why does everyone hate pessoas???

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smelly ginger

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After reading a few threads on here I got the impression that everyone hates pessoas! I thought everyone really rated them, obviously not.

Can someone please tell me why they are so bad, and if so why does the back lady, vet etc recommend them?

Thanks :)
 
The main issue I have is not with the actual gadget but the way that some people use them with noses on chest and the back strap digging in on every stride. I think they're an easy gadget to use incorrectly (which is not the manufacturers fault but the people that use them).
 
We pessoa most of our horses once a week. A couple use the chambon instead. They are fab when used correctly, and help the horse build muscle and learn to carry themselves without restriction.
 
I like them, I use mine on my youngster but did actually pay my instructor for a lesson on setting it up properly when I first got it in the dark ages.

However, it is fair to say that the instructions are a little on the poor side. Its blooming obvious to me how to make sure the lines are even and where to place the rings but not clear when you are first faced with the contraception.

Incidentally, in all the time I have had one (think nearly 10 years) have never had the horse on the advanced setting although have never got beyond Elementary on the stressage front. Young horse is on the lowest ring and maximum length at moment too.
 
pixiebee said:
because many people have brought on very good horses/ponies for years without ever need to strap the mouth and backside together.
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sure you don't mean to tar all with that brush... its a good tool when used correctly and shows good results as part of a proper work routine. Also, should point out, that there is not one "tool" or piece of equine equipment that cannot cause pain if fitted/used incorrectly...
 
Thankyou

From what people were saying it sounded like they did more harm than good.

I've had fabulous results with my boy, he has really developed some good back muscle, so it can't be that bad?
 
smelly ginger said:
Thankyou

From what people were saying it sounded like they did more harm than good.

I've had fabulous results with my boy, he has really developed some good back muscle, so it can't be that bad?
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Nope - it can really work well. Sometimes on a lunge the horse will evade you by not working properly behind and I found the pessoa a god send on a lazy horse. With the youngster, I expected fireworks and was very careful with the sheepskin going over his backside but he was fine with it and works very well in it.
 
whats wrong with good old schooling correctly and a bit of hill work to build muscle naturally rather than making them go round in circles in a forced outline? I would rather take 10x longer ENCOURAGING a horse to go 'correctly' than shortcut and stick the pessoa on and get quicker results. I want my horses to ENJOY work and schooling. If I ever need to tie my horses up in ropes to get results then I think that would be about the time I better give up horses. Sounds harsh, but just my opinion!
 
i have used it on my tb, but he doesnt like it, if he avaids the contact it pulls him in the mouth so really upsets him. i dont use it on my mare as she has the tendency to go loopy and i dont want her tipping her self over or getting her legs tangled up in it.
 
pixiebee said:
whats wrong with good old schooling correctly and a bit of hill work to build muscle naturally rather than making them go round in circles in a forced outline? I would rather take 10x longer ENCOURAGING a horse to go 'correctly' than shortcut and stick the pessoa on and get quicker results. I want my horses to ENJOY work and schooling. If I ever need to tie my horses up in ropes to get results then I think that would be about the time I better give up horses. Sounds harsh, but just my opinion!
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You are being harsh and seem to be assuming that the pessoa replaces all work. My horses do all of the above and youngster gets lunged in a pessoa once a week. That is to help ME! so I get some time back. Also, the pessoa does not generate quick results either, its not a body building tool! set up correctly, it encourages the horse to move forward into the contact and use its back end - the horse is not strapped down. It is also, a great tool to give the rider an opportunity to really study the horses movement as well.

So, I use one, and I am NOT about to give up horses!
 
It's a case of horses for courses. They can be a fab tool where the horse needs alot of encouragement to work correctly to build the correct muscle, but they can 'scrunch' the horse up and lose some forward movement.

I used one for my ISH who was a dreadful star gazer due to hooks on her teeth being left for years, she needed to be encouraged to use her backend and realise no pain would ensue. Whereas my young WB has very short tight muscles which need lengthening and I don't want any pressure drom behind, therefore I use a chambon or lunge with 2 reins. The 2 reins lunging is my preferred option of all.

