what are your views on the chifney bit?

Hate them! They are brutal and the thoughtless way to get a horse to do as you like. I strongly believe that to inflict pain should not be the way to do things.
Patience and plenty of ground work is the best way.

My horse can be a stubborn so and so at times and any one else would have him in a chifney often but he will always do what I ask him to when I have clearly explained and given him time without inflicting pain.
 
Would never use one. And, yes, I know how an impossible-to-lead rearing-in-hand horse feels - even they can be helped with enough patience and groundwork. But patience is usually what people lack.
 
I am 99.9% sure I HAVE seen racehorses going to the gallops for training in them. I used to have to stop in my car quite often in the mornings to let them ride past to get to the Downs, and on a few occasions I noticed the odd one wearing one. As the horse in question was so close, tossing it's head about and opening it's mouth, I could quite clearly see the shape of the Chifney which is different to the Dextor one.

I don't pretend to know anything about racing but always believed Chifneys were only ever to use for leading, never for riding.
 
AndySpooner said:
Wow, all these 'dangerous' horses. Sounds like some training all round would be a better solution than yet another harsh piece of tack.
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The chifney WAS the training with my horse - brought in everyday for a week wearing a chifney after he went through a toddler tantrum phase of pushing his luck as a baby and rearing and trying to leg it from the field to his haynet. He's never needed it since.

I now keep mine in the lorry - my theory being if there was ever an emergency and i had to unload on a road / in a not nice situation i would put this on over his headcollar just to be on the safe side.


Oh crikey - didn't realise this was from 2011!!!
 
I use them on a regular basis- ie, daily
They are amazing. Part of my job is leading fit big TB's out on the road and I use a chifney to do so. 99% of the time the horse behaves perfectly, just knowing its there is enough. The same horse could be led out in a bridle or headcollar and be a danger to myself or other road users.
Personally I wouldn't ever use one to turn out in as I have a phobia of the horse somehow pulling away and running round with a chifney in! (just one of those random thoughts that pings into your head and will never leave!)
 
Meems said:
I am 99.9% sure I HAVE seen racehorses going to the gallops for training in them. I used to have to stop in my car quite often in the mornings to let them ride past to get to the Downs, and on a few occasions I noticed the odd one wearing one. As the horse in question was so close, tossing it's head about and opening it's mouth, I could quite clearly see the shape of the Chifney which is different to the Dextor one.

I don't pretend to know anything about racing but always believed Chifneys were only ever to use for leading, never for riding.
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We have one at work, I don't know the name of it that looks totally like a chifney but its not- They are only ever used to lead in the two racing yards I work in.
 
pastie2 said:
You should lead a TB stallion out to cover a mare in anything other than a chifney and see how dangerous that can be for the mare and the handler.
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I have, I didn't use a chifney and it wasn't any more or less dangerous than any of the other non-TB stallions I have handled covering mares. So I don't think your generalisation is valid, sorry.
 
poiuytrewq said:
I use them on a regular basis- ie, daily
They are amazing. Part of my job is leading fit big TB's out on the road and I use a chifney to do so. 99% of the time the horse behaves perfectly, just knowing its there is enough. The same horse could be led out in a bridle or headcollar and be a danger to myself or other road users.
Personally I wouldn't ever use one to turn out in as I have a phobia of the horse somehow pulling away and running round with a chifney in! (just one of those random thoughts that pings into your head and will never leave!)
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Totally agree. I have one in my tack room and use it whenever I need to. For example if I needed to fetch in my huge WB broody in a gale (heaven forbid). The thing is that I wouldn't need to use pressure anyway, they know when its on and then behave. I do turn out in them too. Vital part of any horseman's toolkit.
 
Interesting thread, particularly as it hadn't occurred to me that some vets use them on all horses. It's good to be aware of the possibility. Fortunately, I haven't come across one that does, so far.
Having liveried on a few stud yards and eventing yards, I haven't seen one used there either. The only times, I've encountered them is with DIY novice owners with all the gear and no idea. Its not a good combination.

I'm not anti chefney's, just anti idiots. They're fine for professionals who have limited time to get the routine work done safely but as with any piece of kit, they should be used for a reason and be reassessed as appropriate.

I'd like the sale of chifney's limited to those who can demonstrate how to use one and when. Or be instructed prior to sale. Similarly with all training aids, spurs, harsh bits and any form of restraint.
 
Sleipnir said:
Would never use one. And, yes, I know how an impossible-to-lead rearing-in-hand horse feels - even they can be helped with enough patience and groundwork. But patience is usually what people lack.
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I've used them frequently when at county shows to get horses off the lorry and into the stables safely. Environments like that, especially when a horse isn't used to such a large show, can cause all kinds of issues - you just don't know how they are going to react. I would rather lead out in a chifney than risk a dangerous situation for myself and others.
 
