nosebands

[Mossy]

Oh Mossy, I've offended you, I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention  :'(
The post was just to have a 'conversation' about the reason behind nosebands.

.....
However, I stand by what I said,
All the problems of pulling/fighting the bit etc, can be sorted, but it has to be from the ground and it does take time. But if you change your horse and you on the ground I believe the problems in the saddle go away.
Don't get me wrong, my mare can still say "I can't do/cope with what you're asking me to do, but now I listen, whereas before I didn't I just 'demanded' that she did as I asked.

.....

No offence taken, and I am sure that if all riders had the time and adequate instruction then 99% of problems folks have with horses are soluble without recourse to nosebands, or much worse!  However for those of us with limited time and/ or resources, intelligent and appropriate use of some assistance does not half make life easier!  No offence or slight taken so don't worry.

[lmevans]

I feel that, like most things, it comes down to personal preference.

And I mean the horse's preference mostly!



I use a nice fat cavesson on my big mare, makes her head look neater and prettier, and hides the scars on her nose bone from years in a grakle by a heavy handed rider  :'(

and I use a Drop noseband, properly fitted, on the cob man to help him "focus his mind"  It's a bit like training a labrador puppy - everything goes in his mouth and gets thoroughly chewed, the drop just helps to stop him getting distracted! I can still fit my hand flat against his muzzle inside it, but its enough to stop him trying to grab my feet/stirrups/reins/lunge rope/coat/passing bushes etc etc etc    He likes it, goes nicely in it, and it helps to stop us getting into arguements.


In general, I'm happy for any rider to use whatever combination that their horse goes well in - that implies the horse is happy in it and is comfortable.  No rider is perfect, most far from it, and being able to admit your own faults and come to a sensible solution to allow you to keep enjoying your horse, while staying safe and comfortable is better in my book than saying "never" and fighting on with little progress and unhappy horse and rider for years.   

But of course that does rely on the tack being well fitted and used correctly and the rider keeping an eye out for neddy comfort and happiness!

Just my thoughts, good thread, thanks for starting it
Lucie x

[Larri DB]

As I generally School in a pelham with no noseband which is most definietly an absolute no no as far as BD are concerned,  I compete in a snaffle with a loose flash or a drop so my moo still has the feel of "something" in her curb groove, if that makes me a substandard rider then, um ....so be it 

[Foxfold]

As I generally School in a pelham with no noseband which is most definietly an absolute no no as far as BD are concerned,  I compete in a snaffle with a loose flash or a drop so my moo still has the feel of "something" in her curb groove, if that makes me a substandard rider then, um ....so be it 

Why would you think that would make you a substandard rider?
Not quite sure what you mean.

[Belbe]

Why would you think that would make you a substandard rider?
Not quite sure what you mean.

aye! don see the problem either. You're using a noseband on the pelham loose, so basically, you don't even need it, and you're using a drop hopin it'll work on the groove, wich I'm guessing, should relax the jaw (unless it's too tight), so no problem there either...

[TashaKat]

My first ever (and very good) RI used to like to use a drop, especially with youngsters.  Never done up really tightly so as to clamp the mouth shut though! 

Any thoughts/comments on the fors and against with various nosebands?

I use a crank (done up like a cavesson with plenty of room) on Saff because the bridle came in flash or crank!  I have to say that she rather likes it and I'd never winch it up like you see some cranks done up.  I do prefer her with a noseband than without so, for me, it's just for show   

I was *advised* to use a flash when we were having her bitting issues ... thankfully I ignored them as I doubt very much whether it would have solved the problem, much better to have taken the bit out altogether for a few months and then reintroduce it gradually.  Without having tried it out I don't really know how she would have reacted but I suspect that a flash would have made the problem worse and not better!

[Belbe]

ok, i know this thread is old but given it's not that full, no point opening a new one. I was just reading the news on this site

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2010/10/126.shtml

and get the tingling sensation that all this crap is due to the stupidly tight cranks and flash! Oh sure, the horse bit it's tongue, just an accident, wasn't abused at all! now how come so many horses bite their tonge all of the sudden? I'm guessing mother nature wouldn't have anatomy that allowed this too often or we'd all have iron deficiencies... I could be wrong but it preety much looks like this is happening because the horse can barely open his mouth wich makes biting the tongue very easy, and can barely swallow, or the blood would barely show. I've had my horse loose a tooth for Christ's sake and only noticed the blood when I handed him a treat and got my hand dirty!

one thing looks nice though, it appears dressage judges are acting particularly fearful... I like that  

And one more thing! I take back what I said about nosebands in youngsters, I hadn't started any horse back then and was going by people I trust, more or less. I'm with Tashakat, it's a matter of gradual wise approach. Nosebands make a preety frame, that's all.

[Candypony]

Well, one trainer of mine has banned crank nosebands, no matter how loosely fitted and is firmly of the belief that nosebands are the source of all modern day evils in dressage - is rolkur even possible without a noseband???  The other is happy for me to ride in my double with a loose cavesson - I personally find it horrific that materials like sheepskin are creeping onto nosebands - what's it for if not to spread the pressure of a very tight piece of leather???

Having said that, I jump and hack Candy in a drop noseband and snaffle - normally done really quite loosely but if we haven't jumped in a while and she gets silly then it's the noseband that gets tightened a whole or two.  She instantly softens then and stops me needing either a stronger bit, stronger hands or whatever. (Sometimes I use a martingale for jumping too - but it is fitted so that it is nothing more or less than an emergency handle bar for me!!!  )

[ash]

Well I've just invested in a fixed sidepull, so I kinda need a noseband.   

Although when I rode bitted, we happily did without....less tack to clean. 

[catkin]

Most nosebands are designed to modify the action of the bit, some rather more successfully than others! Personally I have never had good results from flash nosebands but a neat flat little drop or a grackle on the right horse at the right time can work well.

I can't see the point of the big padded jobs, all those buckles all over the place and surely the padding stops the cheekpieces lying straight? Does that affect the mechanics of the bit, I would have thought so?

I'm riding the Welsh princess in an in-hand bridle at the moment with a stitched in noseband  - she likes it very much....then it is small and neat, and does lie flat and straight on her head.