Horse Training - Tack - When Less Is More

July 29, 2002

When Less is More

by Dan Gilmore

There are many approaches to the use of tack on horses. Some people are what I call "tack-happy" who believe that every problem can be solved by the application of certain mechanical devices. I call articles of tack 'mechanical device' because that's exactly what they are. While certain items of tack are necessary, some, or even most, are not. It is at this point that I usually hear a great deal of guffawing in the background.

While the judicious application of tack is sometimes necessary in training, certain items such as martingales, assorted other 'tie-down' devices, and nose-bands are generally not desirable or even necessary.

Let's take a closer look at a commonly used device: the martingale. This device has been around for centuries. It has had a long history of legitimate use for the purpose of teaching a horse to control his field of vision. It is not entirely understood how a horse perceives depth, but through trial and error, humans have come up with numerous theories that seem to work. On theory states that the horse will jump over an object when that object merely passed through a certain point of its field of vision. This theory is borne out in certain aspects that are manifested by the fact that a horse will generally leave the ground as far from the rail as it is above the ground.

Another theory is that the construction of a horse's eye, it's slightly 'ramped retina', gives the horse's eye certain optical qualities that allow the horse when he looks at the horizon, the ability to have everything, from far to near, in focus. The nearness of an object can then be determined by where in the horse's field of vision an object is in perfect focus. All this is accomplished without much effort by the muscles or the eye that affect focus. In simplified terms, it's like having a section of your eye that has continuous gradient tri-focal lense (line-less bifocals). I have a couple of camera lenses that do exactly the same thing. With a little mathematics, once can determine the distance of any object in a photograph taken with this lens by where in the field of the image that object is in focus. This is where the martingale comes in.

To make a long story even longer, think of a horse as being far sighted. He approaches an object that he want's to look at. As he gets closer, the horse will raise his head up to place the object in focus in exactly the same way a human wearing bifocals would when reading. All this is done, for the most part, quite automatically be they brain. Most horses learn that they can keep their heads level, eyes effectively focused upon the horizon and see everything in perfect focus from far to near. This ability is a great evolutionary survival trait especially if one is essentially prey. They also learn that where in the field of vision an object is in focus is relative to how far away an object is. Hence, the martingale can be used to teach a horse just how to hold his head to take the best advantage of this evolutionary gift.

Where the martingale went wrong is when people used it to hold a horse's head down or to help hold a horse in a particular 'frame'. When applied in the wrong manner, a martingale can not only do physical damage to the horse, it can be downright dangerous. I have seen horses that have drowned in water crossings because they couldn't keep their heads up. Their owners were warned of this possibility many times before hand, but ignored it because they said they never heard of it happening before. All it took was for the horse to trip in knee deep water, and once is all it takes. Albeit, it is a very rare occurrence (because most people who ride in areas where there is water are smart enough to realize this potential problem) but why take the risk?

Then there's the myriad of neck, back and shoulder injuries that I have seen that are the direct result of improper use of martingales. A rider taking lessons from my wife several years ago said, "what can I put on this horse to keep his head down?" to which my wife said, "how about a little leg?"

The use of certain items of tack to correct problems in the way a horse moves is only a stop-gap measure because it treats the symptom and not the cause. Take away the martingale, and the problem comes right back if you haven't identified and addressed the underlying problem. This also goes for tie-downs of all descriptions, draw reins and other medieval (figuratively and literally) devices. Included in the categories of 'medieval' devices are assorted bits and articles like figure-eight and 'tacked' nose-bands.

I get a lot of questions from people who see me riding with a bridle sans nose-band using a big fat snaffle on a horse that only earlier that day had a mouth as hard as steel. Don't get me wrong, there are some horses that need stronger bits than the average horse and that's just the way it is. The key is to use the lightest bit and tack setup as possible because there's no use in applying any more leverage than necessary, which hopefully, is very little leverage. The horse will be happier and you will be happier too (not to mention all the money you'll save on tack). It will also make you a better rider if you have to rely on your own wits and ability instead of mechanical technology that may not always be available. You will improve your skills as a rider and you will develop a better rapport with your horse because you will have to talk to him in his terms without the benefit of unnatural force. You will also learn how to ride effortlessly without relinquishing control and to allow the horse (and trust him) to do his job.

The combination of a rider and horse that actually communicate with each other is always more desirable and impressive than the combination of rider who has to control every foot-fall and motion and a horse wearing so much tack that it looks like a square rigged schooner. Riding is not about control; it's about cooperation.