Your input/opinions needed! Please let me know what you think of...

Ali16

Ali16

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... these various items of tack. I am conducting a little bit of research for a an article I am writing for a local saddler that we are doing some work with. Your opinions would be most helpful :)

Do you use/have you used/would you use etc? ... Why/why not? There are no right or wrong answers... just want to hear your opinions!

1) Drop nose band
2) Close contact saddle
3) Comfort bridles
4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc)
5) Side reins

Thank you kindly :)

Tea and Kitkats for all who reply!
 
Drop noseband - great. However I find it very hard to find a good looking one! I think the choice of styles in drops is very limited compared to the other nosebands.

CC saddle - I wouldnt be without my CC monoflap Butet. It is the nicest thing I own. Ever. Currently saving to replace my (otherwise very nice) Albion dressage saddle as nothing can compare to the butet (it's a jump saddle). I love the feeling of closeness and security from a CC saddle.

Comfort bridles - I have one. But personally it doesn't make a difference on my mare. But I have known it to make a difference on others, esp with double bridles.

Bling - As TarrS said - keeps owners (and okay - riders!) happy. Pretty mares deserve pretty browbands IMHO ;) Plus my owner loves it. But I have expensive taste and there is an awful lot I dont like. I like unusual peices. I wear good quality jewelery from Tiffany. So will my horse :p

Side reins - have their use. Prefer the complete leather ones. Good for babies.
 
Have used all of the above except close a contact saddle although i would if i could afford to buy one. :D i'll just have to settle for my saddle co saddle until OH decides i'm much easier to live with if he buys me a luxury dr saddle....

Bling - hmmmmm as long as it's verrrrry tasteful and understated i may be persuaded to part with cash for it but tbh, i think it's a bit tacky and would rather spend that money on something i need.

I have used all the other bits, side reins, drop nose bands comfort bridles. To me they're just part and parcel of owning tack and different horses.

at the moment, all i use is the comfort bridle (side reins just don't work on my mare) but if i was a bit more robust in the cash department i'd have it all!!!!! :D (yep, even a blingy browband!)
 
Ali16 said:
1) Drop nose band - if i could find one in the right size I'd have bought one. 2) Close contact saddle - Never tried one3) Comfort bridles - pony used to have one but is no different now he's in a hunter bridle. 4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc) - NEVER, but pony is very manly and would probably sulk if i made him wear it5) Side reins - in small doses, used correctly they can be very useful but as with most things used without consideration they can be awful.
Click to expand...

Hope that helps
 
1) Drop nose band - wouldn't be without one! However finding a nice one is SO hard! Can never get one to match a blingy browband, or one with coloured padding or patent etc. which is disappointing.
2) Close contact saddle - used to use one for jumping and felt much more 'at one' with my horse so less falls, less poorly judged take offs and less getting left behind.
3) Comfort bridles - Cheap ones are crap IMO (ie under £90). Elevator is wonderful. I'm yet to find a cheap one with SOFT padding like the Elevator has so I don't bother unless Im forking out for Kate Negus/Elevator/Albion etc.
4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc) I have a blingy browband for my chap. Custom made to my spec which i love. I think they have to be very highly considered and would always get one custom made to match the horse and the rest of the bridle. V shaped blingy browbands are HIDEOUS.
5) Side reins. Dreadful - only ever use them to attach to a chambon to make a de-gogue. Would use draw reins or chambon for lunging instead and drawreins or degogue to ride in.
 
Drop noseband: Love and use mine. Get very annoyed that finding one which fits/is adjustable across the nose is almost impossible. Would use a drop in preference to most other nosebands as a first port of call if a cavesson wasn't doing the job.

CC saddle: Love my CC jump saddle now, can honestly say I did not ride well enough to have one when I first got my horse. Would love a CC dressage saddle because I am so small and often feel a million miles away from the horse, but ditto comment re my riding when I first got him. As my riding has improved, my desire for more minimal saddles has increased.

Comfort Bridles: Bit 'blah' about these - the number of times I've seen them coupled with a bit that uses poll pressure which just makes me wonder why! I have one, I expect on certain horses it makes a difference, I think in general it just makes the person feel better rather than having a major effect on the horse.

Bling: Don't have much of a feeling either way. I have a different sport I use to let out my more 'alternative' side ;)

Side reins: Have a set in the lorry in case I ever need to lunge at a BE event. Have never needed to use them except in a lunge lesson otherwise. Not to say I wouldn't, just my sphere of experience hasn't included a scenario where they'd be useful!
 
1) Drop nose band
Yes I have. Most successfully with current horse as a transition between tight cavesson and flash that he arrived in and the loose cavesson he now wears. I hate the 'look' of drop nosebands, I think they are ugly, but they have their place.

