Flash nosebands, tack fitting and wrinkles at mouth when fitting bits

ell

Found this, thought I'd share: Flash nosebands & wrinkles at mouth when fitting bits

Flashes, bits, etc - It can go something like this:

Horse "Rider, your hands are pulling a constant traction back and putting pressure on my fragile mouth bars - Ouch - I'll show you this by opening my mouth"

Rider "Evasive horse not excepting the bit, my hands are fine and I shouldn't lift them anyway, I need to pull to get a proper head carriage if you open your mouth I will now strap it shut so I can't see your objection"

Horse "I can't open my mouth to have a conversation so I will put my head in the air"

Rider "Oh you bad evasive horse not excepting my hands pulling the bit on your bars, I'll strap you head down with a martingale or some such"

Horse "Oh bugger - now what? put up and shut up? thats depressing, I know, I'll explode in some way or form maybe they'll lay off with teh hands then"

Rider - "That frightened me so much I'll rasie the bit and tie your mouth shut tighter"

Horse "Shall I shut down? no I'm too intelligent for that, I'll do VERY angry and throw everything I have got into getting this message accross"

Rider " DANGEROUS HORSE I'LL ........" choose your ending.

http://www.sustainabledressage.net/tack/bridle.php#flash

The flash noseband is a newish invention. It started to appear in the 1980's. Many bridles now sold with it as a standard piece of tack. It is to prevent the horse opening the mouth or crossing the jaw. You can see bridles fitted with the bit so high that it visibly stretches and distorts the horse's mouth, and then that bit is fixed securely in place by a flash that closes the mouth an keeps the bit firmly in that place. Would suggest that if you stretch such a delicate piece of the horse's body as his lips, and then you keep it in that position, you will numb the mouth and desensitise it?

Thoughts?

Ave Sodalis

If you can't fit tack, especially an adjustable bridle, you shouldn't be tacking up a horse, it's as simple as that. To be honest though, I haven't seen very many bridles with the bit too high. The most common problem I've seen is the bit being too big or too small.

With regard to the whole flash strap thing, most horses I know don't evade it. If they start lifting/tossing their head, it's usually down to a tooth problem or lameness of some sort. Poor fitting (too tight, martingale too short) is an education problem, not a tack problem. Neither should be used if not necessary but used correctly and effectively, I don't have a problem with either piece of equipment.

later12

I'm not a huge fan of the flash for two reasons; firstly it may sometimes facilitate heavy handed riders whose horses can otherwise mitigate their pulling by crossing their jaws; secondly because it can mask genuine problems on behalf of the horse's dentition or as sup_dude said, an inappropriate bit choice/ size.

Therefore, like most pieces of 'extraneous' tack, it should only be used where needed and where any potential underlying problems have been ruled out.

However, there is a place for the flash,particularly on evasive and difficult horses, and I think the rather anthropomorphic OP is a little too simplistic to really address cases where the flash can be a useful aid for riders, and indeed for horses too.