# Bridle slips off face and horse takes off



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

Hi,
I have been riding my horse in a side pull for 3 rides now (not very long but he is a fast to get it). He is much more responsive to my aids, its incredible. Yesterday however there was an incident. 
I think the first and admittedly biggest problem I had was with the side pull, Ive only used it a few times with him out on trail solo, never with others. It doesn't have a throat latch, so it slipped off. Equipment malfunction!
The 2nd problem I had is that yesterday I went out riding with a buddy who is still novice on a novice horse, and she was letting her horse get away with some stuff that isn't too bad but I prefer not to have to deal with, such as stopping to eat, becoming nervous then stopping to eat, him stopping and wanting to turn back, and her not being able to control him when trotting on trail. 
We were riding along and everything was fine. She said she had to make it back quick because of her son, and I wanted to go riding longer. This was the moment stuff got weird, because we should have parted ways, but decided to go the longer way but just make it a little quicker by trotting. I think her desire to get back made for her communication between her horse weaken. 
Unfortunately we weren't able to trot because she kept saying her horse wanted to bolt and was out of control. I'm not sure she knows how to keep her horse in control, especially on days where she starts off the ride by saying "I think I want to sell my horse he is too much for me." My horse is well tempered and seasoned and usually puts up with it, but today I think having the new bridle on made him unsure and concerned about the dynamics of us all. The other rider wanted to go in the font on her horse saying he will be calmer because he will be more cautious, which I was fine with, however he also slowed down our pace a lot, and I was having to do circles to slow down every couple of minutes. By the time we were nearly home I had to do one more circle because we were coming up to a fence only 1 person can fit through. While in the circle and pulling back and to the side the bridle slipped off and my horse who was already fed up a bit and confused as to why it came off decided to bolt and start running home. He gets nervous when he thinks he did something really wrong, hes also not barn sour at all I think he was just freaked out and thought he was dying poor guy. 
I tried to get under his neck with the rope to stop him with the reigns but he ducked down and I decided he was out of control wasn't going to listen to me and decided to get off! total unscheduled dismount. Then he started heading for the HWY, he made it across and over to a safer area, I am thankful about that, it was a busy holiday traffic situation! 

I think I am just going to go out on trail by myself from now on, He's never done anything weird like this on trail solo, only if there's some other horse or person to get him worked up. Though I'd hate for this to happen when I was alone, I don't think it will. Its tough when your riding with an emotional rider, and you are just trying to enjoy your day. 

I think I also learned some sort of lesson about using the right equipment, I definitely need to add a throat latch and double check the bridle to make sure everything else is where it should be. If there was a throat latch the bridle wouldn't have slipped off and control would have remained maintained. 

The best part is I caught it all on video!!!  I'll upload it soon since its undoubtedly entertaining to watch me tumble off and my horse continue to run away.


----------



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Just curious as to why all the circling instead a of slowing or stopping? Can't wait to see video


----------



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

I was constantly having to circle and stop because of the horse being in front being so slow. If I stop the other horse thinks its time to stop too and starts eating and his owner will look around and wonder why he stopped. This could go on every minute for the whole ride if I let it happen, yuck! Though I did utilize this action throughout the ride. 
I was slowing him down for part of the ride mostly while we were in the lead to help out the other horse who was unsure and getting no security from the rider. Then on the way home having the other horse in front made me and him a little bothered, but helped the other rider who has less experience. He is leader of the other horse 80% of the time, never started to feel like he was needing to be slowed until the other horse was in front going slower, usually he is okay in back too but both him and I like the natural walk not a condensed or sped up version and if there's not enough room then my next best option is to circle to give space and let him continue moving. 
Both horses are the same size, so if they are on the same page their gaits match up really well, being unsure was making the lead horse slow down. 
I guess I just feel like I'm having to babysit them a lot of the time really and it compromises my riding, enjoyment, and now safety!


----------



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

I'm all for riding with experienced riders. I don't like to put mine or my horse safety at risk


----------



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

I am uploading the video right now. I watched it through again and can see where my horse catches up to her horse, and I slow him down. Then her horse stops to eat and my horse keeps walking past. Its pretty clear my horse want to be in front because he momentarily goes a little faster to the trot for a few steps to pass her stopped horse right before I circle him, just trying to be extra conscious of the other rider wanting the front. After that it happens!
Another thing that this has made me realize is that my horse doesn't kick her horse even though its nose is up my horses butt the whole time but her horse will kick at my horse and has kicked him in the past twice, more to be aware of on the trail.