2) Close contact saddle
As in single flap? No I haven't ever ridden in one, no particular reason other than double flaps have suited my needs. If you mean close design jumping saddles then yes I have, but only jumping ones.

3) Comfort bridles
Yes, as a priority now when purchasing a bridle, they are appropriately named 'comfort!'

4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc)
I don't own any bling. Could just about, possibly consider very tasteful and understated bling depending on the horse.

5) Side reins
Own a pair, don't use them that much but they make an appearance as and when needed!
 
SpottedCat said:
Bling: Don't have much of a feeling either way. I have a different sport I use to let out my more 'alternative' side ;)
Click to expand...

Anyone else intrigued?!?!


1) Drop nose band
Never used one so can't comment.

2) Close contact saddle
Absolutely love mine. I feel that my lower leg position has improved since riding in one. In fact, I tried my horse in a "normal" jump saddle and hated it and came away thinking he didn't give a great feel over a fence. Got him home and popped my CC on him and he felt like a different horse! and less surface area to clean which suits me just fine :D

3) Comfort bridles
I have a the Keiffer Ergonomic one which I really like. One of my horses goes much better in it, whilst the other one would go on a bit of baler twine just as sweetly so I guess it depends on the horse. I'm keen on anything to make my horses more comfortable though so definitely would buy another

4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc)
URGH NO NO NO! I cannot stand it i'm afraid. Give me plain old fashioned classical leather tack anyday! Katie Price has got a lot to answer for in my opinion... :mad:

5) Side reins
Not really my cup of tea. I try to avoid lunging where possible as much better to be on top, but if necessary, I much prefer the pessoa


Do we get to see the finished article (literally)?!? :)
 
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have been searching for a small pony sized one for my daughter's 11.2 sectionA but can't find one for love nor money - have used in the past to great effect, however they are SO darn unfashionable it seems as I am struggling to find anyone who stocks them

close contact saddle - couldn't jump in anything else, it would feel too clunky

comfort bridle - yes, although would not see it a a pre-requisite for bridle purchase

bling - in small amounts. However each to their own

Side reins - have their uses for short periods of time if used sensitively however like many gadgets are open to deliberate / ignorant misuse
 
Lex - My gold encrusted pony (silver is so last season daaaaaaaaahling ;)) is offended. That and you swore at us (you said the K-P words!) :p:p:p

Must admit, on the other horse I have a "no bling" policy as it just doesnt suit. But the jazzy mare NEEEEEEDDDDSSSSS jazzy browbands... and my stock... and my hair pins... and my gloves... yes. I go eventing dressed in this :o :D:o
 
Lex2501 I can honestly say it could not be further from my conservative, tweed-attired, traditional equestrian pass-time! It's very alternative, and my OH gives me no end of grief for it, but it gets me much fitter for eventing, and I appear to be considerably better at it, with considerably less effort....it is a proper sport, but not in any way mainstream. Most people outside of the USA haven't even heard of it. On balance, I am more likely to break something doing that than eventing.

Not sure I want to properly 'out' myself on here, so feel free to FB me!!
 
SpottedCat said:
Lex2501 I can honestly say it could not be further from my conservative, tweed-attired, traditional equestrian pass-time! It's very alternative, and my OH gives me no end of grief for it, but it gets me much fitter for eventing, and I appear to be considerably better at it, with considerably less effort....it is a proper sport, but not in any way mainstream. Most people outside of the USA haven't even heard of it. On balance, I am more likely to break something doing that than eventing.

Not sure I want to properly 'out' myself on here, so feel free to FB me!!
Click to expand...

My imagination is running wild :eek::D:eek::D
 
I will come across as old fashioned and out of date:

1. Drop nosebands. Used to use them years ago, haven't for ages, no idea why not.

2. Close contact saddles. Must admit not sure what one is. Does it mean just one flap?

3. Comfort bridle. Again not sure what one is.

4. Bling. Only in so far as a bling browband for showing and yes as have a hack and a riding horse they are big bling. Would not bling anything else.

5. Side reins. Yes. Don't lunge much but am using side reins or a chambon when I lunge depending on what I am doing.
 
1) Drop nose band Have 3, use them when needed horses seem to prefer them to a flash noseband
2) Close contact saddle Used to have one and would again if it was what I wanted and fitted the horse.
3) Comfort bridles Used one when I was riding for someone else, money permitting I would get one but since mine seem happy in normal ones I stick with what I have
4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc) Nope, not my taste! I am assuming that your definition of bling is diamante, as I have used browbands with white padding underneath them that shows top and bottom also used clincher browbands before.
5) Side reins Don't use them a lot as I don't really like them but I have them if they are needed.
 
