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[RC] re: running martingale - Mary KraussIn response to one ridecamper's sense that I am "so critical of other people's tack choices", I very carefully worded the original question so as to be educated about when such gear is helpful or even necessary. I appreciate her answer!Martingales are on my mind because I went to look at a beautiful 1/4 Saddlebred 3/4 Arabian 5 yr. old who's being ridden in one. He's a rescue, newly under saddle, very spooky and reactive, and the martingale was being used to prevent his throwing his head. However, when I went to halt him, his foster mom yelled frantically, "don't touch his mouth", just as I realized his ears had pinned back. I quickly let go (barely any pressure in the first place btw because I knew he was very green), and asked, "how do we stop!" She said "ho" loudly and he screeched to a halt. I went away with two thoughts: 1) I'd broken the John Lyons rule about not getting on anything you knew perfectly well was still out of control from the ground, and 2) a concern that the martingale was causing the thin snaffle to pull down on the bars instead of more benignly on the corners of his mouth. I wondered if removing the martingale would have let the gelding relax about the bit. So, I still don't really know if the martingale was causing the problem or helping the horse. I've seen them used in every discipline but truly do not understand how they work or why they are necessary. Any thoughts on using one on green vs. experienced horses?? Mary K. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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