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

Drop nose band- Can look really nice of horses with pretty faces and does the same job and a flash, so very partical if your horse puts his tonge over bit.

CC saddle- brilliant for jumping and good for position!

Bling!- In small amounts can look very nice especially on dark horses!

Side reins- They have there purpose for training young horses etc but i hate the thought in people riding with them and when i used to use them on my mare it just used to make her back end lazy.
 
drop nose band: never used one so can't comment

close contact saddle: love it - comfy to jump in but sadly no longer fits my horse

comfort bridle: honestly havent seen any difference in jerrys way of going but like the styling of it.

bling: yes please :) I prefer to make my own

side reins: useful when used correctly :)
 
Wowza! Thanks for the responses guys!

You lot do make me giggle :)

Totally intrigued by what SpottedCat's alternative sport is though??

Yes - I will post the finished article on here when it is done, probably some time next week (if work is quiet ;))

This is all so helpful.. thanks so so much :)
 
I think the air of mystery is probably more interesting than the real thing. Been surprised by people's reactions to me doing it though - it really is a sport (as opposed to something you might also find in a club, but dressed up as 'fitness' ;)), but people have been quite reactionary about it as it is a bit alternative and has a really alternative image, which people don't associate with me I guess!!
 
Ali16 said:
1) Drop nose band - yes currently have one on my TB
2) Close contact saddle - no, haven't got the money to buy one!
3) Comfort bridles - no generally get second hand bridles from tack sales (nice ones though!)
4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc) - no, don't 'do' bling!
5) Side reins - yes used to use them on the youngsters

Thank you kindly :)
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White one sugar please!
 
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1) Drop nose band - bought one yesterday to try as mare is happiest in a grackle or without a noseband so figure it's got to be worth a try.
2) Close contact saddle - yup
3) Comfort bridles - I like the idea but not convinced that they make a difference... horses for courses I guess
4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc) - yes in the right situation eg BD but definitely not on an eventer or with tweed.
5) Side reins - have used to lunger but prefer pessoa so tend to use this.

SC - I am totally intrigued now and my imagination is running wild and along the lines of pole dancing etc!
 
1) Drop nose band - Yup, use one on Mally for dressage, but she also goes in a flash and a grackle. I just find she goes a weeny bit better in the drop for flatwork.

2) Close contact saddle - I have a Monoflap jumping saddle, which I adore. Mally goes better in it than she does her Dressage saddle (both fitted by the same saddler) Wouldn't swap it for the world, although it felt very odd the first time I rode in it!

3) Comfort bridles - I use Comfort bridles exclusively. No idea if they make a difference to Mal or not, but Hen is a funny beggar about his poll and I figure they can only help.

4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc) - I have this browband...
89d575ee.jpg

A Black Crystal Albion one, which I think is lovely. Very subtle, I doubt you'd notice it unless you really looked, but when it catches the light it looks beautiful. Not a huge fan of over the top stuff, but I do love my bling browband :p I'd love a Brown crystal version to go with my brown tack. (I do remove it for hunting though, don't want to get a name for myself ;))

5) Side reins - I sometimes lunge in side reins, sometimes with something else. I think they have their place and like TD can't see why it has suddenly become fashionable to hate them so much.
 
SpottedCat said:
I think the air of mystery is probably more interesting than the real thing. Been surprised by people's reactions to me doing it though - it really is a sport (as opposed to something you might also find in a club, but dressed up as 'fitness' ;)), but people have been quite reactionary about it as it is a bit alternative and has a really alternative image, which people don't associate with me I guess!!
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Don't you direct them to "the" movie? Okay, a bit "young" perhaps but 5* Hollywood pedigree. :)
 
1) drop - like them but only some horses suit them - if I had to would get one made as Billy has a long head but a small mouth!

2)close conact saddle - I dont like them for the reason that hacking out in them is not encouraged, but ive never ridden in one as I love my ideals :)

Don't see the point of comfort bridles - maybe on a sensitive horse but for most of us a normal bridle will do :)

I have a sparkly brOwband, and it does suit Billy as he has an otherwise ordinary hunter head :p

I like side reins, I have a nice pair of leather ones :)
 
Gamebird said:
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 ;)
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So I had a nosey on the R4 Women's Hour website and found a feature on Prositution, it's certainly a novel way of keeping fit and I can definitely see how it would allow your 'alternative' side out, but I didn't realise it was an official 'sport' these days... ;) :D
 
