[RC] Re:Using breast collars on flat trails... - Cunningham, Marci
Whether or not you regularly
ride with a breastcollar or a crupper is a personal choice. If you ride
with them it doesn't mean your horse has bad conformation or you are a bad
rider, it is just your choice and this is one reason endurance riding is such a
great sport. No one should judge you by the saddle you ride in, the
clothes you wear, the tack you use, the trailer you pull or the breed of horse
you ride.
All that said, if you don't
ride with a breastcollar or crupper just make sure your saddle isn't going to
drastically move forward or backwards on a steep slope. How many of you
remember what happened to Debby Lyon of California during the first 10
miles of Tevis in 1999 when the saddle slid off the back of a horse
well ahead of her and she ended up in the hospital when it panicked and ran over
her and her horse on a narrow single track trail? If you don't remember,
check the archives as it was well discussed.