Out of the Closet: Tack Ho Edition

I hope y'all aren't too bored of tack posts, because I guess I did just do one. 

i had it down to 3 for a while!! 

But the advantage of me being a consummate tack ho is that when my sensitive princess horse changes his mind (frequently), I rarely even have to buy anything to keep up with him.

I mean. JenJ and Lindsey and Alyssa were all like "wtf beyotch WHY ARE YOU GIRTH SHOPPING you already have a girth and it's fine".

Which like. Was true. But.

I just had this feeling that Courage would do better in a different girth. So I bought one. It looks almost exactly like the last one, but I like the way it distributes pressure better. Does that matter? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I'm over reacting.

OR MAYBE

My sensitive princess horse has recently gotten rubs from his Back on Track saddle pad (fine in winter, not in shedding season), his CWD breastcollar (really can't explain, but if bozo didn't have to go in a martingale, he wouldn't have to wear this), and then from his most favorite princess bit because eff you logic, apparently.

So.

We got a new girth. We eliminated the martingale. We changed saddle pads.

so minimalist

And that left us with the bit.

I switched him back to his beloved Sprenger on his Red Barn bridle, but that's a crank noseband (so no standing martingale) and we have to eliminate the running because rubs. Dammit.

Unfortunately, if you know anything about riding Courage in the spring, you know that it becomes a martingale-or-die situation, so then we switched to our jump bridle with it's knock off sprenger. It's less desirable, but accommodates a standing martingale and I attempted to borrow a running without a breastcollar so that we could MAYBE not get rubs.

Then I threw him on the lunge line with his standing on his jump bridle. And watched him completely freak the hell out because you know. Horse. Spring. Life. Whatever. An interesting thing happened--Courage would try to blow sideways, fling his head up, hit the standing martingale, and go back to horsing properly.

a standing to lunge #logic

Now THAT, ladies and gentlehorses, is deeply interesting. He isn't a huge fan of the running martingale because of the action on the reins, but he's had to deal because I am a huge fan of not dying. But. The standing doesn't operate on the reins, and if it also achieves the object of not-dying and (bonus!) not-rubbing, that's amazing.

But that still leaves us with a bit problem. You see, I really love the sprenger for when he's working correctly because it gives me the right amount of sensitivity with him. HOWEVER, because he is very sensitive and because I'm working VERY hard to convince him that contact is good, we go in his super fat princess bit 2-4 days a week. That lets him just rest into a very safe contact.

fattest. bit. ever.

Except it's not safe if he's being pinched. And the sprenger alone is sometimes "too harsh" for a princess brain. (I know. wtf. ottb.)

the mean, mean sprenger

This is where the Tack Ho thing comes in. I purchased a fulmer snaffle a few years back because it was $10 and I didn't already have one. (Note: I will buy any bit on this justification. Hit me up.) I've never used it on Courage because he HATES loose rings with a fiery burning passion, but the cheek is such that it's physically impossible to pinch him. Worth trying? Yes.

no joint touches the pony face

And because I'm a Ho, we might as well put the whole shebang on a different bridle.

So we did that. Courage flipped his shit on the lunge line (it's our new thing), but it never got too out of hand because of the standing. Then I got on and was able to work quietly with him and talk him into resting in the contact, which was now safe because it was still the same hugely fat mouthpiece that princesses need.

It was a very thoughtful, interesting ride, but the net result was two of the best trot circles I've ever done on this horse.

you heard me

Could I get it done with less tack and more cowboy?

Maybe.

On this horse though, I have my very serious doubts.

but hey. he looks like this.