All these gadgets are just aids to top up good schooling. I like to school on the lunge from time to time, it gives you the chance to truly see how your horse is going and it makes a change for the horse.
Any aid can be bad in the wrong hands and if overused imo.
 
Its like everything, if used incorrectly it can cause more harm than good. Side reins are dangerous if used incorrectly!

I really rate the pessoa and find it really helps to encourage the horse to engage from behind and be in a better self carriage, my horse always feels fab the day after ive lunged him in it.

Anything in the wrong hands is bad- even a strong bit or a double bridle
 
I don't like any gadget that attaches to the bit rings (so therefore will create a contact) which then pulls the mouth every time the hindleg is back.

That teaches the horse nothing about how a contact should feel... imo :)
 
I have one, and found it an absolute godsend for a horse that was simply too weak to work correctly under saddle. It has never jabbed him in the mouth, and it’s not intended to teach the horse about correct contact, it's intended to teach him to work long and low. The horse will now work long and low under saddle (which was impossible before), so I don't need it as much, but still find it a useful tool from time to time.
 
smelly ginger said:
After reading a few threads on here I got the impression that everyone hates pessoas! I thought everyone really rated them, obviously not.

Can someone please tell me why they are so bad, and if so why does the back lady, vet etc recommend them?

Thanks :)
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They are not bad!- they encourage the horse to swing and move through from behind, use it's back and there are different settings so you can work them long and low and then more "up" depending on the horse and what they need. They are helpful for building up topline.

Mine go on the Pessoa once a week, as i don't like to lunge more than that- as with most things, used in moderation they are fine!

If they are used on the right setting and not too tight (i like it on them fairly losely) they don't jab them in the mouth, in fact the pulleys encourage the rope to move so quite the opposite, it will help the horse remain loose in their frame.
 
I dont hate them - I just wouldn't use one. I was advised by my vet to use a chambon with my mare and it worked perfectly and I didnt end up tying myself or my horse into a giant knot trying to put it on :D
 
I've been using one for years and I lunge my horse in it about once a week. He doesn't object and works nicely in it. I think its a good way of working him correctly but without the weight of a rider. Not sure this has any benefit but I can't see it doing any harm. I only use it on the 'easy' setting and when I first got it I had a lesson with my instructor so I was putting it on properly and not too tight etc. If I lunge my horse without it he takes his shoes off, something he never does when I ride him, or in the pessoa, so thats another reason for me to use it!

Aside from the pessoa though I'm not really into gadgets and I've never owned any others. I find on the lunge, or just in side reins my horse doesn't settle and gets quite worked up, he actually seems happier and more comfortable in the pessoa as he's got a job to do (i.e. work) and it definitely doesnt force him into an outline as he can easily turn his head to look either side or stick his head in the air and see whats happening outside the doors of the indoor arena when he wants to!
 
pixiebee said:
whats wrong with good old schooling correctly and a bit of hill work to build muscle naturally rather than making them go round in circles in a forced outline? I would rather take 10x longer ENCOURAGING a horse to go 'correctly' than shortcut and stick the pessoa on and get quicker results. I want my horses to ENJOY work and schooling. If I ever need to tie my horses up in ropes to get results then I think that would be about the time I better give up horses. Sounds harsh, but just my opinion!
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I agree with you 150%. Couldnt have said it better myself!
 
Nocturnal said:
I have one, and found it an absolute godsend for a horse that was simply too weak to work correctly under saddle. It has never jabbed him in the mouth, and it’s not intended to teach the horse about correct contact, it's intended to teach him to work long and low. The horse will now work long and low under saddle (which was impossible before), so I don't need it as much, but still find it a useful tool from time to time.
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You are right, they aren't meant to teach the horse about the contact, but inadvertently (and unfortuantely) they do- as does anything that attaches to the bit rings.

How do you think the horse understands to come round in the pessoa if not by the contact they feel on their mouth? What stops them from putting their head up with a pessoa on?

