Ask The Trainer

What is the purpose of a flash nose-band, and do all horses need one?

The pupose of a flash nose-band, along with it's relative, the dropped nose-band, is to prevent a horse from gaping the mouth open as an evasion, and to help stabilize the bit in the horse's mouth. Stabilizing the bit allows a much finer degree of communication since there is virtually no movement of the bit unless the rider initiates it. This eliminates a great deal of possible confusion for the horse and allows the rider's rein aids to be more soft and subtle. It also eliminates a lot of "bouncing" of the bit if the rider has unsteady hands, thus providing the horse with some relief.

The difference between the flash nose-band and the dropped nose-band is that the flash nose-band is used with a cavasson and therefore can be used in conjunction with a standing martingale attachment, or removed altogether. A dropped nose-band cannot have a standing martingale attached to it, nor can it be removed.


Laura Martlock - 2004 (c)

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