What is the point of a very short running martingale on a pony?

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Fifty Bales of Hay

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I went to view a pony the other day that was fitted with a very short, like lengths of a few inches (lots of knots tied in the long leather bits) before the loop that goes onto the reins.

I asked about it and they said he's fine without it so took it off and pony seemed fine.

Questioned why they used it on him they said if was to help keep the riders hands still and I guess to keep the horses head still.

Could this be used for any other reason you can think of?
 
some people thinks it gives them controll . I had some neighbors that I let use my outdoor riding school and one day she showed up with the horse (foreward type) and a girl of about 12 with this contraption on the horse, forcing the head down.

When I saw this from my window I went straight out and asked her to remove it or leave the premisis. I will have no part in the abusing of horses !
 
If it's short enough that the reins are pulled downwards in a v shape, rather than there being a straight line between the horses mouth and the riders hand, it will turn into a pulley type setup, and be very very strong. I don't condone doing it, but I can see how it works.
 
Sometimes those bits are still too long and horses and ponies can get into a habit of trying to bite them. If they get that in their mouths there could be world of trouble. It could be something as innocent as that. It depends, as Auslander says - if its short enough to constantly pull on the reins or not.
 
If seller said it was to keep rider hands still and pony is fine without then what they probably meant was that they were using it to have a deadening effect on the contact (some of any wiggles absorbed by the martingale rather than going straight to the bit making it feel, to the horse, like riders hands are more still). I've seen that tried in some RS and if it is a pony then rider may sometimes be quite wobbly.
 
when I saw this happening in my backyard the child and horse (15hh) were doing a fast trot, she was leaning backward with all her weight on the reigns using them for balance. Horse not slowing down and tripped in one instance, falling to it's knees.
 
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