When you are about to ride, one of the most important things to do and something many people forget to do is assess the situation of your horse. What's it like? Is it relaxed? Is it tacked up properly?
Any experienced horseman approaching a horse is going to approach from the side at about a 45° angle, where the horse can see you approaching. It would be a mistake to approach a horse you don’t know from the front because its vision isn't quite as clear as it is from the side.
An experienced horseman or woman walking towards a horse is going to notice several things. First of all is the bit fitted correctly. A casual glance at the bridle should indicate that it fits correctly and that the bit is neither too high causing discomfort nor too low where it is swinging around in the horse's mouth, banging on the bars, and possibly causing bruising. Another very important item to check is the curb chain if the horse is using a pelham bridle. It’s a common mistake to have the curb chain too tight. What we are looking for is about a 45 degree action so as you pull back on the shank of the pelham, it will move through 45 degrees before the chain makes contact with the back of the horse’s chin.
Also it is important that the curb chain is rotated to be completely flat along the back of the chin, and it is hooked onto the link correctly on the bridle which prevents it from getting twisted. Often we'll see curb chains twisted before they are hooked on to the bridle which will result in them having no effect at all or if they do have an effect, it might be very uncomfortable for the horse. If the curb chain is twisted, we need to roll the curb chain back in a clockwise direction until it is completely flat and can't rotate anymore.
Then we put our thumb under the link and pull it down on the hook so that the chain is working against the hook and it can't twist itself. It is important that it is very comfortable, especially for a school horse, as we don't want it too tight because the hands of an inexperienced rider might mistakenly apply too much pressure on the reins and potentially cause extra discomfort.
The other most common bit in polo is the gag which again needs to be fitted correctly. Again, if it is too tight and too high up in the horse’s mouth, it will cause discomfort and if too low down, it will be the same as with the pelham, where it will be banging off the bars of the horse’s mouth and potentially cause bruising.
Another little detail to check is the length of the throat lash and that it isn’t too tight? I should be able to fit the palm of my hand in between the throat lash and the horse’s throat. This is important because when the horse is running or stopping and brings its head up, the throat lash can tighten and make it uncomfortable for the horse.
Another thing to check is the martingale, and the simplest way to check that is to lift the martingale with our hand and push it into the gullet, and it should fit quite comfortably there. If it is too tight, it will restrict the horse and not allow it to lift its head high enough, which will make it very uncomfortable. If it's too long and hanging down, it's going to be ineffective and do nothing except swing around and get in the way of the reins.
We also need to check that all the straps are tucked into keepers and not flapping around.
Another thing to check is the breastplate. The main job of the breastplate is not to force the saddle towards the front but it is just to stop the saddle from going too far back. All you need from the breastplate is for it to be relatively loose.If it is too tight, it's going to restrict the horse's neck so it needs to be just comfortable enough so that if the saddle did slip back a little, then it's going to prevent it from going too far back and into an uncomfortable zone for the horse.
The other things to check will be the protection on the horse’s legs - the boots or the bandages which need to fit well although it might be difficult to see that they aren’t too tight or too loose.
Probably the most important thing to check, especially as a beginner or inexperienced rider, is that the girth is the correct tightness. It is important to develop the habit of putting your fingers in between the girth and horse and checking how far the girth comes out from the horse -we don’t want it too loose or too tight.
It’s quite common for polo grooms to make the girth very, very tight but if it’s too tight, it will be uncomfortable for the horse and might cause bruising to the horse’s muscles at the girth line behind its front legs. It could also cause it to tense its back up and move in an unnatural and exaggerated way. The girth should be tight enough to be able to get your fingers under it but not so tight that you can't.
As you lift the saddle flap, everything should be smooth, with no twists, or bits of leather sticking out.
The breastplate should be attached under the first strap and onto the back one, which prevents it from slipping up and down.
If the breastplate is done incorrectly, it will often slip down the girth strap and then pull the girth forwards which will allow the saddle to move back which will be very uncomfortable for the horse. Again, we want the breastplate to stop the saddle from going backward, so we have to attach it reasonably high up on the girth strap.
Below is a brief summary to act as a reminder of the key points however by reading the transcript, you will be able to understand the important and often subtle messages from this course.
Describing the technique:
Here is the description of the technique
- Assess the horse as you approach it and confirm that it is tacked up correctly, checking on several important things.
Key teaching points:
Here are the key teaching points:
- Approach the horse from the side, around a 45° angle, so that it can see you
- Bridle Check the bridle fits well - that the bit is not too high as it will cause the horse discomfort or too low as it might swing around in the horse's mouth and potentially cause bruising
- Curb Chain If using a pelham, ensure the curb chain is rotated completely flat and there is a 45 degree angle between the shank of the bit and the horse’s chin
- Throat lash Ensure the throat lash is not too tight, you should be able to slip your hand between it and the horse
- Martingale The simplest way to check the martingale is to lift it up into the gullet of the horse. If the martingale is too tight it restricts the horse, not allowing it to lift its head naturally which would cause discomfort. If it’s too loose, it will be ineffective and can get in the way of the reins
- Breastplate You should be able to slip your fingers in between the horse and breastplate. The breastplate should be tight enough that it prevents the saddle from slipping back too far on the horse to where it the saddle will be uncomfortable. A breastplate fitted too tight will restrict the base of the horse’s neck.
- Girth The most important item to check. The girth should be tight enough to where you can slip your fingers between the horse and the girth. Too loose and the saddle will slip and too tight, it will cause the horse discomfort.
- Under the Saddle flap: All straps should lay flat with no twists. The breastplate should be attached under the first girth strap and onto the back strap which prevents it from slipping down. If the breastplate slips down, it will pull the girth forwards allowing the saddle to slip back which will be uncomfortable for the horse.
Common errors include:
- Approach the horse head on to where it can’t see you clearly
- The bit fitted too high or too low
- Twisted curb chain which is too tight or too loose
- Girth being too tight or too loose
- Breastplate fitted too low on the girth strap
