Sunday, April 19, 2009

English Riding?

As some of you know from my prevoius Englsh riding questions, I%26#039;m going to venture into the English world. - Excuse my silly questions, but I was wondering Does it matter if I get a D-ring, SS Ring, Eggbutt, Full Cheek snaffle, Loose ring? What the difference? I also seen this cute helement cover, it%26#039;s red and has a bow on the side, I was wondering if I should get it - Cause I just found out that buying a pink (red) jacket shows that your very expirenced and I was going to buy that until I found that out! And what is the diffence between a standard and a flash noseband? I also seen flat riens, laced riens, - does it really matter or is it just for looks?? And does SS Irons make any other difference compared to regular ones? Do Half chaps just serve the purpose of full western chaps? There are also Paddock boots or tall boots, which is made for what? Thanks for answering my enumeration of questions, it%26#039;s sure a mouth full, but it helps this new beginner!

English Riding?
If you have a very well behaved horse I would go with just a regular egg butt snaffle. I actually prefer the ones with the %26quot;bean%26quot; in the center. I don%26#039;t like loose rings as they can pinch the side of your horses mouth. The full cheek%26#039;s main purpose is to keep the bit from sliding through your horse%26#039;s mouth. If he is a very well behaved horse and you don%26#039;t have any situations where you are pulling a lot you really don%26#039;t need it. SS ring is the same as a loose ring, SS just means it is stainless steel. You do want this over just a cheap metal bit as the really cheap ones will erode and get rusty. A D-ring is also fine but slightly more severe than an eggbutt. It will give you a little more control. Again, if you don%26#039;t need it then an eggbutt will be just fine.





A helmet cover is not a necessity, if you like it, get it. It is just all personal preference. If you are going to show however, I would take it off. They are not used in the show ring.





No red jackets, you need to earn it!! Navy blue, Charcoal grey, black are all acceptable. Just remember that if you are showing, less is more. They don%26#039;t like flashy. Think conservative. If you are just schooling, you don%26#039;t wear a jacket.





A flash noseband helps keep the horses mouth closed. If your horse accepts the bit and doesn%26#039;t play with it or try to get his tounge over it a plain noseband is fine.





Reins are really just a preference. Again, if you are going to show, remember conservative. Don%26#039;t get any with rubber, or any colors. Just basic laced reins would be the best thing.





For the irons, again, SS means it is made from stainless steel. You want to get that over the cheaply made ones. You don%26#039;t need to get the most expensive, but at least make sure they are made with stainless steel so they will not rust.





Half chaps vs. regular chaps are a preference. They do sell full english chaps (they are the ones without fringe). Either way however you do not wear them while showing. That is where you have to have the tall boots. Tall boots are also acceptable for schooling.





Tall boots can be pricey, so a lot of people only get one good pair for showing and save them for that. You then get the paddock boots for everyday wear or schooling. Again you can go with full or half chaps with the paddock boots (or nothing, you don%26#039;t have to have chaps), it is preference.





HTH





I will reply to this:





I am going to have to dis-agree with carol because horses prefer a sweet iron over a stainless-steel becase the sweet iron will produce sweet rust and the horses LOVE to lick it off, it also isnt bad for them.





There is a difference between a bit with a sweet iron mouth, a stainless steel bit, and a plated bit. The plated bits (the cheap, cheap ones) do not have a sweet iron mouth and will rust through the entire bit. This is what I am referring to. You do not want that, you want a stainless steel bit. I am not referring to a bit with a sweet iron mouth that is made to rust. There is a BIG difference.
Reply:the type of bit depends on the horse you have/ are getting. a D ring is rather light and a full cheek is somewhat heavy.





if you like the helmet cover, then buy it. remember that you cant show with it though. but i wouldnt buy the red jacket as you said you havent even started english yet.





i like laced reigns better because i feel that they give better grip.





half chaps are their to serve as knee high boots. they give you a little more grip. though you cant show with them, they are very common in riding schools. paddock boots only go to about ankle height, knee high boots go right near the knee. i use knee highs to school, but they are made mostly for show. paddock boots are more for schooling with the beginner rider.
Reply:There is little difference between a D-ring and a loose ring and an eggbutt snaffle. Full cheek snaffles offer more indirect pressure to the opposite side of the horses mouth. Helmet covers should be black or navy, unless your showing cross-country jumping. Color of jacket should also be black, navy, grey or hunter green. (I%26#039;ve never heard of red meaning your experienced) A standard noseband is a simple circle around the nose, a flash noseband looks more like a figure-8, with an additional circle that goes around the muzzle of the horse. Laced or smooth reins are a matter of personal preference. Stick with regular irons for now. Half chaps are used with paddock boots to serve the purpose of tall boots. Paddock boots are generally worn by those under thirteen and tall boots by those over thirteen. You can go to www.doversaddlery.com for english tack and search what you want to see pictures. Good luck!
Reply:you%26#039;ll discovver whats best for you%26#039;r horse come time..... best starting with an eggbutt snaffle its kinder, the flash noseband is for if your horse tends to open it mouth to help close it so go for a standard, didn%26#039;t know that about the jacket??? half chaps are very comfortable i find it gives me more grip, full chaps are good too! paddock boots are more for mucking out and tall boots with less grip and little heal are for riding so ur feet dosn%26#039;t get caught if you fall off. goodluck
Reply:First off, the bit will depends entirely on the horse. I personally have a loose ring, D-ring and Eggbutt that I use regularly, all french snaffles (with the third joint in the center to help relieve possible pressure on the roof of the mouth).