----------



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

Subbing. Sounds interesting


----------



## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

Interesting...I have to say though, I've never had any sort of bridle slip, either with just a hanger, one ear, browband, or no throatlatch. I've also had to pull pretty hard with some horses. I'd check the fit of it as well, not just add a throatlatch.

But aside from that, while I refuse to tolerate a rider who doesn't want to learn or thinks they kmow more than they do, I love trail rides with inexperienced horses. My mare is great on the trail and will go front, middle, or back now because I've put her in those situations for training purposes. I want a horse that will do anything I ask with no problem and that's what my mare will be eventually. I do not follow close enough to be in hoof range, so my mare has never been kicked, but she's been kicked AT plenty of times. She also knows that if I tell her to leave it, she had better leave it or she won't be the only one kicking. At shows I've had riders ride right up on her bum, even letting their horse nip her butt! She's never kicked them, even though I was secretly hoping she would inside. She's never kicked at the youth riders who lose control of their ponies or forget ring etiquette either, even though we've accidently been kicked and elbowed.

What I'm trying to say is, take it as a training opportunity! Sure, he may not want to go slow, but what if for whatever reason he needs to trot slow at some point where you can't just start circling? He'll deal with it and not get bothered. I completely agree that riding with experienced riders/horses is much more relaxing and fun, but it doesn't have to be a complete pain riding with a pair not so experienced. Think of it in a positive light!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

Here it is!




I rode my horse with the same bridle today and on the same trail with no problems at all, he was great. Also rode my friends horse there. 
I also found out there was some property I was riding on that the other rider involved here said we had permission to ride on, but I found out today that isn't actually true and they never gave her or me permission to ride there. I think it was one of those I know someone who boards here even though I don't but that makes it ok for me to ride here kinda deal. *sigh*


----------



## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

I hope I read your post correctly. If not, than disregard! 
 It sounds as if your horse does not want to slow a gait down. I believe a horse should be able to tolerate any pace within a gait you set. If it is a slow pace due to rider, horse, or a combination of the two, your horse should, without question, be able to handle a slower pace. 
One never knows what will happen on the trail that will require your horse to have a s l o w pace. It usually involves injury to another rider or horse.
I couldn't tell much by the video, all I saw was sky, and someone's knee. 

Looks like a nice area to have a good canter in, or a good long trot. I'm jealous as most of my trails are wooded, rocky, and hilly.


----------



## Sahara (Jul 23, 2010)

Why were you recording this in the first place? It shows nothing. I mean really nothing. The few glimpses you get of a horse shows a nice calm horse so... I guess I don't see the issue.


----------



## jackboy (Jul 8, 2012)

No matter what other riders and horses are doing it is our responsibility to have ours under control. It wouldn't matter to me if there was a wild bucking bronco in front of me I'd still be able to walk trot canter or any other thing I would want to do it seems to me your looking for an excuse for your horses lack of control just my opinion


----------



## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Yikes, this sounds like a mess. Glad to hear you got it all under control!

Nothing wrong with riding out by yourself! Especially if your friend is riding with a horse that they're not entirely comfortable on.

Maybe check the fit of your bridle? Like Isuel (I think that was who said it xD) I've never had anything like that happen with a bridle either.


----------



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

I like to do recording to get video for VJ and DJ work I do as a musician and artist. I'm planning to record more video from multiple angles of the horse, if enough is recorded from the different locations then I will have in some sense the video Ora of the horse. 
To you perhaps you see nothing, to me its great footage that will help complete my project!


----------



## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

There's a lot of things that contributed to the problem.

You were riding with a timid rider who was not controlling her horse.
She was trotting home instead of walking. A lot of horses will try to race home if given the chance, especially on a rider who isn't doing much.
If your horse needs to circle then he needs more work on respecting you and being polite. He shouldn't be scrambling around on the trail (my own horse does the same so I know its hard to train out of).
Splitting up on a trail can be very challenging, especially when one horse is going home.
Your bridle shouldn't be coming off. Check the fit. That's incredibly dangerous and should not be take lightly. I recommend not riding with that bridle until the problem is resolved.
Both horses need to be schooled hard on coming to a dead stop.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Liligirl (Jun 9, 2012)

Just a side comment here. I did not appreciate the comment about riding with people who are inexperienced. You couldn't control your horse and so looked for something to blame it on other than yourself.

