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What Bridle Should I Use With A Snaffle Bit?

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The illustration above shows what happens when a snaffle bridle is used without a throatlatch. When the reins are pulled, the bit is pulled up in the horses mouth causing the cheek pieces of the bridle to bow out. This can cause the bridle to have enough play to slide over the ears of the horse and fall off, especially if the horses head is lowered or he goes to shaking his head. A properly adjusted throatlatch will prevent this from happening. There should be no more than a few fingers width between the horse jaw and the throatlatch. If the throatlatch is too loose it will not be any better than not having one at all. However, be cautious not to over tighten a throatlatch, because when a horse flexes or tucks his head, a too tight of throatlatch could compromise air supply.

 

 

Why Is There A Curb Strap on a Snaffle Bit?

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Why would someone use a curb strap on a snaffle bit when a snaffle bit does not work off of leverage? For safety of course! The strap keeps the bit centered in the horses mouth, and prevents the bit from sliding through the horses mouth when you pull on one side. A curb strap when used with a snaffle should never be made of chain, it moves too much, and can bang on your horse’s chin and drive him crazy. Also, if the bit does get rotated in the mouth the chain could injure your horse’s lips or bars of his mouth. So, stick to leather, nylon, string, or even baling twine ( not wire) for your curb straps. Your strap should be adjusted so it can not flop over his chin, but not so tight that is makes contact with the curb area of your horse’s jaw, and put unnecessary pressure on the bit. Your reins should attach behind the curb strap, just like the drawing shows.

 

Martingale Safety

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While a running martingale, or training fork, is a common and widely used training aid, there are a few things to remember when using one. I prefer the martingales with a neck strap. I don’t like the idea of having the fork swinging in front of their legs when they are traveling with their head down. A wrong step could get a leg tangled up and cause a wreck. I also like the center ring to sit close to chest, so everything is adjusted close to the body, so there isn’t a bunch of leather to wiggle around.

Anytime you use a neck strap you need to tie it up to your saddle. This will keep it from slipping down and getting locked up behind the horses ears. I just use a piece of twine and tie it to the ring on my pommel.

One of the most important things to remember when using a martingale is if you are using snaps on the reins or a shanked bit, or anything else that could get hung up on the ring, you must have martingale stops. These prevent the rings of the martingale from catching over the snap on reins, or the ring on the shanked bit, which could cause the reins to get stuck in a position that could make the horse panic and flip over backwards.
As for adjustment, that can be personal choice. Ideally, if you lift the rings of the fork towards the throatlatch they should just about reach. However, many people prefer their martingales adjusted tighter so it pulls on the reins even when the reins are sitting in “neutral” position. This causes a pulley type action when the reins are pulled and can significantly increase the pressure put on the bit, so this technique should be used with discretion. If the martingale is too loose it simply will just be useless, because it won’t put any pressure on the reins no matter how you pull.

I typically use a martingale to tune up a older seasoned horse that needs a little reminder to steady their head and neck, or a green colt that is starting to learn a little fine tuning about headset and body control.

-Mandi Thompson Training

How To Measure An English Saddle

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While browsing Ebay for saddles, I came across an auction for a english saddle that the seller claimed to be 15 inches, but it really didn’t look that small in the first picture. So I check out the other pictures and find out that they are measuring the wrong way. When measuring a english saddle it should be from the middle of the cantle to the middle of one of the nail heads on the side of the pommel. I did a little quick photoshop, and I can guess this saddle is closer to 16.5 inches. That is quite a difference in size!
First the original image:

Next the Photoshopped image:

The ruler reaches to about 15.5 inches and if you imagine it reaching to the middle of the nail head, it would be about 16.5 inches.

English Saddle Measurement

by Leave a Comment

While browsing Ebay for saddles, I came across an auction for a english saddle that the seller claimed to be 15 inches, but it really didn’t look that small in the first picture. So I check out the other pictures and find out that they are measuring the wrong way. When measuring a english saddle it should be from the middle of the cantle to the middle of one of the nailheads on the side of the pommel. I did a little quick photoshop, and I can guess this saddle is closer to 16.5 inches. That is quite a difference in size!
First the original image:

Next the Photoshopped image:

The ruler reaches to about 15.5 inches and if you imagine it reaching to the middle of the nail head, it would be about 16.5 inches.