As far as helmet covers, those are personal preference. I never ride with one, I have a schooling/event helmet and a velvet one for shows.





The pink jackets are only worn by hunt masters in fox hunting and by some experienced upper level (we%26#039;re talking Olympic upper level, not A-circuit upper level) riders, as mentioned they are considered out of style for general hunter type classes.





Standard nosebands sit above the bit, they can only do so much to keep a horse from gaping their mouth to evade the bit, which is why the flash nose bands are used. They sit down below the bit, actually around the horse%26#039;s mouth, effectively holding their mouth closed around the bit. They are useful in some arenas, but I would start with a standard noseband unless you find you need something else.





Reins are really based on preference. I%26quot;m sure whatever show circuit you%26#039;ll be in will have a %26quot;trendy%26quot; style (they do around here), but it%26#039;s really what works for you. If you%26#039;re new to english, it can be helpful to have laced reins to help you determine if your rein length is even and give you some %26quot;grip%26quot;, but it doesn%26#039;t matter either way.





Irons are the same way. Where I%26#039;m at, the hinged irons are all the rage, as are some of the newer angled styles, but whatever feels comfortable is good for you.





Chaps serve basically the same purpose in protecting your legs, but they protect different areas. Original western chaps were designed to protect the riders legs from burrs and brush, as well as cattle horns and hooves so they went the whole length of the leg. English half chaps are currently used to protect the inner calf from being rubbed by the stirrup leathers, but were originally used to protect against brush fences and crops/corn etc when riding through fields.





Paddock boots are designed to be used with either jodphur pants (the long, full length riding pants) or with breeches and half chaps. Most people find that schooling in paddock boots and half chaps saves them some money b/c they don%26#039;t have to replace the whole thing when one part wears out. Tall boots, regardless of style, do the same thing as the paddock boot/half chap combo, but in one piece. Obviously if you%26#039;re new to the sport, or if you%26#039;re going to be schooling alot/wearing your boots to the barn, etc you%26#039;re going to want to make sure you can replace what wears out as cheaply and easily as possible. I used to school in my tall boots b/c I had a second pair to show in, but again that is personal preference. Best of luck!!
Reply:The snaffles are somewhat the same, what you look for is the size of the mouth piece and the length of the snaffle. The thinner the mouth piece, the stronger the bit.





Get whatever helmet cover you want. You typically show in black velvet, your every day cover is what ever you want.





A cavesson or noseband does little to aid to control of the horse. The flash, figure 8 or drop noseband is what is needed with the snaffle bit. As an experienced rider to adjust it for proper fit.





Reins are your choice, I prefer the cloth type with the keepers...most people show in braided or laced reins.





Half chaps are in place of riding boots, so you can keep your boots nice for show. They keep the leathers from pinching your legs and protect your breeches. Typically you would wear half chaps with paddock boots.





Hope this helps.
Reply:bits really depend on what level of harshness ur horse needs 2 respond... iv never heard of the jacket thing but i do kno that it is better 2 get a black show jacket... the standard %26amp; flash also has 2 do w/ getting ur horse 2 respond... flat reins %26amp; laced reins dont depend on look purposes... they mostly differ in comfort %26amp; grip... laced have more grip... 4 me it depends on what size %26amp; strength of horse im riding... i use laced 4 my 17.2hh draft %26amp; flat 4 my 12-13hh shetland... 4 stirrup irons- SS irons r safer than regular irons b/c they allow ur foot to slip out of the iron better when u fall... 4 chaps- i must use half chaps especially 4 showing b/c full chaps are not allowed in english showing... paddock boots r cheaper, much more comfy, easier 2 move around in %26amp; easier 2 lug around w/ u...








hope this helps! : ]
Reply:I admire your courage for asking these questions. I also think that its great that you are rounding youself for different sryles of riding.





What breed of ors do you have? I would recomend a full cheek snaffle because that bit is especially used for setting the head of and english pleasure or equitation. It isn%26#039;t to harsh but its not to gentle, its just right. If you cant find one of those, i would just recomend a Loose ring snaffle. They are also great for english and pleasure but it is a little harder to set your horses head. I am going to have to dis-agree with carol because horses prefer a sweet iron over a stainless-steel becase the sweet iron will produce sweet rust and the horses LOVE to lick it off, it also isnt bad for them. Parelli also recomends the sweet-iron bits if you can find them





If you are planning on showing, go with a black helmet cover. Plain and simple. Get a hunter green or a dark navy blue show jacket.





A standard noseband, is just the plain old, regular noseband piece. A flash is the noseband with a drop piece that goes around the mouth to prevent the horse from opening its mouth in the show-ring.





Defintely go with the laced reins. They provide grip and they are prefered in the show ring.





No. All stirrup irons are basically the same. Jst go wth the generic ones.





Half-chaps, serve as a temporary full boot look while showing or just training. Or if you wear paddock boots while riding, the protect your legs from getting pinched. But in the show ring only children under 12 years of age are allowed to ride with half-chaps.





And last but hopefully not least, tall boots are for sowing, paddock boots are for lessons, training, ect.





Good luck and i hope you love this amazing seat!



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