Friday, June 5, 2009
Friday FAIL
Again, we have a Friday FAIL instead of a favorite. I find it difficult to come up with favorites, there seems to be more tacky tack out there than there is tack I actually LIKE. So here is a fail from the Fugly blog, in case you didn't see it there, check out that BACKWARDS bit and the breastcollar! I also LOVE the faded nylon halter with the "converters" to make it a halter-bridle.
It's the backwards bit that gets me.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the other horse is hiding from, you think they put his bit upside down? Saddle backwards?
ReplyDeleteIt may just be my eyes but that saddle looks awfully close to that poor beasts withers.
OMG, You haven't seen anything till you see a Pelham upside down and backwards! A "trainer" at a show actually believed it was correct!
ReplyDeletethe parents of the child riding the poor schooling horse asked me to correct it for them, after their "trainer" stormed off. Oh well, you don't have to have a license to call yourself a trainer.
sandycreek: When I was a beginner I had a trainer tell me to use a martingale with a curb bit. Let's just say the horse (a sensitive 1/2 arab) was not happy and bolted, dumping us yet again. We received so much horrible advice when we were first into horses it is amazing I still have any horses!
ReplyDeleteThis poor horse is looking less than pleased, but must be the patient sort. Tack should come with pictured step-by-step instructions. I'm sure some people would still manage to get it wrong though!
Drillrider: I am constantly amazed by people and the way the try to use their tack.
ReplyDeleteThere are books out there that explain tack and it's proper use, you just have to want to learn. How about a grazing bit without a curbstrap? Oh yes, that works great! NOT.
And the pure surprise when you correct someones tack for them and it helps.
The whole picture is bad - the cobbled together bridle, backwards bit, no helmet, running shoes,loopy breastcollar. A disaster waiting to happen.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this before somewhere. Maybe someone should email the person that posted this and give her some information for the sake of the horse if nothing else.
ReplyDeletesandycreek: Our mistake was listening to the trainer. We quickly learned to listen to OURSELVES and learn all we could. Books, videos and websites were great. I later bought a book call "Horses for Dummies" and had already learned most everything in that book, some of it the HARD WAY. I would highly recommend that book to anyone B4 even getting a horse as it would have been so helpful back then.
ReplyDeleteThere are nice 4H manuals for youths.
ReplyDeleteFind a GOOD trainer, I know that can be a difficult thing to do. I firmly believe in beginners having a good trainer, as far as that goes, I think everyone could use a trainer now and then.
In case anyone else missed it in the pic- the makeshift straps holding the bit onto the bridle, have slipped to the front of the ring on the bit. When it 'falls' back into place at the top of the rings, it will allow the mouthpiece to drop further down into the horses mouth- likely banging into the back of the canines. OUCH!
ReplyDeleteHer hold on the reins is keeping the bit in place, semi where it belongs, but the lack of a curb strap as well as being backwards and too low in the mouth = ZERO effect. At least not any good ones.
The saddle fit, droopey breastcollar, jogging shoes & shorts topped off with no helmet, just begs the question- when it all goes wrong, how bad are the injuries going to be? Do we call the ambulance or the coroner?
Likely the horse gets the blame and the one way ticket on the truck over the border.
Johnie Rotten has a blog dealing with training issues, if anyone is interested...
ERGH. I see stuff like this at boarding stables all the time.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I try to gently drop a tip on tack fit, not tying by the reins, wearing boots, etc. but people just get defensive.
There's no excuse for being stupid, and yes, I have put stuff on incorrectly before, but I blushed and learned and corrected it!
Anyone remember that dink from "Expert Village" that was putting the splint boots on upside-down and backwards and unbelievably tight?
Fail on so many levels.
ReplyDeleteTHAB- I remember that girl. Her name was Sarah Stetner. I tried to find her videos again, but I think Expert Village took her videos down after a general outcry from real equine professionals. How the hell did she get chosen to do those videos?
I dont think one gets "chosen" by anyone for Expert Village. One simply decides they are an expert and posts away. I never did see those vids because I still had dial up back then...
ReplyDeleteI DO think the bit is connected to the cheeks properly and just put on upside down and backwards. Try to envision the thing in the right way and you can see that the conway buckles for the bit end would end up in the right direction and the cheeks would also then be correctly positioned on the upper rings. It looks to me like the moron just slapped the thing on without looking to see what they were doing.
So there is a glimmer of hope that the next time they rode the poor creature they *may* have put it on right.
Saintly horse. I saw it on FHOTD and it was a sales ad, IIRC. It's a gaited horse, MFT, I think. As Fugs says, why do the gaited creatures seem to draw a disproportionate number of nimwits as owners? I hope somebody has since upgraded the lil guy. And dewormed and fed him too.
Okay all. Just for the record, I'm not a beginner anymore. These experiences were 12 year's ago when we bought our first "family" horse which was a 5 year old scared of his own shadow 1/2 arab (our first and BIG mistake). We've learned a TON since then. Not that I couldn't benefit from some lessons or a trainer, as I would never profess to know it all and with the horse world, I don't believe you ever can know it all, but I just didn't want you all to think I was still floundering in the sea of "newbieland"!
ReplyDeleteP.S. CNJ-would like to read Johnnie Rotten's training blog?
ReplyDeleteThis one deserves it's own post - it puts the pink saddles to shame!
ReplyDeletehttp://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350210628956&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123
*sigh* had to get a curb strap for a girl last night at 4H... And educate another about her pony's bit hanging way low in his mouth.
ReplyDeleteAnother "fun" thing: people seesawing for all they're worth ok a curb.
And parents who won't shorten their kid' unsately looong stirrups... And duct taping a block of wood in each stirrup instead of pinching some damn holes or getting a saddle that fits.
Drillrider- Mr Rottens Neighborhood
ReplyDeleteEmail me if that doesn't work.
I Can't Look.
ReplyDeleteI hate horror movies.
*runs screaming from the photo*
a perfect example of why I NEVER sell any of my horses.. I would be afaird they would end up like this... so sad.
ReplyDeleteCNJ--it worked, THANKS!
ReplyDeletePat, because gaited horses tend to be forgiving...look at sored walking horses that don't kill their own trainers! Seriously, too, I think it's because it's easy to sit on a well broke smooth gaited horse.
ReplyDeleteI could forgive the ghetto halter bridle, indeed, I AM taking notes, but the upside down grazing bit is...just, no. I wonder if there are actually horses that prefer it this way, because I HAVE seen it more than once. The un-helmeted child makes me cringe, too.