I agree, a German martingale is a
wonderful tool, and you don't know it is there unless you need it. There
is no constant pressure; it only works if the horse throws his head. If
you have one that rears, you just loosen the reins as you usually would and the
martingle does not work.
Basically, here's how it works:
your regular reins have rings on them. The martingale attaches to
the girth (I've never used one that attaches to the breast collar) and runs
under the breast plate and through the rings of a snaffle. It is VERY
important that the martingale runs OUT..IOW you stick the martingale ends
through the rings from the inside toward the outside. Then you hook it on
the rings.
My set up is a little different than
Tammy's. You can make your own with two sets of biothane reins. Put
one ring on each rein. This is a trick and best done by someone who makes
biothane tack. The ring must not be free on the rein like a running
martingale. Take the other rein and put a two way snap at the
middle. Put some little keeper on to stablize it. Put a few more
holes in your reins at the end and use a conway buckle to adjust the
martingale. I find adjusting the martingale much easier and simplier than
having two or three rings on your rein (the way commerical martingales are
made). It is very dangerous to use one without a breast collar, as they
could possibly get caught in them. The breast collar keeps the martingale
in place.
Please, don't confuse a German
martingale with a standing martingale. A standing martingale (the ones you
see on barrel horses) are very dangerous and teach a horse to push against it,
so if you ever take it off his head goes sky high! I can't recall ever
seeing an endurance rider riding in one.
Running martingales seem to be a
personal choice. I hate them; my daughter loves
them.
