Insert Punny Title Here
I wanted to make the title of this blog post "Let's Talk about Breast(plates)" but I'm still getting a couple hundred hits a day on my accidental horse porn post so I figure I better quit while I'm a head. Or behind. I should just stop.
When I was younger and did the jumpers, I never used a breastplate.
No matter how big the jumps got, it just wasn't a piece of tack anyone at my barn used, so I didn't either.
Years later I started eventing, and breastplates were a mandatory piece of tack. The argument is you don't want your saddle moving and shifting when you're galloping across the country, which makes sense.
Also they are a fun piece of kit, so I'm not going to argue it.
I had a hunting breastplate for Runkle, but for whatever reason it pinched his boobs so after while I started using a jumper breastgirth or whatever you grew up calling it.
When I got Spicy I put him in Runkle's old breastplate, and it didn't really fit him either. After The Precious came into my life, I stopped using a breastplate at all. The ones I have don't really fit Spicy anyway and we're only doing flatwork, so who cares?
When I was younger and did the jumpers, I never used a breastplate.
No matter how big the jumps got, it just wasn't a piece of tack anyone at my barn used, so I didn't either.
Years later I started eventing, and breastplates were a mandatory piece of tack. The argument is you don't want your saddle moving and shifting when you're galloping across the country, which makes sense.
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| My first time cross country schooling |
Also they are a fun piece of kit, so I'm not going to argue it.
I had a hunting breastplate for Runkle, but for whatever reason it pinched his boobs so after while I started using a jumper breastgirth or whatever you grew up calling it.
I had a hell of a time fitting a breastplate on Indy. He was so big that nothing fit. And looking at pictures, I'm not sure it was actually doing anything anyway.
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| It's hard being a giraffe. |
When I got Spicy I put him in Runkle's old breastplate, and it didn't really fit him either. After The Precious came into my life, I stopped using a breastplate at all. The ones I have don't really fit Spicy anyway and we're only doing flatwork, so who cares?
Lately I've been stepping up the jumping training portion of our reeducation. That's a blog post of it's own, because it's going really well, but as with anything else I've been doing I started on the ground with baby steps and lots of praise. Seeing Spicy go from timid and confused about jumps to downright bold has been such a joy. He LIKES that job. I watch him trot in perfect balance and pat off the ground, the arc of his jump going through his shoulders.
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| Exhibit S: for shoulders. He's got BIG ones. |
It made me wonder, how much is a breastplate really going to help? And how much is it actually going to impede? My saddle doesn't move at all, he makes a huge (beautiful, perfect!) effort through his front end. I love watching him, warming up over fences in hand has become my favorite part of my rides.
So I guess my question to you is - do you use a breastplate? Why? Is it because they're part of the uniform, does your saddle move, or do you just like to tack-ho? Fun fact, all are fine reasons. This sport is about doing what makes YOUR day sparkle. If you use them, are there times you won't use one? Because I'm starting to question if I should, unless I'm doing something that requires.... help.
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| Booli Selmayr up - probably thankful for that breastplate. |
I feel like this IG post from Soup Payne is relevant here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv9fmLqgErs/
ReplyDeleteHowever, at the lower levels, I don't think a breastplate is necessary unless your saddle slips at all. I like having a breastplate as my saddle fits okay, but not perfectly, and Levi likes to move his body in weird ways.
Oh my god I've never seen that.... that's terrifying!!! I'd have to pull up...
DeleteI used to use a breastplate on Pig in our jumping saddle. Honestly it was probably useless, but I thought he looked all grown up. Later I was thankful for it when doing more serious gallops on steep inclines. Eventually I sold it. My saddle never moves on Pig, there's no use for it. And what a BITCH to clean. Yetch. Bast is more in need of a crupper with how wide and low withered he is. Lol.
ReplyDeleteplease put a crupper on bast, I will laugh forever
DeleteI was always someone that used a breastplate and martingale BECAUSE EVERY EVENTER AT INTRO THROUGH INTERMEDIATE did. But then I looked at pictures, and it looked a bit tight across my horse's shoulders. I tried jumping without it and didn't really make a difference, but he felt a little freer in the shoulders. So I decided that this year I will XC school without it and see how I feel. I want to eliminate as much unnecessary tack as I can, and I feel like this is something that most people use just to fit in.
ReplyDeleteI kinda felt the same, and since Spicy tends on his own to get tight and choppy I didn't want to 'help' him feel restricted. I hope your experiment goes well!!