Also as you are so experienced I hope you offered lots of help and tips on the ride.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

I would say the lack of control came in when the bridle slipped off, not really any excuse for that happening, other rider or not. 
It shoud be noticeable I am slightly upset by the other rider, I do not blame her for my horse becoming panicked though our situation could have been handled better, even before the tack malfunction. 

One think I noticed about the bridle I haven't noticed with other ones as much is that it has a little give, its a tiny bit stretchy so even though it fits it could still need to be tightened another notch. 

I am sure I could have used any other method to slow my horse, the one I chose is the one I prefer. I rode my horse on the same trail again but got to do much more work, w/t/c with halts and pace changes, I had the opportunity to use every gait at its minimum and maximum, all of which I had wanted to do a few days ago but was just unable to do with the other horse and rider. 
One thing that bothers me is pulling back to slow a horse, I'd rather them slow on their own accord than me forcing it in them and I think letting them move freely in a circle where they can still move but have to on a shorter stride is a better alternative then checking them every so often, sometimes that can get horses angsty in my experience, and if they are close to home it can make them ticked so I just try to leave that out of my work and use a method that works better for me and gives me a calmer horse that has to think.


----------



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Did I miss something? I just saw the other horse walking calmly. Where was your camera mounted? Also when the bridle slipped off if you had the reins it still should have been around her neck so not sure why you were trying to get a rein under her neck.

When I was younger I was galloping through a park and the bit broke in half when I went to slow. The chin strap then held the bridle together and the pony stopped by the pressure on his neck. My guess is you leaning and trying to get a rope around is when things went awry.


----------



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

Yeah somehow he flipped it over his nose! My camera is on the d ring on the front part of the saddle. 
The other horse is walking pretty calmly when he is in the lead, very cautious, this is why we decided not to try trotting more, he was acting up when we were.
I have footage from the rest of the ride prior to this, but didn't feel it was worth showing that, I think the best part is this part!


----------



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

Filou means scoundrel in French, and him being a french saddle horse, I wouldn't put it past him how it managed to come loose over his head. He had run through the gate and up a tiny slope out onto the flat area before I was able to try to get the reins under him!


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Some of the bridles for sale are really just for the show ring. You need a bridle with a browband that doesn't slip, and a decent throat latch. Honestly, if you have to circle and slow down on the trails you are braver than me. I won't take my young horse out on trails until I can trust him.
ALSO, please do NOT ride alone.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I would never use a bridle that didn't have a throat latch - and you really should have learn the first time it came off that its wasn't safe
I'm sorry to sound like I'm lecturing you but go and get a good bridle that stops on before something like this happens again but with a disastrous ending
If you want to ride bitless then maybe try an English Hackamore that you'll have more control of him in - now he's gotten away from you once he knows he can do it so will probably try it again - everything that happens when we're in charge is training and you've now trained him to know he can run away with you.


----------



## updownrider (Mar 31, 2009)

Did I miss on the tape when he bolted? It sounded like he was trotting at the end.


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Liligirl said:


> Just a side comment here. I did not appreciate the comment about riding with people who are inexperienced. You couldn't control your horse and so looked for something to blame it on other than yourself.
> 
> Also as you are so experienced I hope you offered lots of help and tips on the ride.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I guess I am coming from the same angle as Liligirl. You are so unsympathetic to someone who is inexperienced and nervous and yet YOU were the one who lost control of YOUR horse. Your horse could have been killed on the highway, you could have been killed, the other horse and rider could have been killed. It COULD have been an absolute disaster. 

And somehow it is this other person's fault? 

Maybe you guys should ride separately. For both of your safety.

I guess I'm a little sensitive to this subject because I have a young spooky horse and when I ride with other people I am sure I am not the most fun person to ride with. However, if that other person looses control of their horse due to a tack malfunction that is in no way my fault. And I would feel fortunate that my horse didn't bolt and follow the other bolting horse. 

