both reins and a cavesson noseband.

Littler cob always has a cavesson and then either has a thick loose ring single jointed snaffle or a thick rubber pelham. Thin bits terrify him.

PBA mare is being broken in a happy mouth lozenge full cheek snaffle and currently no noseband.

 

[pottamus]

I ride my boy in a plain noseband with no flash or anything. He has a french link loose ring bit for everthing and no martingale...although t has taken a while to get there! When I bought him he was in either a pelham or snaffle with flash and martingale!

 

[kick_On]

mine get

hacking: big one loose ring loozne snaffle, little one waterford with fuller cheeks- no martingale and some times flash

dressage: loose ring loozne snaffle both

sj: big one loose ring loozne snaffle, little one loose ring waterford - martingale and flash

xc: big one loose ring loozne snaffle, little one loose ring waterford- martingale and flash

hunting: big one starts in cheltelham gag and then when goes loon goes into pelham on double reins for a day learns respect then back down to gag, can't take little one as blow brain, but when i did it was in cheltelham gag - martingale and flash

 

[Heidi1]

Based my answers on the oldest of my three girls, so has a hanging cheek french link and mexican noseband, running martingale and elastic breastplate for show jumping, no martingale for just hacking and schooling, hunting and cross country has a nylon pessoa with peanut in the middle with mexican noseband and martingale and breastplate, god that seems alot, but it works for her

 

[josie_s]

I always had to 'upgrade' to a stronger bit for SJ, XC and Hunting but since I found how good he is in a grakle, he now schools in a flash and jumps and does faster work in a grakle

 

[Fiona_C]

Schooling - loose ring lozenge happy mouth, cavasson noseband and I find Bud soft and responsive.

Hacking - filet baucher, flash, running martingale, he gets quite strong out hacking.

If we were to go hunting, he'd be in a pelham or a gag.

 

[WelshRareBit]

I use a d ring copper inlay roller snaffle thing lol

I sometimes use a martingale when doing jumping etc.

The last time we went XC/HT he was in a gag second ring, but Im trying to wean him back onto a snaffle for everything - just makes it all so much easier.

xx

 

[JessPickle]

Pickle has a loose ring waterford for schooling, and a waterford gag for hacking and SJ. I use a running martingale for hacking and flatwork but not jumping. HE has a cavesson noseband for flatwork then with the gag a flash noseband

 

[Emma123]

Beval snaffle for everything.

Has martingale and breast plate for SJ and XC but everything else he doesn't. Only have it cos he gets excited and throws his head a bit, and saddle slips back when jumping

even though it fits properly...

 

[charlie76]

I based my answers on my mare- I use a drop noseband and a neue schule training bit for everything. I add a martingale for jumping.

The other horse wears a pinchless french link and flash for flatwork and a grakle noseband and 3 ring gag for xc and sj.
Running martingale and breastplate for jumping.

Charlie( before he went on loan) wore a flash noseband all the time, french link for flatwork and copper roller for jumping. He also wears a standing or running martingale xc and sj.

 

[Christmas_Kate]

G is ridden in an eggbutt snaffle, with a flash. This does two things, stops him wanting to throw his head down and graze mid trot and stops him opening his mouth and evading the bit, which is just a safety measure atm.

 

[Doublethyme]

My mare is ridden in a Sprenger Ultra bit and cavesson noseband for everything - schooling/hacking/jumping. No martingale.

 

[Cahill]

dubs&muzz(nicknames)both ridden in J.P.french link snaffles with no nosebands and nothing else.smally has straight vulc pelham with no noseband.
i like the J.P. bits.

 

[Peanot]

I ride in my sprenger loose ring french link snaffle, with a crank noseband but only have it quite loose so like a cavesson with no martingale. I ride her in this all the time, whether it is for sj xc or dressage, hacking etc. She doesn`t need anything else.

 

[Safina]

The beast has a loose ring sweet iron double jointed snaffle - the joint has 3 little copper rings on it that he can play with. I am sure it has a proper name but I cannot remember.

I changed to that bit from a normal SS french link last year and have not looked back - he is so much lighter in front and does not grab onto the bit anymore.

He has a flash on - tried it without and he just felt so different and wobbly so we will stick to with for now.

No martingale anymore - a huge acheivement as he was in a standing!

 

[Halfstep]

Snaffle bridle with NS verbindend bit and crank flash noseband. I prefer a cavesson, but my bridle was a present and came with a crank.
Don't change anything for hacking but sometimes add a breastplate and running martingale for jumping.

 

[echodomino]

Nelson is usually ridden in a french linked snaffle although I've just put him back in his mullen mouthed pelham for schooling work - but because I'm lazy and can't be doing with swapping bits over everytime I do something different, I use it for everything else as well.

I'm lucky, I can hunt, XC etc in a snaffle!

He was in a grackle noseband and a standing martingale when I first started riding him, then I took him on full loan and put him in a flash. I decided one day that I was not going to use a martingale again because I (like already said) am lazy and didn't want to clean it

I found he went much better without it and left it off.

Was in the indoor school at old yard and randomly decided to see how he went without his flash on and he tried to run off before I'd even got back on *rollseyes* Tried again a different day and he was fine so left it off.

Now he's in a normal cavesson although I sometimes ride him without a nose band for the shear hell of it LOL

Not bad for a crazy TB

 

[dieseldog]

A Myler mullen mouth triple barrel combination bit, caveson and standing martingale. Have to have the noseband for the standing. But tonight I'm going to try a snaffle for some flatwork