Halter Jumping Pics!

[RachelEvent]

:D

I Said that I would try and get some photos of Ferdie being ridden in a halter, so here they are, both flatwork and jumping!

Trotting Downhill:
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_2.jpg

Small Spread:
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_8.jpg

Small Upright:
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_7.jpg

Canter:
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_5.jpg

Big Spread: (Accidently videoed over the flight, so it's a manky photo point, but never mind, it's proof we did it!! :o)
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_21.jpg

[RachelEvent]

Medium Spread:
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_18.jpg
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_19.jpg

More Trot:
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_16.jpg

Cantering Towards:
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_14.jpg

Double:
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/halter_13.jpg

So there you go! It's so much fun riding in a halter, if only they'd let me compete in one!

Rachel xx

[casey]

Thats excellent Rachel. Frerdi looked as though he enjoyed too!:)

[Dales_Lover]

Fabby pics - Ferdie definatly looks like he enjoys being ridden in a halter!!!

Do you feel you get more response from him in a halter?

x

[*MiRi*]

wow! thats really impressive! :) did you make the halter all by your self? and is it the same riding with a bridle and does it feel the same??
well done again
xox
ps ncie big jumps ;) :p :D

[galadriel]

Terrific :) He looks very relaxed and happy.

[Showjumper]

Wahey!! Well done :D

[shaka]

Well done! He looks very happy and relaxed, glad you had fun.

[RachelEvent]

Thanks everyone! He really loves jumping bitless style!

Dales_Lover - I would say that I probably get ever so slightly more response in the halter, but that it is a slightly different feeling. I couldn't have the very precise communication of being 'on the bit' and doing half pass, travers etc. that I am working on in his dressage schooling, but he has become very responsive to woah and go (he can do halt to canter and canter to halt in the halter) and he is very responsive to turning aids. Whilst we get very good response in the halter, I would say the bigger difference is that it causes him to think for himself (something that he doesn't do that much :D)

Miri - I didn't make the halter myself, it's a Parelli 'natural hackamore' which is basically a rope halter with some extra leadrope length attatched. It does feel a lot like riding in the bridle, but it is not entirely the same. I have changed the way in which I give some of my aids to make them slightly clearer. Because I have less absolute control of his head, you have to ride with more aids coming from your seat and legs. To slow, rather than pull on the reins, I lift them up a little, and to turn I may open my hand quite wide to the side. But then, after riding in the halter, the extra aids you develop for the halter still work for riding in a bridle, so it becomes the same, if that makes sense?!

Anyway, it's a very long shot, but I'm going to email the BSJA and British Eventing asking whether it would be allowed in competition.. I'll send them a pretty photo too. I'm bound to get a negative answer, but it won't hurt to ask! Can you imagine other rider's reaction as I set out on cross country with a halter on :p :D

Rachel xx

[galadriel]

I've got a jumping hackamore for Duchess, essentially a leather covered rope noseband with D-rings for reins. Wearing it, she looks like she's got a typical bridle on. It's legal for stadium and cross country in US eventing. Sadly, it wouldn't pass the bit check for dressage...

[RachelEvent]

Wow, that sounds interesting Galadriel!

I've never seen something like that in this country though.. I have only seen two types here, the continental/german hackamore with the sheepskin nose bridge and the very long metal shanks, and some english type with a wide rubber covered nose band and metal shanks about two inches long.

Does the jumping hackamore you describe ride as if you were in a rope halter?

My rulebook for eventing simply says:

Gags or Hackamores are permitted
Reins MUST be attatched directly to a hackamore

There are no pictures of the hackamores they accept.. extensive pictures of snaffles and metal bits accepted though. I don't want to do dressage in it - he is going nicely in the bit, and it does allow for a greater depth of communication. But I would love to jump with the extra freedom and thinking for himself that he does in the halter.

Thanks

Rachel xx

[RachelEvent]

Forgot to add, obviously they don't actually permit hackamores in the dressage phase.