So yeah, us scardy cat riders are a PITA. But the wreck was YOUR fault, not hers. :wink:

Actually, while I enjoy riding with other people, I find my horse actually listens better alone, so there are perks to riding alone. It sounds to me like both of your horses are too inexperience to be riding together. Riding together works best if one horse is a "been there, done that" type horse and can be trusted to be a good example. If both horses can't be trusted then putting them together makes it twice as likely something bad can happen.


----------



## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

Quote:
Originally Posted by *Liligirl*   
_Just a side comment here. I did not appreciate the comment about riding with people who are inexperienced. You couldn't control your horse and so looked for something to blame it on other than yourself.

Also as you are so experienced I hope you offered lots of help and tips on the ride.
Posted via Mobile Device_

I guess I am coming from the same angle as Liligirl. You are so unsympathetic to someone who is inexperienced and nervous and yet YOU were the one who lost control of YOUR horse. Your horse could have been killed on the highway, you could have been killed, the other horse and rider could have been killed. It COULD have been an absolute disaster. 

And somehow it is this other person's fault? 

Maybe you guys should ride separately. For both of your safety.

I guess I'm a little sensitive to this subject because I have a young spooky horse and when I ride with other people I am sure I am not the most fun person to ride with. However, if that other person looses control of their horse due to a tack malfunction that is in no way my fault. And I would feel fortunate that my horse didn't bolt and follow the other bolting horse. 

So yeah, us scardy cat riders are a PITA. But the wreck was YOUR fault, not hers. :wink:

Actually, while I enjoy riding with other people, I find my horse actually listens better alone, so there are perks to riding alone. It sounds to me like both of your horses are too inexperience to be riding together. Riding together works best if one horse is a "been there, done that" type horse and can be trusted to be a good example. If both horses can't be trusted then putting them together makes it twice as likely something bad can happen. 

Well said.


----------



## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

While the angle of that video is less than helpful in terms of assessing the situation, at one point just before whatever happened happened, I saw a pink line (I think a lead rope?) trailing on the ground behind your horse. Is it possible he stepped on that line and that contributed to the headstall coming off?

Having something tangle around his legs and/or jerk his face unexpectedly could certainly have caused something unexpected to happen..


----------



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

I had a little more insight today on the situation. The lady who feeds the horses has been warning me for a few months about the rider I was out with, saying no one else wants to ride with her because they all think it is dangerous. I understood what she was saying and took it with a grain of salt as well. 
I think her horse is lovely but I wish she could control him better (I think shes also the type of person where a little something is missing, like common sense or inner strength). I talked with another lady at the barn today who was there when my horse got loose and knows both horses and the other rider. I told her I feel like I'm having to babysit the other horse and rider a lot when we go out and my horse got fed up. She said that's how a lot of people feel about the rider and why no one goes riding with her. It makes me a little sad to hear this and put some other pieces together, I guess shes caused enough drama there already and no one likes her. Other boarders have literally thanked me for going riding with her so they don't have to, and I thought it was silly at first, but after 3 emotional rides I understand why I am drained too. I still think its a bad position for me to put my horse and me in, and somehow now, I'm going to have to break that to her. I should be glad though because she had a nervous breakdown on the trail that day just getting her horse to do a circle and I had to tell her that she should do it again the right way so her horse knows instead of just half assin it, and while I can be there to support her quite a lot its just been hard on my horse and I. 
I took my horse in the arena today to jump and he was perfect. I am thankful no one got hurt and that my horse hasn't had any bad karma from this, everything seems to be working out and there are a lot of people at the barn who support me and still think m horse is great. Just acted a little out of character the other day as they would say. 

On a 2nd note I also ride other horses, most of which are green out on the trail, I can totally understand where some are coming from with the blame game, because green horses do things wrong so its easy to blame them for it. 
Though the rider having experience is important too because the horse will have more confidence and feel better doing its job, not nervous or hesitant which the other horses can pick up on. 
I still don't blame her or her horse for my tack malfunctioning. However I do hold her responsible for her actions on her horse and any other horse she may choose to ride.


----------



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

How worried to be though! Oh gosh, she just sent me a txt that her horse bit her yesterday! 
My friends horse is with her horse in the same pen and my friend and I have both noticed her horse gets like that when we are in there cleaning or getting the other horse out, wants to bite but never does with us, guess he finally found the opportunity to on her, hope she smacked him for it!

Ah well subjects changing just really wanted to share this fluke experience, and have had a few days to think about it and am ready to move on to new goals rather than dwell.


