Why does everyone wear flash nosebands?!?

rotters13

rotters13

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I've just be wondering recently why a flash noseband is now seen as a standard piece of tack? I've had several horses, only one of them needed a flash yet they all came with a flash bridle?!?

Any ideas?
 
Fashion - and now it's difficult to buy a bridle without as you say.

Personally I think they are an abomination and won't use them.
 
i think most bridles in tack shops tend to have flash nosebands,... also they are in fashion.

i dont really like them...but ride bugsy in one becuase he needs it - but if they dont need it, cavesson all the way
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xx
 
I didn't used to but after Bronson opened his mouth, set his jaw and tanked off with me a couple of weeks ago, nearly flattening some dog walkers, I decided I probably ought to stick the flash back on. It'll be coming off again when he's calmed down again because I really don't like using it (worry about it interfering with his breathing
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Well its not just fashion - a flash gives you more options

Why buy just a cavesson when you can have the extra flash strap for often a cheaper price?

If you don't need the flash, you can take it off, so therefore they are the most verstile noseband and hence why widely produced

If you hate the centre tab, chop it off with a stanley knife!

The flash strap can then be used as a curb strap, or roundings, emergency thin dog collar etc etc
 
I dont know why. Drives me nuts as its actually really hard to find a nice bridle without the flash (obviously I can take it off but still am left with the attachment bit). I don't anything other than a plain cavesson, personally I hate the other types and find them unecessary. If a horse is opening its mouth in the first place then IMO its the bit or schooling at fault.
 
I havent used one in years, but put it on a few weeks ago, just to remind horse that I'm not there to be resisted
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He was resisiting against my hand, and now the flash is on (its very loose) he is much better
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I would always buy a flash bridle, if they dont need the flash then i take it off, but i like the fact that if i need to, i can
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[ QUOTE ]
I didn't used to but after Bronson opened his mouth, set his jaw and tanked off with me a couple of weeks ago, nearly flattening some dog walkers, I decided I probably ought to stick the flash back on. It'll be coming off again when he's calmed down again because I really don't like using it (worry about it interfering with his breathing
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)

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A flash won't interfere with a horses breathing - in racing they are often used for horses that have wind problems to HELP the breathing. I don't think we should be dogmatic about what we do or don't use, it's about what the horse goes well in. Some need to have freedom and some are quieter in the mouth when it is closed (but not jammed shut).
 
Most bridles already have them on and that's it or the horse came with it on. I use a drop and a grackle on my current horse and the cost of buying nosebands separately is pretty high imo, the only brown drop I could find set me back £40 when my bridle with flash was the same price and not much worse quality either.
 
i had to look for ages to find a nice bridle without a flash noseband, got an Albion in the end.

drop bridles are nigh on impossible to find so i tend to buy the bridle and then buy the drop seperately.
 
"Personally I think they are an abomination and won't use them. "

i think thats maybe a bit strong.....a well adjusted flash will in no way harm a horse and has a variety of uses-mums schoolmaster wears one as he is a cheeky devil and knows when im on board as opposed to mum and will open his mouth and do "la la la not listenting" with her (i could ride him in a cavesson easily as he knows i am in charge lol!) so for her comfort he has one one (wont yaw and pull at her with it on, which she CANT have as she has a weak and plated wrist from a fall and arthritis in her back and neck).

my 5yo wear a very loose flash (can slide my entire hand under it!) as when he's having an ex-racer moment he opens his mouth as wide as he can and leaps off all four feet.the flash prevents him opening his mouth to the max and lets me regain control almost instantly where as without it he can do it 2/3 times in a row before i get him back. its honestly so loose it doesn nothing except in that particular circumstance.

i horse i school wears a fairly tight flash as she has a nervous mouth and tries to slide her bit side to side in her mouth, if she gets its *stuck* on one side she panics and flips out. the flash stops her moving it side to side thus stops the panic. she is happier in the flash as it limits bit movement and any bit movement really upsets her.in a cavesson she looks all tight and worried and wrinkles her nostrils up,yet in a flash she is relaxed with a soft mouth and floppy ears and works happily.

just a few examples of why you shouldnt condem them!
 
They do I have a terrible time finding a nice bridle without a flash!

However new horse does wear one, but I didn't put it on to start with, I only do now as he sometimes gets his tongue over the bit if not
 
I think they have their place and their uses, just like lots of things. You could easily say the same about just about any piece of tack or aids... if you don't need it, then simply don't use it?
Dante currently isn't wearing one. He's not being overly 'gobby' and mouthing too much, and he's accepting everything happily. In the past, he's had a tendency to fiddle too much - so the flash went on for a while, and it settled, and then to evade the bit in certain ways - again, flash went on, he settled! Flash no longer needed.
Think it's also unfair to say that a flash would only be needed because of a schooling or bitting issue, I can see how some horses genuinely would like the feeling of a snug (not tight) flash strap and it could make them a lot happier in the mouth.

