Saturday, February 11, 2012

Personally I'd rather see him go a little hollow...

I first thought this was a dressage horse -- as it happens it's a jumper. I don't recall ever seeing a jumper in a double bridle, but draw reins seem to be in every jumping horse's tack box. In this case, the discipline doesn't matter. I'm no rollkur fanatic, but when I see horses put into a frame where there is no escape, they get a look in their eye -- a combination of grim determination and "nobody home." This horse has it. As I said in my facebook post, I hope he is treated like a king the other 23 hours of the day.


29 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2012 at 11:42 AM

    No.

    Just looking at that takes the joy out of the ride for me. If there is no joy, there is no point.

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  2. Now Thats A Trot!February 11, 2012 at 12:02 PM

    The current trend seems to be putting jumpers in a double bridle with a snaffle (with what sort of mouthpiece, one wonders) and either a gag, hackamore, or wicked-looking curb. And of course, the extra straps to hold the mouth shut.

    I can't point a finger at the jumpers, though. I've seen plenty of dressage riders and eventers use a similar rig for schooling -- most just hide it better.

    And yes, that vacant, turned-inward look kills me every time. Undoing that autonomous resignation is daunting work.

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  3. JeanFebruary 11, 2012 at 12:11 PM

    And in a double bridle, to top it off. The jumper riders I admire most are the ones with soft hands and the skill to ride almost any horse. Beezie Maddon is one of them.

    So sad to see this, but it happens more often than I care to even think about.

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  4. KateFebruary 11, 2012 at 1:07 PM

    Double bridles are actually quite common in the jumper world... at least in this area. Not nearly as common as dressage, but you see lots of different things- hackamores, combination bridles, single, double, bitless, etc. I personally have never understood why people feel its safe to jump with draw reins on...

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  5. SonyaFebruary 11, 2012 at 2:21 PM

    Good GOD what a bunch of crap in that horses face. Take it all off and START OVER. Poor animal.

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  6. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2012 at 3:49 PM

    It looks a bit excessive to me. If you can't control the horse without all that "stuff" on, then you shouldn't be riding him.

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  7. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2012 at 3:56 PM

    I've shown jumpers for 38 years. At home they go in a simple snaffle with no martigale, restictive noseband, auxillary reins, etc., but at a show they go in what works best. Double bridle? Yup. Double bridle and draw reins? Heck no. A trapped horse can be a dangerous horse!

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  8. DomFebruary 11, 2012 at 4:09 PM

    That blank stare breaks my heart every time.

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  9. SolitaireMareFebruary 11, 2012 at 4:38 PM

    All I can think of is this when I look at that photo:
    http://www.loupiote.com/photos/3700155454.shtml

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  10. billieFebruary 11, 2012 at 4:39 PM

    I said on Facebook that sometimes stuff like this makes me angry but when I'm in a tender mood it breaks my heart. Why would anyone want to do that to a horse? Especially one that is already doing the rider the huge favor/honor/gift of carrying him/her on his/her back?

    If anyone put that kind of get-up on a spouse or a significant other or partner we'd call it bondage and domination - and if it wasn't mutual it would be illegal and we'd be incensed. Do it to a horse and it's... okay?

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  11. ValFebruary 11, 2012 at 5:25 PM

    There is no room for draw reins in the training of a horse. Any horse. For any reason. I do not care if it is retraining and I do not care if it is in the hands of a professional. I am making a generalized statement, but I am not going to apologize by saying that it is my humble opinion.

    Any kind of dropped noseband with a curb chain and double bridle is also very severe and at the very least "against the rules" in dressage.

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  12. EdwardFebruary 11, 2012 at 5:56 PM

    Hello I am you’re newest follower. That’s a lot of tack but like Kate said not uncommon, show jumpers often have a lot of controlling tack because most horses get very excitable when jumping, one can only hope the hands holding the reins know what they are doing.
    Regards
    Edward

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  13. KathleenFebruary 11, 2012 at 9:01 PM

    Personally. It makes me want to cry.

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  14. TBDancerFebruary 11, 2012 at 9:23 PM

    When I see a horse in any sort of getup like the one pictured, I think of a horse that showed some talent as a youngsters and was rushed along without adequate time schooling in the basics. The "loud bits," as the founder of Meredith Manor calls them.

    And yes, dead eyes. One of the horses Gunter Seidel rode (not U II but the other one) always looked so sad--the horse did the moves and was lovely, but he was also warmed up for 90 minutes before the test, and with the money the owners paid for those horses, I'm positive there was never any turnout for them.

    That makes "dead eyes," too.

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  15. paulaedwinaFebruary 11, 2012 at 10:03 PM

    Wow; are you freakin' kidding me? This reminds me of when I was horse shopping I saw a horse for sale that was so tied down I had to wonder what the heck he would do without all the gadgets on him -explode? Sorry, when I see stuff like that I just wonder what the heck's the point?

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  16. jenjFebruary 11, 2012 at 10:17 PM

    Unbelievable, and disgusting. There's something wrong with someone who thinks they need that much hardware to ride their horse.

    And I can't help but wonder how the heck you hold three sets of reins?