Either the horse is jabbed in the mouth or sits behind the contact to avoid being jabbed- yes, the horse will gain muscle because they are still rounder than they were before, but at the same time they are being (inadvertently) taught with an incorrect contact.
 
I ought to add, I don't think they are right for all horses. I had a mare up until last year who hated the pessoa, I only tried it a couple of times and she just wasn't happy so I didn't persist, and she found lunging in general quite stressful, though she loose schooled happily. The horse I have now though is quite happy in it and I have been using it on him for about 6 years. He isn't the sort to suffer any treatment he doesn't agree with quietly, so the fact he is happy having it put on, and working in it speaks volumes.

A pet hate of mine is when people put the damn thing on outside their stable and then lead the horse to the arena in it, work them, then lead them back to the box, still in the pessoa, no stretching, or walking off without it on. :mad:
 
If they're put on too loosely then they drop down the back legs to the hock where there's lots of movement and could jab the mouth. If they're fitted properly they sit further up where the movement is much less in terms of forwards-backwards. I like them.
 
Hi,

It was possibly my thread that was one of the ones you read- I posted the 'do you think my horse is lame *vid*' thread on saturday evening. The little vid i used was of me lunging my boy in a pessoa on both reins.

I have been advised by both the back lady and my vet to use a pessoa on my horse. He came to me a few months ago and was very thin and weak, had been out of work for a long time and lacking topline. We have had a bit of intermittent lameness in his backend, hence the vets visits. The vets advice to me was to use the pessoa once a day 6 days a week 20mins for two weeks, then continue with some ridden work added into the mix.

In this time I have seen a huge improvement in my boy, he had been putting weight on as we'd sorted out his feeding, but he has now started to form muscle in the right places. His spine no longer rests on top of his back like striding edge, and his bum nolonger peaks like a pyramid. I had the back lady out yesterday and she commented how different he looked, and how his back and hind quarters are so much stronger and much less sore than the previous times she has been.

Now everyone has their own opinion on various different 'gadgets' some will like some will not. I do not, however, think it is necessary to slate someone for using one (cruel and an abomination...are some of the words that have been thrown around.) There are various bits of kit I would not use, (i wont state which ones) but thats not to say that others wouldn't and with great success.

On my thread, I openly posted a vid, and asked for peoples opinions...and to which the focus of peoples response was the fact that i was using a pessoa-less constructive advice as to alternative methods- which would have ben alot more useful. That is the risk you take in posting on an open forum, and for the posts which are hurtful or negative there are many which are useful, constructive and positive.

Ultimately I posted because I wanted 'other eyes' to see if they saw what i saw...i didnt consider the negative vitriol towards pessoas as its use was instructed by my vet and in my personal experience i have always found them to be a useful bit of kit.

As an aside, I always warm up and cool down without the pulleys attached, and would only ever use it on the long and low setting. I spent along time introducing it to my boy and didnt immediately put in onto the bridle, but clipped it to the very side rings on the lunge cavesson and on a really very long loose setting. Yes the nature of the mechanism works by forcing his back end to work- but even now when its attached to the bridle he can still throw his head up and play around if he wants.

I think the vendetta against their use is misguided for the most part, although not without some justification, as like anything, in the wrong hands they can be harsh and unecessary.

I would say to anyone looking for advice or thinking about using them, get someone experienced to show you how to put it on and use it, watch it being used and the action of the horse underneath, make your own mind up about the use of it, take your time and go slowly.

The difference in my boy,in a short time, has been remarkable, yes he is still not sound, but he is physically fitter, moving better, his back and hind quarters are stronger and no longer sore, so these benefits, for me, outweigh any misgivings i have about the use of it.

I would also say that the people have an axe to grind are quite often the people who shout the loudest. People who are against- seem to be vehemently anti-pessoa and those for are often quite evangelically -pro.

Take advice, research, make up your own mind. Life would be boring if we were all the same, and what works for one may not work for another- it doesn't mean that either person is right or wrong.
 
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