As for difficulty finding flash-less bridles, I got a lovely one for just £50, very fancy and good leather. And most decent makes usually offer them with plain cavessons as an option...
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I personally prefer a drop noseband, which is what I use on my snaffle, but some horses prefer a flash. and some go perfectly well in a plain cavesson, but sometimes horses like to have the bit more stable in their mouths. There is no such thing as bad tack - so long as the rider knows why they are using it and how it should be used.
 
I think a large part is fashion but I also think that a number are incorrectly fitted and do minimal anyway.

One of ours doesnt wear a flash, we broke him and have had him 5yrs now. On the times I have time shared on the other horses bridles he hates it when a flash goes on.

The other horse came with a flash. I went through a stage of not using it but after 3wks he was horrible so flash went back on.

The 3rd wears a grackle but for pure dressage wears a drop which I'm not keen on but gives me more control than a flash.

Its personal choice just like bits/martingales what works works. As long as it doesnt hinder or harm!!

ETS: the boy that doesnt has 3 bridles and all are cavesssons all are Jeffries
 
Well, each to his own but personally I think many don't fit effectively for long, just by virtue of their design. To stay where you fit them and at that 'tightness' (for want of a better word) the cavesson needs to have an attachment to the headpiece to prevent it dropping and the whole gubbins being rendered useless. Use a drop unless you need a standing martingale. Or a grackle, if you must. I hate overtight nosebands, and so do our horses.
 
i was kicked into the next county a few years by a pro i worked for for starting youngsters without a flash or grackle on.
so i guess just personal preference.
now i just use whatever the horse goes best in , couldnt give a toss about what other people think as long as my horse goes better than the next persons!!
 
I've never seen the problem with them!

I know a LOT of people who start youngsters, especially dressage riders, will ALWAYS have a flash on........Laura and Dr B for example always have all the youngsters in flashes.............now I don't mind following their lead
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My Welsh D was always in a caverson until very recently when I found he accepts the bit much better with a flash.

Each to their own IMO
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Aghh, ive been looking for ages for a nice bridle without a flash, I know you can just take the flash strap away but then your left with that bit of leather that really annoys me!!

One lady at my yard has her horses flash done so tight it annoys me, she has white foam around the strap when shes done, uncalled for IMO, poor horse, head is chucked up in the air every 5 mins, yet shes fab to ride in a head collar!! Yet the owner doesnt realise this
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Flash's are really cool. Laura and Dr B use them as do loads of other pro celebrity riders. The fact that they are really uncomfortable for the horse and cover up my bad training doesn't matter does it?
If they have the added benefit of a crank your horse can become totally submissive. I thought that was what we were all striving for?

Am being a bit cheeky here.
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have used them in the past but now think that other nosebands can have a better effect ie drop or grackle (when properly fitted)
 
my horse came with a flash noseband as part of his tack whenn we brought him as a 4yr old... as a diddy 11yr old and him as a 14.3hh cob cross he had his rather to strong moments!
for years i didnt question it... then i forgot it one day at a jumping show... didnt make any difference and didnt bother putting it back on again..

i have on 2 occassions since (had him 10years + now) put it back on... thats when he gets strong and silly.

I think the key for me successfully not needing it was my confidence and comunication with him... he did need one with an experienced rider but when i was tiny and a novice and he was big and strong it gave the edge if control so he didnt learn he could get the better of me!

i personally see more grackle nosebands myself... very fasionable in the jumping ring at the moment! (unaffiliated)
 
[ QUOTE ]
"Personally I think they are an abomination and won't use them. "

i think thats maybe a bit strong.....a well adjusted flash will in no way harm a horse and has a variety of uses-mums schoolmaster wears one as he is a cheeky devil and knows when im on board as opposed to mum and will open his mouth and do "la la la not listenting" with her (i could ride him in a cavesson easily as he knows i am in charge lol!) so for her comfort he has one one (wont yaw and pull at her with it on, which she CANT have as she has a weak and plated wrist from a fall and arthritis in her back and neck).

my 5yo wear a very loose flash (can slide my entire hand under it!) as when he's having an ex-racer moment he opens his mouth as wide as he can and leaps off all four feet.the flash prevents him opening his mouth to the max and lets me regain control almost instantly where as without it he can do it 2/3 times in a row before i get him back. its honestly so loose it doesn nothing except in that particular circumstance.

i horse i school wears a fairly tight flash as she has a nervous mouth and tries to slide her bit side to side in her mouth, if she gets its *stuck* on one side she panics and flips out. the flash stops her moving it side to side thus stops the panic. she is happier in the flash as it limits bit movement and any bit movement really upsets her.in a cavesson she looks all tight and worried and wrinkles her nostrils up,yet in a flash she is relaxed with a soft mouth and floppy ears and works happily.

just a few examples of why you shouldnt condem them!