TarrSteps said:
Don't you direct them to "the" movie? Okay, a bit "young" perhaps but 5* Hollywood pedigree. :)
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I do. The title provokes lewd comments along the lines of MegaBeast's train of thought. (I thought the movie was ace, but my guilty secret is a love of American teen-TV a la Gossip Girl/Glee/teen-chick flicks like 10 things I hate about you!). Since my friends refer to eventing as 'donkey-walloping' I think I am on to a losing battle with the other one....too..many..jokes..... :rolleyes:
 
kirstyhen said:
So I had a nosey on the R4 Women's Hour website and found a feature on Prositution, it's certainly a novel way of keeping fit and I can definitely see how it would allow your 'alternative' side out, but I didn't realise it was an official 'sport' these days... ;) :D
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Am absolutely PMSL. As is my OH :D
 
MegaBeast said:
SC - I am totally intrigued now and my imagination is running wild and along the lines of pole dancing etc!
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See I specifically said it wasn't something you'd normally find in a club that had been dressed up to pretend to be fitness, didn't I?! There is always one.... :p
 
kirstyhen said:
:D :D I was slightly worried you might be offended! :o

In my defence, it all fits, there's even a film about it ;)
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It's all a bit less Julia Roberts and a bit more Drew Barrymore ;)

I am pretty hard to offend - so hard that I can probably still name all the people who've done it....it's not a long list, and I am thick-skinned.
 
Drop nose band - yes currently have one on my eventer - not used one for yrs before now
2) Close contact saddle - no, haven't got the money to buy one!
3) Comfort bridles - yes, I do have a couple - they feel nice so figure they must be more comfy for the horse
4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc) - never used to as always had Welsh Cobs but bling suits Monty so have just invested in a pretty browband for dressage.
5) Side reins - i do have them but v rarely lunge so they dont get used much.
 
Ali16 said:
... 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!
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Drops- not used one myself, partly because i don't own one and also i would worry that i'd fitted it right. however, have seen a lot of DR people using them recently so think they are having a resurgance

close contact saddles- love these...would be my preference if i actually had money to buy a new saddle- pref a devocoux (sp?) one!

comfort bridles- have one of these, my horse has a wierd shaped head and find this fits better and must be more comfortable surely!

Bling- i have silver piping on my bridle if that counts?! i'm not really into bling but i do like the look of it...i'm just too scruffy to carry it off!

Side reins- my preferred tool for lungeing, find they work best with my horse when loosely fitted

:)
 
kirstyhen said:
So I had a nosey on the R4 Women's Hour website and found a feature on Prositution, it's certainly a novel way of keeping fit and I can definitely see how it would allow your 'alternative' side out, but I didn't realise it was an official 'sport' these days... ;) :D
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PMSL! :D
 
Drop nosebands - have a couple, but I'm not a big fan. I like my horses to be very light in the contact, and fell that drops can make them feel a bit set.
CC saddles - I don't jump much these days, but had a lovely Butet close contact a few years ago, which I loved. Am completely in love with my Stubben dressage saddle - praying that it fits my next horse, if I get back into this riding lark!
Comfort bridles - have three!
Bling. Not really my thing - but I do have this browband. My last horse was a socking great dark bay warmblood - he needed something macho, but vaguely sparkly!
 
TableDancer said:
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:
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Hello stranger! :p

Drop nosebands: I've got one but to my mind it doesn't make enough of a difference to negate how ugly they can make a horse look. ;)

Close contact saddles: another Butet girl here, although I've been unfaithful and am having a dalliance with a Prestige - it's not as gentle on my bum though. :eek: :D

Comfort bridles: Moo Cow Cal loves a bit of padding on his headpiece but with ears that size he would be the most in need of some cushioning. The others are so stoopid they wouldn't notice any difference. ;)

Bling: I don't have any, it was bad enough me wearing white breeches to try and blend in when I did some BD on Humungahorse without adding diamante to the mix. Anyway, I'm sure they don't make them big enough for HH-sized heads. :o

Side reins: I'm a bit :confused: about why they're the work of the devil, particularly as anything that's attached to the bit -draw reins, Pessoa, hands, whatever - has the potential to be less than productive if used incorrectly. Whatever. :rolleyes:
 
1. Drop nosebands.
Never used one and tbh not keen on ho they look, but if the horse needed one I would use it.

2. Close contact saddles.
Have ridden in them, and they can be comfy, but I like a massive kneeblock if possible!

3. Comfort bridle.
Have added a poll guard thing to my Stuebben comp bridle. The horse likes it. I would use comfort bridles all the time if I could afford another one!

