From: Steve
Dear Jessica, I was at a clinic of yours (my wife was riding) and saw you take off all of the flash attachments. I understand why you didn't like the idea of tying horses' mouths shut. But one of the other riders in the clinic had a crank cavesson, you know one of those cavessons that fastens back on itself so that you can pull it really tight, and you didn't take that away. In fact, you said to the rider that you liked that cavesson. This seems inconsistent with your approach to riding. Am I missing something here? Please answer this! I really trust you and your approach to horses and people, but my wife has been burned several times by instructors who talked about "softness" and used cable tie-downs, twisted wire snaffles, and the like to get a dressage head set. I want to think that you had a good reason for allowing someone to use a piece of equipment that you yourself admit is designed to be abusive.
Steve
Hi Steve! Yes, you're missing something. I'm glad you asked the question, because it does give me a chance to clarify what I said about that cavesson.
The crank cavessons ARE designed to allow the rider to pull them so tight that horse's mouth is effectively tied shut. Of course I don't approve of that -- how could I? It's miserably uncomfortable for the horse, and makes it impossible for the horse to relax its jaw (and neck, and back, etc.).
HOWEVER... if you don't choose to make use of the leverage-tightening opportunity presented by a crank cavesson, you can use one with impunity. ;-) If I remember correctly, the rider to whom you are referring was a woman with a grey Arabian mare. This mare was old enough to be developing some tumours, and had begun to develop one under her jaw. Her rider had been looking for a cavesson that would allow her to compete in dressage (cavesson required) but that would not chafe, rub, or put too much pressure on the mare's jaw. This particular "crank" cavesson was designed to be tightened severely without causing overt injury -- so the strap under the jaw was wide, soft, and padded with gel. The design was ideal for this mare, and, as I said, the "crank" only happens if the rider pulls the strap TIGHT. This rider did not tighten the cavesson at all, and in fact would probably not have been able to overtighten it, since it was designed for a horse with a larger muzzle. The effect, then, was that of a loose, soft, wide strap that protected the mare from coming into contact with the buckle and would not get in her way at all -- she would have had to yawn VERY wide just to come into contact with the strap.
Sometimes there are good ways to use even "bad" equipment. In this case, a cavesson designed for a completely unacceptable purpose (locking the horse's jaw closed) can be adjusted loosely, and thus become MORE comfortable than an ordinary cavesson.
I hope you're reassured. ;-)
(And no, there is no good way to use either a cable tie-down or a twisted wire bit -- and there is also no such thing as a "dressage head-set". If any instructor tells your wife that there IS such a thing, tell her to run away as fast as possible.)
Jessica
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