[Willow1306]

Aww , Ferdie is fab !!
I always look at the pictures of you and him together in awe !! You make a fab team !!

:mental note to self ''get own horse going properly once she arrives'':

[Calsanjo]

He looks fantastic Rachel!

I have seen someone compete at Hickstead in a bitless bridle... when I say bitless bridle I mean a bridle with no bit whatsoever, not a hackamore or anything! So it's worth an ask!

[RachelEvent]

Very interesting Calsanjo! It'll be interesting to find out what they say at any rate! It's the pony club who I definitely can't ride without a bit with - their rulebooks state a ban on hackamores of any kind :eek:

Incidently, some tiny photos of him jumping with bridle:

http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/bridle_1.jpg
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/bridle_8.jpg
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/bridle_3.jpg
http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Jump%20Schooling%2010th%20July%2004/bridle_4.jpg

[galadriel]

This is Duchess's jumping hackamore bridle:

http://www.galadriel.shaftnet.org/horses/duchess/m-duchess-jumping-hackamore.jpg
(edit: since that pic was taken, I've put the JH on a bridle with a larger browband and also moved the cheekpieces up a notch; it looks a little more comfortable to her that way.)


I don't typically ride in a rope halter, but we do sometimes ride in a traditional type halter with reins (or lead rope) attached. The jumping hackamore feels about like that.

US Eventing rules don't have a list of allowed tack for stadium & xc; they have a few explicitly forbidden pieces of equipment, but anything else is allowed. For you, I'd think that since "hackamores are permitted" and this thing is a hackamore :) why not?

These are pretty inexpensive, about the cost of a bit ($20-$30). I would guess that is nobody local to you carries them, it would still be pretty inexpensive to buy one from the US (maybe Canada) and have it shipped.

There might actually be some available to you locally, though; if you don't know what it is, you'd walk right by it and never give it a second look. I've seen them in many tack shops and still people I talk to, who shop at the same stores as I do, have no idea what I'm talking about. It's usually in the bits section, and would look like this when not attached to a bridle:
http://www.saddleuptack.com/webcat/images/item880_1.jpg ($26.95 at http://www.saddleuptack.com/webcat/items/item880.htm)

[celyns mummy]

what can you use if you buy a halter without the special reins???

[*MiRi*]

i guess they dont have a bit?! why???

xox

[Esther.D]

what can you use if you buy a halter without the special reins???

if you have a halter and parelli style 12ft line there is a special knot you can do to attach the rope to the halter to form reins..Rachel might know it, I don't..sorry :o

Fantastic photos Rachel! Rupert and I have much to aspire to!:D So far we have only tried walk and trot :)

[*MiRi*]

yeah amazing pitures!how high are you jumping??

and what is a ' jumping hackamore bridle'?i guess it has something to do with riding?!?1 :rolleyes:

xox

[Jumpers_Pride82]

I would imagine if you used a normal halter and clipped reins to it, it wouldn't be the same would it?

[RachelEvent]

not quite the same.. the rope reins have more weight to them, which makes the signals a bit clearer (I don't pull to slow down, more lift the reins up, lightening them)

Miri, the jumps with the bridle on are 3'9, the ones with the halter range from 2'6 to 3'6 .. height isn't important though, far prefer to see people jumping a smaller height nicely than a larger height badly.

Rachel xx

[Esther.D]

also a rope halter is much narrower than a normal webbing one - so the signals are clearer and the horse is less likely to lean on the halter...

[*MiRi*]

[/B][/QUOTE]

height isn't important though, far prefer to see people jumping a smaller height nicely than a larger height badly.

[/B][/QUOTE]

that is what i think although you are jumping thatheight REALLY well and its a hight i would liketo reach :D

xox

[Harleyhorse]

That great! I do the same thing, only over 3' to 3'6 jump! Its so fun! You feel like you and the horse are realy together!