ridecamp@endurance.net: Martingales

Martingales

Bonnie Snodgrass (snodgrab@ncr.disa.mil)
Thu, 25 Sep 97 07:46:58 EST

Been biting my tongue for several days about standing martingales but
can't stand it any longer. My own opinions of the standing martingale
was strongly influenced by an occurance many years ago in a jumping
class. My first years of riding was at the old Portland Riding Academy
in the Portland Or suburbs. This was a large hunter jumper barn back
in the days before standing martingales was standard dress for the
show ring hunter. I was doing a course of jumps in a class of other
teenage students andthe horse I was on hung a foot down, caught a pole
betweenst his legs and fell on the landing to his knees. He shoved his
nose out ahead of himself into the arena footing and shoved his
forehand up enough to get his forelegs back under himself and
scrambled back to his feet instead of somersaulting on over.
Afterwards Don Kerron, the instructor, gave the class a lecture about
this was why you don't use standing martingales. He pointed out that
the horse's head and neck was it's balancer and in this instance
almost a fifth leg. He said if a standing martingale on a horse was
adjusted short enough to hold it's head down, or for the horse to
"balance" against it was short enough to be dangerous. I'm a believer!

That said, I will say that there's a possible exception to the rule.
The horse that's a bad head tosser or slinger. I wouldn't use a
standing martingale ever, then I got a mare that had a marvelous
ground covering walk. I found that if forced to walk slowly for miles
with other much slower horses that this good horse would vent her
frustration eventually with hard head tosses jerking my arms and
aggravating my carpal tunnel syndrome wrists. I finally relented and
if I knew that a particular ride with slower friends would set me up
for this agony I put on a standing martingale adjusted fairly long and
after giving herself a couple of bumps in the nose she would settle
down.

I will however use a running martingale adjusted properly. By
properly, I mean that the martingale is long enough to have no affect
as long as the horses mouth-rein-hands are in a normal straight line
with the bit resting on the bars of the mouth. If however the horse
raises it's head high or the rider raises their hands to much, the bit
now moves to the corners of the horses mouth, off the bars and looses
effectiveness. This is when a properly adjusted running M. will keep
the bit on the bars, keeping the contact needed for the bit to be
effective in stopping a bolting horse or protecting the horse from the
novice or flustered rider who has raised their hands too high. Many
horses when bolting or spooked or just evading control will throw
their head high, take control because the bit is out of place and go
their own way. No, it's no substitute for training, thats an ongoing
process but even the best trained horse can spook, bolt and just plain
get carried away when surrounded by a galloping pack. Nature tends to
prevail and I personally like to survive. I consider the running
martingale a prevention devise sort of like an air bag in a car. You
probably won't need it most of the time but when you do need it and
you don't have it, it's too late. So when riding in certain conditions
I include it as a safety prevention.

Bonnie Snodgrass

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