Okay, so the meme is a little goofy-looking, but it's still got a great message...
Forget just UL riders - I challenge everyone to do this! And the two fingers have to be in the location in the photo, not in the natural hollow/depression formed by the horse's face. You know, the place where most people check, where it's easy to shove fingers into and claim the noseband is loose? Yeah, not there.
It's important to remember that the cavesson lies practically on top of the infraorbital foramen, which is where one of the branches of the trigeminal nerve emerges.
Additionally, for those of you that use flashes/drops/figure-8s/etc,
these nosebands lie nearly right on top of another branch of the
trigeminal nerve, which emerges from the mental foramen on the lower
part of the face.
Horses also need mobility in their jaw to allow for normal swallowing, which is a great indication of relaxation. Because the body is made of connected parts, tension in one area easily reverberates to the rest of the body.
So, for those of you already riding with loosey-goosey nosebands, I'll up the ante: take the noseband off, especially you "dressage" riders. The whole point of dressage is lightness and harmony...what better way to show this off than be removing what should be a superfluous piece of tack, in the first place? #ditchthenoseband
Part of our job as riders/trainers/horse lovers is understanding what powers these beautiful animals, as well as taking responsibility for the equipment we use and how we use it. It is vital that we don't lose sight of the ethos of horsemanship.
Horses also need mobility in their jaw to allow for normal swallowing, which is a great indication of relaxation. Because the body is made of connected parts, tension in one area easily reverberates to the rest of the body.
So, for those of you already riding with loosey-goosey nosebands, I'll up the ante: take the noseband off, especially you "dressage" riders. The whole point of dressage is lightness and harmony...what better way to show this off than be removing what should be a superfluous piece of tack, in the first place? #ditchthenoseband
Part of our job as riders/trainers/horse lovers is understanding what powers these beautiful animals, as well as taking responsibility for the equipment we use and how we use it. It is vital that we don't lose sight of the ethos of horsemanship.
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