Drop Noseband- Never used one, never had the need to. However, not adverse to them, but will use a cavesson or high ring grackle as priority

Close contact saddle- Yes, have a single flap saddle, and wouldn't be without close contact jump saddles, whether they be single or twin flap.

Comfort bridles- Yes, only bridles I will use, and they do make a difference in my experience. Have an albion and an Evision equine one, and love them both.

Bling- Yep, and LOVE the curved ones...waiting for my replacement one to arrive after having to return it as the stones dropped out :( :( it's very subtle though ;)

Sidereins- Don't own them, but again, they have their place, I've just never needed them :)
 
meardsall_millie said:
Hee hee - I know what it is ...... shall I 'out' you? ;) :p
Click to expand...

Me toooooooooooo :D. Shall we....? :p It can't be too wacky as they did a feature on it on Woman's Hour on R4 a few weeks ago ;)

Re. SC's comments on comfort bridles surely they're good used with a bit with poll pressure? I had a hunter who spent several seasons in a Cheltenham gag and gradually developed a band of white hairs across her poll. If I use a bit providing poll pressure now I try to use a comfort headpiece to at least spread the pressure a bit. Perhaps it lessens the action a little but I think that's preferable to the obviously focal pressure that caused the white hairs.
 
1) Drop nose band - used one in the past, would do so again if needed. Would go drop or grackle rather than flash if I ever needed to, after seeing a talk about the damage found in post mortems to the inside of horses mouths that have always worn tight flashes.

2) Close contact saddle - never had opportunity to try one, never needed one on J (only ever jumped 90cm really). May in the future!

3) Comfort bridles - as others have said, I think it depends on the horse. As it happens all 4 (two per horse) of my bridles are comfort bridles, J's almost by accident as simply liked the style, not sure he really goes any differently in them, roo's was by choice as I felt he was more settled in his heritage comfort (cheap one) than in his Jeffries hunter bridle, do replaced the Jeffries with an Evision comfort and do think I can tell the difference. He's also got a padded cavasson (crank but we don't use it as such) on there. Funnily enough I find the biggest difference is in putting the bridle on and off - he was sometimes quite annoying with his non-comfort one, would fling his head up. At one stage I was having to loosen both sides to get it over his head, never had to do that with the comfort bridles.

4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc) Erm, I do have a little bit ;) roo has a dressage bridle with patent noseband and browband, which I never used to like but I do think it suits him, and J has a bling browband on his jumping bridle! That's it though, and the one diamonte browband is a very simple single row of small crystals not too garish! He has a very petite dainty head and I think it suits him!

5) Side reins - yes, I have a pair, must admit I do very little lunging with roo as I'm paranoid about too many small circles etc with a big young horse. I use them on J, we lunge maybe once a week alternating Pessoa, two lines or side reins. They are never tight on him (they are full size and tbh too big!) but he does drop his head lower when they are on - on the lunge he has a tendency to revert to natural Arab head carriage!
 
Drop noseband: I've got a couple, including one of the "adjustable nose" jobs. They are ok, but I'm not as mad about them as everbody else at the moment and I disagree with Scheherezade, I think they are the height of fashion just now, especially in dressage circles.

Close contact saddles: I'm a Butet girl - say no more :p

Comfort bridles: yes, got some, plus plenty of old style ones too. I think the padding on the Evison ones is too short, Kat, btw - perhpas you'd mention it to her? :p :D

Bling: haven't got any, I like it on other people but I think I'm too old :(

Sidereins: Wow! I'm gobsmacked at the near-universal disapproval of these! I have some, and frequently use them for lungeing established horses, giving them a contact to work to. Mine have the elastic inserts with leather back-up (ie they only have a certain give before the leather comes into play again). I view side reins as very "establishment" and in no way a gadget: I trained, amongst other places, at Porlock which was an incredibly classically-orientated establishment, and horses were always lunged there in side reins, with or without a rider. The Spanish Riding School certainly used to use them for a lot of groundwork/lungework. So I'd be interested to know where all the side rein hatred has stemmed from :confused:
 
Drops, used in the past not now .
Close Contact saddles, have five love them.
Comfort bridles , have both traditional and comfort bridles I think the confrot bridles make a big difference to some horses.
Bling , I confess I love a bit of bling.
Sideriens, I have but can't remember the last time I used them so many better things to lunge in.
 
Drop noseband, have been totally converted after advice on here, was lucky enough to be lent an 'older' one from a lovely HHO'er and was then able to match up the sizing when I bought older ones on ebay, find the new ones are the wrong size, although must say the Kate Negus one I treated the girls mare to is great.