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And a drop wouldn't work for these situations because . . . . ?
 
[ QUOTE ]

I know a LOT of people who start youngsters, especially dressage riders, will ALWAYS have a flash on........Laura and Dr B for example always have all the youngsters in flashes.............now I don't mind following their lead
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But *why*? I think the above comment sums up the entire post TBH... why do they *always* put their youngsters in a flash? Surely if you have a baby horse (any horse, come to that), you want it in as little tack as possible for as long as possible? I can't understand why someone would put all of their horses in a particular type of noseband just for the sake of it. All horses are individual - some will go nicely in a flash, others in something different.

I also can't understand why you would put your horse in a flash just because a famous rider does?
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Or have I got the wrong end of the stick??

I agree with the OP though, it's a pain to find a plain cavesson bridle anywhere. Everything has a flash on. I don't personally like flashes. My horse came in one but he hates it with a passion. He hacks out and schools in a hunter noseband (big hunter head), occasionally schools in a drop if he's a bit gobby but much prefers the drop to a flash. I jump in a grackle because he won't tolerate a stronger bit at all but I don't have enough control in a drop or cavesson. I know how the grackle works, I've played around with pretty much every noseband out there and the grackle suits him best for jumping (well actually, it suits me... if it was down to him, he'd have a cavesson on and go as fast as he liked
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).
 
You can get Albion bridles and Kate Negus bridles with your choice of nosebands, plain, flash or drop. flash nosebands do have their place mainly because some horses like the bit to be stabilised but also cross or brace the upper jaw. If they just prefer a stable bit or have a tendency towards mouth evasions, a drop is probably better. Not all horses are perfect. In the SRS, all young horses are started in a fulmer snaffle and drop noseband.
 
On the opposite side of the coin, a lot of people say a flash can actually be kinda on the horses mouth, as it takes away the option of the horse resisting by opening its mouth, so therefore a lighter and stiller contact can be taken to get a horse working correctly
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My mare currently goes in a cavesson as she wont settle in a flash, but she will be going in a high ring grackle when necessary as the pressure is more evenly distributed IMO. Everything has a purpose, as long as it is used correctly
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fashion, i think. fwiw i start mine in a cavesson with fulmer, then if necessary change to a drop which sits beautifully with fulmer, they complement each other perfectly. this gives stability of the bit, a slight steering aid, and gently encourages the jaw to stay closed, but still allow mouthing.
as Halfstep says, in the Spanish Riding School all their horses are started in a fulmer + drop. the drop has only gone out of 'fashion' because it isn't as flattering to a horse's head, allegedly. hmmm.
 
I've always used drop nosebands, and see more and more of them at BD now - they are coming back into fashion!!!
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I used to show jump in one, a gorgeous rich brown Stubben drop noseband, which unfortunately got lost when I split up with my boyfriend and Stubben don't make them any more!
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Ps in Germany drops are known as Hannovarian nosebands, which is how they are described by a lot of continental saddlers/shops.
 
[ QUOTE ]
You can get Albion bridles and Kate Negus bridles with your choice of nosebands, plain, flash or drop. flash nosebands do have their place mainly because some horses like the bit to be stabilised but also cross or brace the upper jaw. If they just prefer a stable bit or have a tendency towards mouth evasions, a drop is probably better. Not all horses are perfect. In the SRS, all young horses are started in a fulmer snaffle and drop noseband.

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I agree completely and I did say that all horses are individuals, some will like drops, others no noseband, and others will like a flash. I have no issue with that at all, i'm not evangelical about it. I like a drop noseband, I think they're really useful and I work my horse in hand and on the long reins/lunge in one. It would be lovely to think all horses were perfect and all riders had forgiving hands and a lovely seat, but in reality no one is perfect (wish I was though
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), so some require something different.

Your point about the SRS is interesting though as that goes back to my original point... why start *all* of your young horses in a drop? I understand what you're saying about keeping the bit stable etc but I don't know of that many horses who actually go well in a drop.
 
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the drop has only gone out of 'fashion' because it isn't as flattering to a horse's head, allegedly. hmmm.

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Even though I ride in one, I do have to agree. I don't like the look of a drop, or not on my horse anyway. I much prefer how his head looks in either a hunter-style cavesson (but then he's a big old-fashioned hunter type anyway) or a grackle, but he is ridden in what suits him rather than what looks best.
 
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