----------



## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

While I am no endurance rider, I do ride trails, and lots of them in summer. I ride with multiple levels of riders, and my rules are always simple: be safe, and be considerate, otherwise I'm riding away from you.

I always feel it's my responsibility to make sure my horse is trained properly to be able to handle riding with or without the group, towards or away from others, from home, or from wherever else I ask. Sometimes on trail things happen such as a horse gets injured or lame and then someone has to turn around and ride back. Riding with ill fitting tack, or inexperienced riders isn't an excuse for not having control.

That said, stuff happens. Things go wrong. Even the best, most seasoned trail horses have issues. My horse once figured out how to get his bridle off in the river. Fortunately he was nice enough to also let me put it back on without having to have a very wet dismount haha! But if a person is an ongoing issue, don't ride with them. I know if I ride with someone who is unsafe or inconsiderate, and continues to have issues with their horse (as opposed to riding for the training work, and working to improve their horse's behavior), I simply won't ride with them anymore. We all have to start somewhere and my trail horse was a bit of a snot when I first got him and would rear and spin, and wanted to always be in front and would buck and have a fit if someone passed him at the gallop. So I spent a good solid year trail riding with anyone I could that was experienced enough to help me ride through it. Pass us, and me make him slow down. Let others first. Start in front and be passed. Pass, then slow down and let others pass again. Ride away from the group, and so on. Now he's almost always great.

He did once this summer decide that his hoof bruise was crap and he'd take off w/o me (I was leading him at the time) and thanks to Phantomhorse on here, her and her horse dragged his lil butt back to me where everyone else rode to camp and we walked. Slowly. Far far far far away from everyone else. With frequent halts. And turn backs out on trail, and so on. But I know that was primarily because he was footsore and HATES admitting it, and has too big of a sense of humor for his own good (he would slow down to let Phamtomhorse catch up, then stay *just* out of reach). Moral of the story - he wasn't *that* footsore if he could run like that, so we had a nice slow walking lesson in remembering our trail manners the whole way back to camp.

Stuff happens. Things go wrong. They ARE animals. At the end of the day we need to do what we can to be safe and courteous when riding on trails, especially with others, and do everything we can to keep our horses prepared and properly trained - regardless of who (or what) else we come across out there.


----------



## Herosbud (Dec 14, 2013)

I'm afraid that I don't get the video either. Sorry


----------



## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

I just watched the video again, made me dizzy, and the other rider's horse looks calm moving forward, the rider looks relaxed for the few seconds that she was visible, and the she does not seem to be hanging on her horse's face.

What did this spooky horse/rider combination do when your horse "bolted"?


----------



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

She was pretty far ahead at that point, already through the gate and as soon as it happened I yelled and she dismounted, I'm not sure what else they did but when I went back to get my hat she was just letting him graze. 
The other horse was calm at that point in the ride. 20 minutes before then, not so much, which is why we had her switch to the front and tah-dah calm horse, they had to face their fears instead of hiding behind. 
The part of the video that shows it all happening is in the last part, my camera automatically segments the video so I just included the whole last part instead of editing out a minute of the good stuff, which I'm guessing is why people are confused/see nothing happening.


----------



## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

Very interesting it makes you dizzy sarahfromsc, camera is in the front clip on my saddle and the video shakes or rocks around with the step of the leg, so its in rhythm, but presented in a different way that perhaps is a little disorienting. I have a few other videos of horses galloping with cameras on them that are definitely disorienting, shaking, loud sounds.


----------



## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Filou said:


> I had a little more insight today on the situation. The lady who feeds the horses has been warning me for a few months about the rider I was out with, saying no one else wants to ride with her because they all think it is dangerous. I understood what she was saying and took it with a grain of salt as well.
> I think her horse is lovely but I wish she could control him better (I think shes also the type of person where a little something is missing, like common sense or inner strength). I talked with another lady at the barn today who was there when my horse got loose and knows both horses and the other rider. I told her I feel like I'm having to babysit the other horse and rider a lot when we go out and my horse got fed up. She said that's how a lot of people feel about the rider and why no one goes riding with her. It makes me a little sad to hear this and put some other pieces together, I guess shes caused enough drama there already and no one likes her. Other boarders have literally thanked me for going riding with her so they don't have to, and I thought it was silly at first, but after 3 emotional rides I understand why I am drained too. I still think its a bad position for me to put my horse and me in, and somehow now, I'm going to have to break that to her. I should be glad though because she had a nervous breakdown on the trail that day just getting her horse to do a circle and I had to tell her that she should do it again the right way so her horse knows instead of just half assin it, and while I can be there to support her quite a lot its just been hard on my horse and I.
> I took my horse in the arena today to jump and he was perfect. I am thankful no one got hurt and that my horse hasn't had any bad karma from this, everything seems to be working out and there are a lot of people at the barn who support me and still think m horse is great. Just acted a little out of character the other day as they would say.
> 
> ...


