I thought a post about horse training equipment would be a good follow up to the discussion about horse training techniques.
My feelings about horse training equipment are generally, the less the better! No fancy equipment replaces correct training techniques, patience and consistency.
That being said there are a few things that I use on a regular basis. The first is a bridle and bit.
Personally, I like a german silver or aurigan double-jointed training snaffle on almost every horse I train and ride. The one I use on my horses is the Herm Sprenger Dynamic RS Aurigan Loose Ring.
Genuine patented Aurigan bits are manufactured only by Herm Sprenger. Aurigan is a perfect mixture of materials (85% copper, 4% silicon and 11%zinc). Aurigan has high oxidation properties and provides a pleasant taste to encourage chewing activity and easy acceptance of the bit.
If you need a nice bridle that will work for both schooling and the show ring I recommend the Henri De Rivel Dressage Bridle. It has stainless steel hardware, buckle ends (which I prefer for ease of use and longevity…I’m not fond of the hook studs, I’ve had them work loose and fall out) and is made of nice European leather.
You can’t beat the price for a bridle of this quality at under $90! It even comes in a choice of colors/padding. It is also highly rated by users at 5stars! An absolutely lovely bridle at a lovely price. 🙂
I also like to have two lunge lines available. Lunging is important to me throughout the whole training process for various reasons.
I recommend the Intrepid International Lunge Line with Rubber Stopper. It comes in a light color (I actually like a light color in case I set it down and forget where I put it…that way it’s easy to spot, LOL) has a good quality swivel snap to help prevent twisting and a rubber stop. I definitely like having a rubber stop as that is what has saved me from “losing” a horse many times!
Having two lunge lines on hand is great in case one breaks or if you want to do any long-lining or ground driving.
The Intrepid International is also metered so that you can work on specific sizes of circles during training.
And don’t forget about a lunge whip both for sending your horse forward and keeping him out of your “space.”
There are also Intrepid International Lunge Whips. They come in bright colors…easy to find! 🙂
The last piece of horse training equipment that I personally use on a regular basis is a lunging surcingle. Again, Intrepid makes nice products and I like the Intrepid International Professional Neoprene Training Surcingle.
It has lots of attachment points, has stainless steel hardware, doesn’t slip, is comfortable for the horse and easily hoses off! It adjusts to fit from a 14 hand pony to an 18 hand horse.
When I am lunging in a training surcingle I always have my horse in a bridle and side reins. The side reins I like best are the kind with the rings. I don’t like taking the time to mess with buckles each time I want to make an adjustment to my side reins.
Again I go with the Intrepid International Elastic End Side Rein with Dees because I also like the feel of give and take that the elastic gives on the bit. And I like the nylon for the side reins because I don’t have to spend the time maintaining it that I have to with leather.
I would love to hear if anyone else has any favorite horse training equipment. If there’s one thing horse people love it’s discovering new “stuff!”