I understand the reasoning, but I'd rather prefer conditioning a horse to such environment at a slower pace than choosing to use this piece of tack. Not trying to change anyone's ways though. :D After all, you actually can never know how they are going to react to anything, especially, if the horse is more of a flighty one. If someone finds a chifney the only way how to stay safe - so be it, as long as they know how to use it properly.
 
Sleipnir said:
I understand the reasoning, but I'd rather prefer conditioning a horse to such environment at a slower pace than choosing to use this piece of tack.
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Actually I think this is one aspect that is often not considered. Also what some have to do eg. lead horses down duel carriageways to get to the field really does raise questions about suitability of facilities for me!
 
Hate chiffneys with a vengeance never had one on the yard and never wanted to use one but each to their own probably by good management but with a bit of good luck thrown in Every horse I have handled has learned to respect its handler and that includes everything from colts and stallions to large event horses and native ponies. Never had a horse you couldnt lead down a busy road on a ribbon had you chosen to do so. Having said that they have been high spirited and will bounce along on a loose lead like a rocking horse on occasion but never too near or too close to their handler
 
I don't use chiffneys but totally understand why you might as an employer have a you always lead the stallion or x horse in the chifney rule .
One of our hunters arrived very very naughty to lead a complete and utter badly mannered prat if he was say a showjumper having to be ledabout at show in public in strange environments I could totally understand even although now hes very well mannered why you might say to staff always lead him in the chifney then you would have done everything you could to ensure nothing unexpected happened .
 
amandap said:
Actually I think this is one aspect that is often not considered. Also what some have to do eg. lead horses down duel carriageways to get to the field really does raise questions about suitability of facilities for me!
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I do try and introduce scary atmospheres as much as possible, but there does seem to be a big leap from agricultural shows to county level and it is something that is very difficult to recreate at home, which is why I often stick a chifney in just to be on the safe side.

I would agree with you RE facilities - I often read posts on here about horrible situations people have to hack/lead past/over/down and I think I would have been moving!
 
It's all pressure and release at the end of the day, and the reason that they work is because, when applied, they are painful or uncomfortable to the horse. Just the same as a dually, or what I use when required for my horse, a thin nylon rope halter knotted to apply pressure on his nose, so I don't see much of a difference here between the equipment when the principle of negative reinforcement still applies? (Can understand objections from those who use solely positive).

He is trained to lead nicely in a normal headcollar / rope around his neck (or even follow loose!), but he is getting walked in hand while on box rest / small paddock rest just now recovering from a fractured leg, and is a bit bouncier than usual! He uses his nose as a lever to pull against you hence the knotted halter works well, but for safety, if it didn't, I would use anything it took to remain in control (too much bouncing about or god forbid getting loose would NOT be good for his leg!).
 
Try find a racing yard without them. It is dangerous for the stable staff to lead a race fit horse around without one. I think it is an essential piece of kit for any yard. If the horse is well behaved, it makes no difference if it is wearing one and if it misbehaves then it is quickly brought under control. In my whole career as a P2P jockey and racehorse owner, and now eventing,I have never seen a horse injured by one. I can't believe the many bleeding hearts on this thread. I would never lead any of my exceptionally well trained and perfectly behaved horses across a busy lorry park into strange stables without one on - and neither do many other race horse trainers of other professionals either.
 
Schools out??? one thing for sure is that its highly likely someone has either got their bits mixed up or they have an interesting way of riding :D
 
AndySpooner said:
Wow, all these 'dangerous' horses. Sounds like some training all round would be a better solution than yet another harsh piece of tack.
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This 100%. Another gadget used to disguise bad handling and training. We have a yard of racehorses, they legally have to wear chifneys at the sales or at race courses but they are all damned well trained enough to not actually need one and nothing would wear one at home. If your horse is bad to lead, unsafe to handle and one feels that they can't deal with it without resorting to a chifney then maybe get a professional in to sort the problem out.
 
I've seen a photo of a group VII rider actually riding in one (no it wasn't a dexter). But then I've seen a rider from said group riding with an upside down Pelham with the chain across the nose. An these are meant to be equine people by tradition.
 
we had a pony that could be really naughty to load as he had absolutely mastered the art of suddenly tanking off and although only 14hh he could get away from even experienced & strong men handling him. He consequently used to have a chifney on, with a very short rope attached to it so it couldn't get caught in anything. One very small tweak on it and then being lead from his usual rope attached to his headcollar, always did the trick and he was angelic. It was far safer for all concerned to do that then lose him down the road trying to load after hunting!
 
My little old welsh D pays no attention to the chifney whatsoever, he and other horses have responded well to the dually headcollars, the chifney they just totally ignore!!
 
I used one once or twice hand walking off 6 months of box rest. I know only have to use a bridle - which she actually can react way more too. She's a rearer so the lead rope goes through both but rings - she has a tantrum then realises she's the one putting the pressure on then is fine; had a similar effect with the chifney
 
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