Close contact saddles, have been very lucky with ebay purchases and a brill saddler, have several bargains which we could never have hoped to own at the correct price. OH and I wouldn't be without them.

Comfort bridle, use with great success on a very head shy ex racer (has her ears twitched before we owned her), previously it could take me up to an hour to get a bridle on her, then got better but you had one chance to get it on, since using the comfort bridle she is now a 'normal' horse, I grinned today when she let me adjust her mane and forlock without throwing herself backwards across the stable

OH would kill me if i as much as suggest bling, his matchy matchy stretches as far as black and no further, I push the boundaries with one brown saddle cloth on my boy:rolleyes:

Side reins very occasionally used when lunging
 
Drop: have one, have used it but I don't get on with it :o

Close contact saddle: I have a CC Jump and love it, I ride in other people's GPs and feel like I am in a boat :p

Comfort Bridle: My horse has one for best but has a normal one for everyday, no difference in his way of going (footnote: his flash noseband broke so I had to raid the spare tack box, I found padded crank noseband, he refused to move, he is quite picky!)

Bling: I don't have any but I do like it (in small doses :D)

Side reins: I use a lot, for lunging and long reining, I find them really useful :o
 
Drop nose and - trainer had recommended one for little mare. If anyone comes across one that fits a pony please let me know, as I can't find one anywhere?! So in answer to your question, I would if I could. I don't like flashes really, so just use a cavasson at the moment.

Comfort bridle - wouldn't be without mine. Luckily mine came with hers but seeing as she is such a diva about everything I can only imagine what she would be like without one!

Close contact saddle - nope! Love my ideal dressage saddle! Probably saying something stupid but think you only get them in jump saddles?

Bling - less is more. I have tasteful (expensive) browband from dressage deluxe but that's it!

Side reins - I currently lunge in these or a chambon. If I can get away if just using a bungee I will ditch the side reins but little mare has learnt how stretchy they are....stopping to scratch your bum is not what I had in mind! So I got some side reins with elastic inserts as a compromise!
 
I strongly suspect it was highly sanitised for R4!! In the recent world cup, players had to alter their monikers to make them broadcastable :eek:

My thing about comfort bridles and poll pressure is that surely the aim of a comfort bridle is to relieve poll pressure, and therefore if the bit aims to give poll pressure, then one is negating, to a lesser or greater extent, the other. Which makes me think that given the amazing variety of bits on offer, there is probably something else which will do the job instead. It's not a vehement loathing - after all my Pelham is on a comfort bridle, but that's got more to do with how cheap the bridle was than anything else. Pay me no attention, I use a jointed Pelham with roundings and we all know that in HHO-land a) those don't work and b) they simply mean I haven't schooled my horse properly.

I've used comfort/non-comfort on a range of horses and never seen the slightest difference. Probably I'm too close to the rubbish end of the scale so there are far more influencing factors at play!
 
1) Drop nose band
Don't think I can recall ever using one, but would probably be very useful for Win I'd have thought.. only reason we don't use one is because his bridle came with a flash and I don't have a burning need to swap! :o

2) Close contact saddle
Never had one.

3) Comfort bridles
I try and make sure I buy bridles with at least some padding, especially if I need to do noseband up tight to cushion slightly, but have never bought a 'comfort bridle' as such.

4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc)
Have never used any since getting told off for having a slightly bling browband on the first tack and turnout inspection of my first ever PC camp aged about 11! :eek: In small doses nice, especially on pretty dressage horses...

5) Side reins
Used to use a bit for lungeing, but don't lunge very much now (not allowed to in school) but would use again I think, depending on what I wanted to achieve by lungeing. (ie, the 'long and low' idea with draw reins might also be appealing?)
 
big fan of the comfort bridles, before I bought one I borrowed a friends to test the difference. Horse went so much sweeter in the Albion Elevator than in his plain leather (unpadded) Sabre bridle. Love the padded head piece and nice big thick padded crank nose band, must make them much comfier imho
 
1) Drop nose band Oh yes, great piece of kit, have used for over 40 years now (and still have my first one!) Can't abide flashes, plain cavesson or drop for me I'm afraid
2) Close contact saddle Yes please
3) Comfort bridles Can't get that excited about them
4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc) No thank you
5) Side reins I own some, rarely use them though
 
1) Drop nose band - Have no need for one, but im not against it.
2) Close contact saddle - No need to i have a dressage saddle
3) Comfort bridles - Why not
4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc) - Yes as long as its tasteful i think it brightens up a bridle, but has to be understated and on certain horses, think big brutey boys look a bit daft. I have a delicate one for my mare.
5) Side reins - For certain uses yes
 
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