4. Bling.
Absolutely not!

5. Side reins.
Lunge in them sometimes, prefer de gouge or pessoa though.
 
SpottedCat said:
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:
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They did spend quite a lot of time going into the names - why people got the ones they did etc. and some of them were very... umm... non-R4! :eek: I'm sure there's worse though. Go on, what's yours? :D

Re. the side-rein debate I break everything in in side-reins - for long-reining, lunging and initial riding. I rarely use them on older horses with the exception of improving the contact with 'unsteady' horses: twenty mins on the lunge with a consistent side-rein contact then take them off, hop on and Bob's your uncle - consistent and steady contact.
 
Ali16 said:
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
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1) Love drop nosebands for their effect, but if a horse goes nicely in a flash or cavesson I'll use those because the step to a double isn't such a big one.
2) Like any saddle, it's got to suit the horse. I had one that fit the horse but was quite stiff and horsey didn't like it.
3) Like, like, like, but have to be careful if they have a crank noseband that they are NOT fastened too tight.
4) Tasteful, nice if it suits the horse, one has a blingy browband and the other (working hunter type) doesn't
5) Have never used these, use the Kavalkade lungeing aid or nothing (hate lungeing).
 
Quick question for those people who can find drop nosebands - who makes them in small pony size?? (I have an 11.2 welsh A who needs one but I can't find one small enough)

Ta muchly x
 
Ali16 said:
1) Drop nose band - have used many moons ago, but not currently
2) Close contact saddle - on my list of things to covet
3) Comfort bridles - I have a cheaper copy of the comfort bridle for my youngster. He is big into everything comfortable... extra padding, dead sheep everywhere...
4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc) - Haven't yet - but would like to at some point.
5) Side reins - yes, have used them with the youngster

Thank you kindly :)

Tea and Kitkats for all who reply!
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Lovely - but can I have coffee please?
:)
 
Gamebird said:
They did spend quite a lot of time going into the names - why people got the ones they did etc. and some of them were very... umm... non-R4! :eek: I'm sure there's worse though. Go on, what's yours? :D
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Not telling here! But I can promise mine is 100% R4-friendly and also totally U-rated. There is a big debate going on about it in the sport, as some are just, well, wrong. I personally don't really 'get' the properly x-rated ones, but I am very much less 'alternative' than many people who do it, and have to confess to being a bit uncomfortable with our team name for various reasons, but it's a democracy and people with louder voices than me like it, so it stays. I think it is off-putting and will hinder our public image/getting sponsorship etc, but time will tell on that one, since we are probably 12 months away from playing competitively it doesn't really matter at the moment! :)
 
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


Ive never used a drop nose band and dont know much about them. But my friend said it made such a difference with her horse.

I loveeeeeeee my close contact saddle. Im having to sell it though as it doesnt fit pony any more :( Myn's a jumping one so the only down side to that is when im schooling I can literally feel everything and anything lol, If my mare trips or anything I find I get totally thrown out of position- but then thats what there for the jumping ones so I cant complain :D But overall I love the whole concept of close contacts.

Comfort Bridles- Again ive never used them but they sound like a good investment.

Tasteful- If im honest, im more of a plain jane...call me boring and all :o although I do like some blingey browbands.

Sidereins- I like side reins and use them very loosley on my mare when lunging. Used correctly they are very useful, used badly and they can cause alot of damage. I prefer the leather ones rather then the elasticated ones.
 
1) Drop nose band
don't use one atm...no need.... but have been using them since they were en vogue the first time around..... mildly tickled that they are a subject of renewed interest.... I remember when flash nosebands 'came in'

2) Close contact saddle
how do people ride in anything else (although still pestering OH for a butet!) (& until you've ridden in a racing saddle, i can honestly say nothing else is 'close contact!);) ;)

3) Comfort bridles
a bit take it leave it, tried a mid range price one, saw no difference, may try a uber expensive one if this winter of intensive dressage training doesn't pay off!!

4) 'Tasteful'(!) bling (i.e. no pink diamante, just understated browbands etc)
Used to have coordinated browband/french blinkers on one of my pointers, now stick very much to brown & tweed!)

5) Side reins
use them all the time, mainly for lunging, but also use them on my kids ponies to give them a consistent contact & stop them sticking their heads on the floor & eating..... wouldn't be without them TBH!
 
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