Driving question......

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horsehug

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I have a friend who is fairly new to driving at shows and wanted me to ask on here if most of you who drive in the show ring use a martingale or not?

Thanks!

Susan O.
 
Most people do...and most of them do it for looks! *LOL* If you don't need it feel free to leave it off your harness. It should be adjusted so it doesn't have any effect anyway (i.e. the reins can travel in a straight line through the rings unless the horse throws his head up).

Leia
 
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.
 
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
 
Thank YOU, Dorothy! Well-stated!

I will add that you will almost NEVER see a horse, at least one who was started and driven by a 'trainer' specializing in miniatures for the breed show ring, WITHOUT a running martingale(which is the type being referred to here; there ARE other kinds!)in the AMHA show ring, and I suspect, in AMHR,too. Unfortunately, a check of either type is REQUIRED in the AMHA breed show ring; not sure about AMHR--but likely the same, is my guess. The running martingale is OPTIONAL, however--and as others have pointed out, NOT a requirement for producing a well-trained driving horse.

I almost never drive with either anymore. I 'bought into' the 'must use a running martingale' notion for a short while when I first began training to drive, but soon realized it was of NO use, quit using it, sold the harness that included it, and have never owned another. Same thing with an overcheck--no longer order harness to include it, and haven't used one in years. I do have sidechecks, as when I was still breed showing, I 'had to' use a check, and so would use that type, loosely adjusted--and on RARE occasions, when driving 'outside' in tall grass(Like there's any of THAT around here, in this drought!!
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), I will add the sidecheck, to help minimize 'snatching a bite'! Competed in my first little ADT a couple of weeks ago w/o either!

Edited to say: I see you said your friend wants to show, so she WILL have to use a check, but does NOT 'need' a running martingale.

Margo
 
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Yes, we use martingales on our driving horses.
may I ask why?

Not , you understand that I would ever use a check rein anyway!!

A correctly trained horse really should not need one.
A correctly trained horse shouldn't need a check either...

Anyway, in show I have just my normal reins, and that's it. In lunging training I might use some side reins (correct word?)

I just can't see the point
 
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 don't think a dutch girl without any AMHA showhorses, with an unknown name, can change anything in a American Studbook, I'm just a sily dutch girl afteral
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I have a question then, a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) was a big name in the miniature horse shows in Colorado. Anyway, she did and still does not believe in check reins. she was told she had to have one on to show in the breed shows. I believe it was AMHA, she put one on but so loose, you could tell it was loose. They actually disqualified her from the class. She does not show breed shows anymore. Have the rules been changed in the last 10 years or so to allow you to compete in driving classes and not wear a check rein?
 
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'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 .

I've recently been driving without a check or martingale and I have a much happier horse and a well framed one at that , but I do like to go to an occaisonal breed show but don't really want to comply with the check rein rule.
 
The rules of AMHA still require the use of a check-over or side. I have never heard of anyone trying to go in the ring w/ it attached to the cavesson or anything OTHER than a bit (with an overcheck, it is really proper to use a separate overcheck bit). It would be interesting to see what would happen, though! (My guess is that you would be 'penalized' for it....)

Margo
 
I have a successful country pleasure horse that has never worn a martingale and never will. I've been driving him since he was three, and he's now 9 years old. If we can pick up another 1/2 a halter point, we'll be going for Super Ammy at World--unfortunately halter is required for that, it makes it hard for the performance only horses!

As for most people using martingales for looks in the show ring, I disagree. So many have the horse's head "caught" between the martingale and the check, so they cannot move their heads. I can't tell you how many horses I watch drive by that are holding their heads up with the check tight, yet the martingale is still causing a dip in the reins. No wonder these horses sometimes blow up. :DOH!
 
I was able to attend the Western States Horse Expo in Sacramento yesterday and today. Today I attended a seminar by Muffy Seaton. She said that it is not uncommon for horses that are driven with a check rein to develop problems with their TMJ. Just something I thought I would throw out there since it relates to the subject matter. (By the way, she said to help horses with this problem, you can pull on their tongues!)
 
Sorry about that wrong name was logged in lol, now what I was saying before on christinas_ski's post

I am a believer in no checks required. My own driving gelding does benefit from the martingale, cause he does run naturally with his nose stuck up in the air, and of course thats what he did in the cart. Now that he is older and more experience he doesn't do that much, occassionally he still does it, but I think it helped alot when I was able to find a long enough side check where you don't need it so tight. Alot of these show harness I find their checks even on the last hole are really tight on the horse.

Do away with the check, and Im sure my horse won't even need a martingale. What are the checks and martingales? Aritifical presentations to the horse, you cannot tell me that most of these horses in todays ring move naturally like that, I am sorry. Pleasure driving heads up real high, heads real tucked in, by the help of the checks and martingales, and unfortuantly country pleasure is starting to look the same way. I want to see the horse move for real.

I want to see them do just like the martingale the checks optional too, and you should not be penealized for not wearing one instead maybe get a little bonous if your horse is moving nice without one.

And like said above a well trained horse should not need to use aids, unfotuantly my horse will not look his best until the check is off competely, at home we do not use one, and he looks awesome without it.
 
TMJ is the the 'hinge' joint(s) of the jaw. "Temporo-mandibular joint")--or temparo---not sure of the spelling.

Muffy Seaton is one of the best in ADS driving! We were fortunate enough to have a lesson w/ her at a clinic down in the southern part of the state a couple of weeks ago--WELL worth the 3 1/2 hour drive!

Margo
 
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.
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Then a true well trained horse with a natural way of moving would/should excell.
 
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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.
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Then a true well trained horse with a natural way of moving would/should excell.
I was thinking the same thing .
 

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