DeleteI generally only use one at shows, when XC schooling, or when jumping bigger fences. My saddle fits my horse well, so under any sort of normal circumstances it isn't going to slip, but I do choose to take the extra precaution when we're doing something that might cause more... jostling. It's one of those "I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it" items for me when it comes to jumping, especially cross country. I've seen a couple accidents from a slipped saddle, and once I saw someone's girth break but they managed to stay upright long enough to get stopped safely thanks to the breastplate. For me (and my trainer agrees, FWIW, she wants everyone on XC in a breastplate) it goes more in the safety equipment category. That said, I think breastplate fit is REALLY important... the best style for one horse might not be the best for another, and you definitely don't want anything that's impeding the horse's freedom of movement through the shoulder. I'd rather have no breastplate than a poorly fitted one.
ReplyDeleteAgreed on your last point. Also on the "i'd rather have it and not need it than vice versa". I haven't actually had an incident where it rescued me so it's easy for me to forget that it could actually save my ass!
DeleteI think if you are just doing lower jumps in eventing you don't need one unless you have a fat buckskin with man boobs (cough cough Remus). However Remus's man boobs grew out of his current cob one (Lund) so he is breastplateless (is that a word? HA). I think if you are going to go BN or above and you wnat to be sure no matter what happens to your saddle it stays the right way up and in the right place sure put one on. Otherwise I think it is up to you! But if you have a fat wide horse you may want one (saddle shifts no matter what!! UGH) FAT WIDE HORSE LOVES UNITE :)
ReplyDeletedon't make fun of remus' man boobs!!!!
DeleteYou really make me laugh :P
May is wide... and round... and occasionally likes to jump SUPER round. I also love putting more weight in one stirrup than the other. ;-) Sooooo May gets a breastplate.
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER, it took a lot of time/effort/experimentation to find a breastplate that works for her. She has BIG shoulders and is wide on top. So I really need to find something that wasn't tight through the shoulders or pulled down on the front of the saddle.
The hunting breastplate just pulled the saddle onto her shoulders... The traditional five point put the shoulder pads more in front of her shoulder than on the side of them (creating a pressure point that discouraged her front end). Finally, I found this breastplate:
https://www.doversaddlery.com/crown-3-point-breastcollar/p/X1-09353/
and I am really happy with it.
soooo I think it's more of a game of finding a set up that works for you.
Hm it seems like that might be true. I really like that one, I saw it at dover and I LOVE how wide the elastic is. It's similar to the CWD and PS three points but those are so thin they seem like they'd be uncomfortable?
DeleteI've had the same issue with the hunting and five points that you described, I'm glad I'm not alone!
I used to use a breastplate until some baby horse went and broke it..... Though how much I needed it for him anymore I'm not sure. I originally used it because Ramone was higher in the wither than the back and my saddle would slip back. Then he beefed up his back (and his rib cage) so my saddle would still slip back based on the shape of his body vs the shape of my saddle. I used attachments with it maybe a handful of times. Dante I used it to help stabalize myself from slipping side to side vs front to back (because let's face it he has spent most of his time downhill but he'd objects extremely to a crouper.) Now that he's even though I don't see much slippage in my saddle so maybe it doesn't need replacing!
ReplyDeleteHah so true - and Dante is uh... 'expressive' enough over jumps that I think if your saddle was going to move it WOULD.
DeleteDoc has big ass shoulders that God forbid the saddle touch so saddle a tiny bit wide + breastplate it is for His Highness. Plus, I too, have a habit of leaning into one stirrup like I'm a freaking speed skater going around a corner. I use a three point with clips onto dee savers, but I'm intrigued by the Lund bridge and 4 point options. I find five points a PITA and overkill for BN.
ReplyDeleteI used to always use one on my jumpers, until I realized that on Rio, it was kind of getting in his way. It was the collar type, but elastic. I think something like a 3 or 5 point would have been better for him. I haven't used one in ages because I was doing hunters and eq, and my saddle stayed put nicely. But I wouldn't be against a good fitting one on a jumper in the future. Also, after seeing that link above from Olivia... definitely would use one if I had the guts to ride cross country!
ReplyDeleteNever used one, but my old trainer did like the aesthetic of it when she was showing in the APHA huntseat classes. It was just the thing at the time. I do fully understand using one for eventing, jumpers, fox hunting, and anything else that's fast paced or likely to cause some hairy maneuvers.
ReplyDelete