No one "has to" ride with this lady. If someone doesn't want to ride with her, they should just say no when she asks.


----------



## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

I am glad you both got home safe, and would also be double (and triple!) checking that bridle to make sure it never happens again.

I suppose it's all about what you want to get out of your ride. I enjoy taking green horses and riders out (though hopefully only one or the other at a time) because my guy is happy to lead, follow, pony and go through or over everything. BUT that is because I like helping people get out of the arena and showing them a big world, and I have spent hundreds of hours working with him to get him 'dead broke' because I think it's fun to be able to help newbies gain some experience and confidence. He is NOT allowed to act up or out no matter how many hundreds of times we stop and stand waiting for someone else on a ride, or just because I want to look at a pretty view, or drink water, or whatever.

A ride gets bonus points if I like the person and like chatting with them. If I LIKE the person and hanging out with them, I am more apt to put up with riding quirks (horse or human) which would otherwise irritate me. Generally the only things that I really can't/wont deal with are people who are hard on their horses (yanking, kicking, fighting rather than training, etc).

If my horse does ANYTHING, that is my responsibility, and other horse's are the other riders' responsibility. That said, I try to make sure everyone's okay with the activities we're doing and am not going to gallop off an leave someone if I know their horse may have a fit or act up in a way they aren't comfortable with or wanting to school their horse on. I like to run and jump and go through streams or hills or whatever for 25 miles, alone or not makes no difference to me. I also like to go for a nice horseback walk in the woods with good people too, one of the best times you can spend with friends, IMO. 

If riding with this other person or any other person is not rewarding and doesn't make you smile, don't do it. For most of us hobby folks horses and riding are supposed to be fun. If it's not, at least on average, you're doing it wrong.


----------



## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

If I ever use a bridle or a bit and I have a major wreck, I assume that it is not working out and use something else. The only horses that I have had luck using a bosal with are ones that are so dead broke that they really don't need much guidance from their rider.


----------



## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

I still say it is your responsibility to train your horse to handle any situation that may come along.

To state here that this woman is "missing something" just hit me wrong. Really? And to top it off by admitting that you and all the other women at the barn are talking about it, feeds into the stereotypical barn divas. Ugh. We women have to fight the image that we are catty, gossipy hot messes all the time. Thanks. 

If anything is missing, it is some horse training.

Don't blame others, or your horse, or equipment failure for lack of training.


----------



## Foxtail Ranch (Mar 10, 2012)

I have lost my bridle a couple of times recently. It is a beautiful western bridle, with just one ear loop and no throatlatch. The first time, we were going through water, and it just slipped off. My sweet mare just stopped and bent around to look at me like "what is happening?" I was able to put it back on with not injury or drama. Same with the next time, after getting very wet, and my mare was itching her head on her leg. Again, she just stopped and waited for me to fix it, but she has been taught to stop if her saddle slips or anything falls off her saddle too.

I have since switched to a more practical, though not nearly as lovely, bridle.

Maybe, OP, you have discovered a little hole in your horses training that you should work on. Tack accidents can be deadly if your horse panics and runs, so you may want to teach your horse to stop and wait for you to fix it.


----------



## Slave2Ponies (May 25, 2013)

I would like to add that tack that is appropriate for the training ring, arena, or show ring, is not necessarily appropriate for trail riding. I always use a browband headstall of very sturdy leather that fits very well. I have learned the hard way not to use anything that is loose, any one-ear headstalls or anything new that I am trying out. I would never try any new equipment on a trail ride, especially with someone else along. There are just so many variables out on the trail, and you can't have your tack being one of them. Having said that, I made those kind of mistakes when I was younger, and by the grace of God I survived and got to be old and wise.


----------