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  17. Mary LouFebruary 11, 2012 at 11:17 PM

    And a flash noseband - ridiculous

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  18. The Thoroughbred Hunter LadyFebruary 11, 2012 at 11:44 PM

    "....lookin' at the sad eye of this horse, I see him resigned to feeling trapped & I also get the feeling that he has a "let's get the job done" mindset. In any case, it's a sad state of affairs when the trainer, rider and/or owner feels an alternative option, to get a horse around a jumper course, just doesn't exist. But, then again, I don't know this horse but I will say this, if this were my horse & he would only go around the course in such restrictive equipment, then we wouldn't be doing "jumpers", we'd work hard at finding something else
    he enjoyed and/or did well."

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  19. MurielFebruary 12, 2012 at 3:46 AM

    I agree with Edward, this kind of tack is for controlling very excitable horses. Sometimes at show-jumping, you can see horses who SEEM to only had a saddle put on them the day before. As long as they jump ...

    But Also some of them get very agitated when jumping, just watch the FEI Rolex show jumping World championship to give you an idea. Some riders have quite impressive tack. But they also are quite acrobatics to be able to stay on the horse. These horses ARE forward!!!

    It is not an excuse, just an explaination. IMO Draw reins have NO place in horse-training!!!

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  20. MareFebruary 12, 2012 at 7:21 AM

    Fing ridiculous. Let's count "gadgets" on this guys face...Double bridle, grackle, draw reins, running martingale. And he's completely behind the vertical. Some people should NOT be allowed to have horses.

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  21. paulaedwinaFebruary 12, 2012 at 7:47 AM

    Thanks for the explanation, Muriel. I'm wondering though; is he excited because he's happy to be there or is he just a nutter? Would George Morris jump with all this crap on? Have you seen the naked show jumper on You Tube? He's naked except for his helmet, and he's riding bareback. Horse looks to be going in a regular snaffle. Look: I'm just speculating since I don't know anything about big tent show jumping.

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  22. Stacey Kimmel-SmithFebruary 12, 2012 at 7:58 AM

    I've seen horses in hackamores and fairly severe-looking bits, but this just seems so excessive, esp for a show ring. I can only imagine what goes on at home...

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  23. DragonhawkFebruary 12, 2012 at 10:14 AM

    What the hell?

    I used to school on a hunter that went in a double bridle. I forget why he had it -- perhaps he got a little too strong without it; not hard in the mouth, just strong. I've also heard of field hunters having to use a stronger bit in the field than in the ring simply because the actual hunt would give them a major case of the yee has! and "I'm not listening to you! (rider)" However, I've never ever seen a full bridle rig like that before in my life. Wow.

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  24. DragonhawkFebruary 12, 2012 at 10:19 AM

    I would also like to add that I think someone needs to go back to Horseback riding 101 and I'm not talking about the horse. As far as I'm concerned, the hands are an emergency brake. If horse and rider are trained the right way, they should be able to do the same thing without tack as they do with it. Hunter, jumper or dressage, it doesn't matter -- you ride with your seat and legs, not your hands. If you need that much leather on your horses face, something is very wrong with the program.

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  25. BethFebruary 12, 2012 at 12:15 PM

    There is so much leather there, twisted straps here and there. The eyes do say it all though, don't they? I would title that picture "No Hope"

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  26. MurielFebruary 12, 2012 at 12:25 PM

    I think some of them are just bonkers. Have you watched show-jumping event when they exchanged the horses? I remember one a couple years ago where
    Meredith Michaels-Berbaum's horse : Shutterfly completely freaked out when they exchanged the saddle. Her explaination : He got scared of the ...(wait for it) ... girth. Yes right! *Coughing* a world-class show-jumper is scared of its own tack. IMO, that tells a lot about the horse's state of mind. She usally has a very interesting bit combination on her horses too. She is also very petite (50Kg).
    Again it is an explaination, not an excuse.

    I believe some of these top-notch horses loose their marbles under pressure, plus they are very fit and well-fed.

    I doubt you can "force" them to jump. Yes one can but not for long.
    I think they genuinely like jumping. Just like a dressage horse likes to passage. Remember that at that levelof competition, most horses are purposely bred, I guess lots of them are not sane. One jumper line was rwell-knowned for mental unstability, but they could jump mouintain !!!!

    Carl Hester says that horses when performing in front of thousand can get very hot. They really feel the pressure, and can feed from the crowd energy.

    Again an explaination, not an excuse.

    What I dislike most in this picture it is dead-look of the horse ...very sad.

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  27. UnknownFebruary 12, 2012 at 2:24 PM

    I wouldn't say *every* jumper's tack box. I certainly don't use them, and I know many well respected trainers who have a no draw reins rule. Anne Kursinski, for example.

    Agreed that this photo is disturbing and this combo is dangerous -- just asking for a horse to flip over... but I would rather we steer away from gross overgeneralizations while spot-lighting such things....

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  28. BeckzFebruary 12, 2012 at 7:18 PM

    I ride the jumpers and honestly the picture really saddens me. I don't think that draw reins should be used with a double bridle, or horses so BTV.

    At the same time most jumpers do school in snaffles at home and then at shows use stronger bits to compensate for the excitement of being in the ring and the need for greater accuracy. Personally I'd rather see a horse in a strong bit responding to a lighter aid, than watch horses being fought with in a snaffle.

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  29. SerenaFebruary 12, 2012 at 11:21 PM

    I don't think this horse could have anymore crap added to his face but sadly i'm sure someone could think of something. poor guy :(

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