This photo was sent to me by a reader. It's an item she found at a rather prominent tack store in north Texas.
Before I say what it is I'd like to see some guess as to what the blog readers think these two devices are and what purposes they serve. They are training devices and not allowed in the show ring, but they are definitely used to create competition horses.
Update:
The readers are on the ball! These are indeed gag bit headstalls The metal crown pieces are thin and in the case of the one to the left it is a twisted wire. Hanging above these little gems were the various gag bits you could use with them, most of them twisted wire, all of them public indicators of how sorry-assed a lot of trainers are. My niece said the gadgets were hanging on a wall of "bits for people that have no clue how to train horses", which the store proprietor was not happy to hear. These two items can be purchased at Dennards in Aubrey, Tx, which is pretty much the horse capitol of Texas. Glad to know that the BNTs there have access to such crappy equipment and can use it on client horses. I wonder if Cleve, Scott or Becky shop there?
22 comments:
ummm..twisted wire thing goes over the poll, the brown cables go through a gag bit and attach to reins? ugg...Ueber-gag...in more than one way ...my guess at least :(
Yep, the twisted wire crownpiece gag bridle. Sounds comfy!
although it does not appear to be, but it is a "Headstall for gag bits".. The wire touch adds pressure to the poll for more "flexion"
Niiiiiiice.. huh?! anyone who uses them should be forced to wear a spike dog collar inside out.. Tight!
I've seen people using them.. I tell them, if you have to use "that" to train your horse... you need get into gooooats, or guinea pigs.. you're in over your head with horses.
Crazy..looks like something I would use on my tires for traction when it snows.
Of course it's a headstall! Why didn't I think of this first?
Why stop there? We can integrate this into rope halters. Maybe a BNT can slap his name on it and we can all make bank!.
I bet some part of those devices goes into the horse's mouth and opposite end goes over the crown, therefor putting the horse's head in a vice grip.
Either way, it's obviously a torture device.
I'm with Aylisha, except the loop ends are at the bottom to go through the gag and tie to the wire with a rope halter knot.The reins attach to the loop.
I bet we could put one of those on a trainer, and have a "walk a mile in my horseshoes" moment. Preferably in a shanked gag with a twisted wire, broken mouthpiece.
Hiyo, Silver! Awaaay!
Ruthie, disgusted
A neighbor just had the rendering truck pick up her deceased horse. On the truck was a nice looking horse. The truck driver said the lady that owned it, had some type of spiked collar on it for training and the spikes went into it's neck, and killed it. Nice heh?
Grah.
I used to be really confused about why a rope halter is evil...not having ever seen an American rope halter (No, not since I came over here).
(In England, a 'rope halter' is a *thick* length of hemp rope that is knotted to form a noseband, then you run it over the horse's poll, back through the knot and tie...used by large barns for leading horses in from the field because they are *cheap* and you can literally make them yourself). They do take some expertise to fit correctly.
I thought that they were a sort of war bridle halter attachment for a lip chain. *Sigh* People do such awful things to animals.
My guess is that it is either a very severe gag attachment, or for some sickening war bridle.
I have to say, I'd never even heard of/seen things like this until this year--and I've been riding 20 years. The dirty secrets!
I am going to post before reading the other posts and see if I'm close!
It looks like the metal pieces go over the horses pole, and then the strings attach to the bit or the reins. I would assume it's to force the horse's "headset", depending on how tight you tie the strings.
Now let's see what everyone else said....
Hey! Looks like others had the same ideas! Neat!
Jennifer, actually, I always thought the same thing about rope halters. I thought of it as what the American Indians would've used to ride or lead their horses in. I never thought of them like the NH rope halters.
I have a couple of NH-type ones myself because they are great for stuffing in your saddle bag when riding to tie off at the saloon. :) I paid $10 for mine. I guess I'm just a bit traditional in that I like regular nylon or leather halters.... I have learned that control is in the human/horse relationship, not in the type of halter you use.
I used to always grab a length of baling twine to stick in my poket when heading out on the trail. Very handy.....
I really do hate these head stalls, but I like gag bits. My mom's mare goes in one of these, except the bit is smooth and she replaced the wire headstall with a plain nylon one.
Shameful POS!
For one, there is no bit attached to that yet, the metal piece goes on top of their poll and a string goes through holes in the shanks, and a loop is at the end and that is where the reins are attached and when you pull on the reins, it puts pressure on the top of there poll, NO it does not cut into them and make huge big open wounds for it to be in pain. it is just some pressure on top of their poll,
http://kctack.com/catalog//catalog/images/wea%2030-0642.JPG here is a picture of one, you guys over react way to fucking much.
reiner: it isn't an over reaction. a gag bit used once may help (personally I have a limited gag bit... it only slides an inch. I use it to teach my horses to pick up their front end when nothing else works).
But when you over use it you'll ruin a good horse. IE my friend's reining gelding: perfect sweetheart loaned to a girl for rodeo queen competition and sent a show bit and the gag 'just in case'. Girl was so heavy handed that the horse is in a bosel now and bucks when you pick up the reins on anything in his mouth.
The gag was considered 'mild' because the gag mechanism was 'single action' 4 inch with a regular headstall. Compared to this metal hanger double action, slide on the bit and along the ropes, piece.
This isn't overreaction.
any bit can ruin a horse if you have too fast of hands.. a snaffle could ruin a horse if you tried!
Someone said that "anyone who uses them should be forced to wear a spike dog collar".. that is an over reaction, it doesnt cause harm to them, it doesnt hurt them, Its Just Pressure not Spikes for the love of god
Reiner: You sound a though you have used/seen this used effectively and correctly. I, however, have only seen the results of the incorrect/overuse of these headstalls. I've only had one instance where a gag bit was used where the horse owner response to having to use it was disappoint in her horse. I've seen many owners/trainers seem almost gleeful in putting it on. One person used what he called a 'banana gag' with a screw bit. His horses got taken away, but it didn't change the amount of damage done to the horse. I've seen people misuse a snaffle, too. Maybe you could clarify: what are the circumstances when this tack would be used? How would it be used correctly?
Excuse me for being of English discipline.. but how the eff are these things used?
These are used so that when you pull on the reins, pressure is put on the top of their polls to put it down. Its just a mechanism to get their head and neck.
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