Terminology?

The Fuzzy Furry said:
As per other's comments, as a child also riding in the 60s and 70s, headcollars were webbing with one of 2 types of buckles, or posh leather for going out. There was a spell of rawhide headcollars too, horrible things.
Halters were rope and we were forbidden to use them for tying up.

I've always kept rope halters in grabbing distance on the yard as easy to slip on anything. Decent ones in the box as used for in hand classes for some breeds still.
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Pic above of what I called a cheap rope halter for yard use.

Yes, taught to quarter, strap, plait straw in, use logs to tie, thatch etc too ☺️
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Ive still got a wooden log in the garage somewhere from years ago.
 
Blurr said:
Set fair, a good thing to do and a nice term for it. Do people still say this?
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Ive not heard it for years but my friend was clipping my mare for me as my back is not great to bend underneath her and we were talking about terminaology and she said that people dont know what "set fair" means. I gues that terminalogy changes over the years the same as many things,
 
onemoretime said:
Ive not heard it for years but my friend was clipping my mare for me as my back is not great to bend underneath her and we were talking about terminaology and she said that people dont know what "set fair" means. I gues that terminalogy changes over the years the same as many things,
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May I ask what it means?
 
Hackback said:
Maybe (I'm Yorkshire). Maybe it was just the RS I went to that called them halters. I'd certainly never heard of headcollars until I returned to riding. Feel a bit stupid now 🙃
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Headcollars were sometimes called head stalls years ago. Another word that is not heard much now. Probably originated from when horses were stabled in stalls more rather than loose boxes as they are now.
 
eggs said:
For me 'set fair' means to have the stable properly prepared for the horse to come in. Bed laid, clean bedding added, banks turned and blocked up (I don't use banks now) and swept back from the door.
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onemoretime said:
Yes of course. It means that a stable or box is ser fair for the horses returen. Bed put down all neat and tidy, haynet hung up and water provided. A box ser fair for a hunters return.
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Thank you both.

That does sound like a nice term.
 
onemoretime said:
Headcollars were sometimes called head stalls years ago. Another word that is not heard much now. Probably originated from when horses were stabled in stalls more rather than loose boxes as they are now.
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Oh my gosh head stalls! That’s what my dad calls them! I’ve spent 30 years resisting the urge to correct him 😭
 
eggs said:
For me 'set fair' means to have the stable properly prepared for the horse to come in. Bed laid, clean bedding added, banks turned and blocked up (I don't use banks now) and swept back from the door.
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If you had a straw bed you'd bring down the 'night' bed from the banks, then lay the bed, and really posh grooms would plait the front!
Oh gosh, I'm old!!
 
I saw a wooden block on the Brooke stall at a show. The lady there said most people had no idea what it was for. It was a lovely bit of wood, I'd have bought it if I hadn't already spent all my £ on other things.
 
Hackback said:
I meant I can't remember seeing one like the knotted rope type that you have to tie to fasten.
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I think you are right. I learned about rope head collars from Americans and I bought three of them in different sizes while on holiday there, The rider has to tie the collar on the horse.

The rope is very firm and the pressure of the rope across the nose and through the knot on the side of the face is effective in steering the horse as you lead it. I dont mean hard pressure. Just a touch. You dont get the same touch via a flat strap and buckle.
 
smolmaus said:
always wondered how long this would actually take
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I never completed one, but in a yard competition, we had half hour to do what we could. Sadly, I only managed about a yard, similar to the other 4 doing it.
It wasn't ever used on the yard though, just as a 'fun thing from the old days' to re-enact. I doubt whether there would be enough length these days?

All 64 stables had deep straw beds (only a very few on shavings)
 
I've tried googling what plaiting the straw bed means, with no success. Would someone please explain how one does that/what it looks like? I've even worked with horses and have no idea what it means.
 
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It is probably 50 years ago if not longer that I did this and I probably won’t explain it very well but you start at one end of the front of the straw bed and do literally plait the straw from that side right across to the other side of the stable. You need long straw so that you have something to actually plait and the idea is that it looks very tidy and the horse isn’t pulling the bedding out of the stable. Someone else might be able to explain it better or find a picture.
 
Korg said:
I've tried googling what plaiting the straw bed means, with no success. Would someone please explain how one does that/what it looks like? I've even worked with horses and have no idea what it means.
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humblepie said:
It is probably 50 years ago if not longer that I did this and I probably won’t explain it very well but you start at one end of the front of the straw bed and do literally plait the straw from that side right across to the other side of the stable. You need long straw so that you have something to actually plait and the idea is that it looks very tidy and the horse isn’t pulling the bedding out of the stable. Someone else might be able to explain it better or find a picture.
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Pretty much this! The front of the straw was woven/ plaited or often just laid properly and sort of rolled back, to form an edge.
Almost a threshold, to prvent the horse from bringing bedding out onto the yard.

When a bed is laid correctly the straw all lies in the same direction.
hard with todays short and soft straw.
Again, done to look good and stop the horse from moving bedding and therefore keep the bedding even and stop it being dragged out.
YM would test your beds by dropping a pitch fork into them - if the tines hit the floor then you were in biggg trouble!
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
I never completed one, but in a yard competition, we had half hour to do what we could. Sadly, I only managed about a yard, similar to the other 4 doing it.
It wasn't ever used on the yard though, just as a 'fun thing from the old days' to re-enact. I doubt whether there would be enough length these days?

All 64 stables had deep straw beds (only a very few on shavings)
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Shavings were for those horses who coughed - they were looked down on!

You wouldn't plait everyday, just re do when needed.
 
moosea said:
Shavings were for those horses who coughed - they were looked down on!

You wouldn't plait everyday, just re do when needed.
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Lol, even my late mother who was head girl in a competition yard with rs attached said plaiting was out of date/vogue when she was there, pre 62. It stopped at the Royal Mews in London in the 60s too.

At the yard I trained my II, and 4 at, the shavings beds were for the smallest and fattest 3 ponies, and 2 horses prone to colicking 🙂
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
Lol, even my late mother who was head girl in a competition yard with rs attached said plaiting was out of date/vogue when she was there, pre 62. It stopped at the Royal Mews in London in the 60s too.

At the yard I trained my II, and 4 at, the shavings beds were for the smallest and fattest 3 ponies, and 2 horses prone to colicking 🙂
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Ponies didn't come into loose boxes.
They were dragged in from the field, scrubbed up to be presentable, ridden then back out asap!!
 
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