No, never.
Coupled with a check rein it is a recipe for...if not disaster then one really unhappy horse.
Not , you understand that I would ever use a check rein anyway!!
A correctly trained horse really should not need one.
I absolutely agree with Rabbit. With the check pulling the head up and the martingale pulling the head down, how is the horse to find his way?
Our horses compete in both worlds; CDE and the show ring. The rules define what we may or may not use in both disciplines, so because martingales and checks are specifically prohibited in the dressage ring, none of our horses are trained to depend on either. In the showring where we have to "check up", we go with the absolute minimum. My favorite little gelding is due to compete in CDE two weeks from now and last week won the open pleasure driving stakes, unanimously, with as loose a check as we could get away with.
That said, I think many people use their martingales (really meant to be a training device) in the ring because they are fearful of not using it. If you never take it off, you never teach the horse to carry himself. Ditto the check.
Dorothy
may I ask why?Yes, we use martingales on our driving horses.
A correctly trained horse shouldn't need a check either...Not , you understand that I would ever use a check rein anyway!!
A correctly trained horse really should not need one.
I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried this .... I mean you could attach it to the caveson .. heck when I got my harness that's where it was attached to begin with .It may be of interest to note that there is NOTHING in the AMHA rules that states the check rein has to be attached to the bit, nor that it has to actually do anything at all.
If you disagree with a rule strongly enough, get it changed, it should obviously be optional, anyway.
I was thinking the same thing .I got it a "Natural" pleasure driving class. No checks or martingale or anytype of training aid allowed. And breeching would still be optional. Showing the driving horse all natural.
Then a true well trained horse with a natural way of moving would/should excell.
Enter your email address to join: