>> i know but honestly its really not much worse than clamping off a >> horse's air supply with a tight tight noseband like they do icelandics >> so often! > > I know with soring they want the horse to be sore so that it steps > high. Is there a benefit to the way a horse tolts if the oxygen > supply is cut off. In other words do you think they intentionally > want to cut the horse's oxygen off?
Yes, there is a benefit. It's not that the oxygen supply is cut off, but it is severely restricted. Like a drowning man fighting for air. In racing, the owners and jockeys want their horses to be able to open their nostrils as much as possible and want nothing in the way to restrict the nasal passages. No, I don't think that it was originally intentional. I think it sort of evolved... at first the horses were ridden with regular bridles and snaffles, and the "tolt" was whatever easy gait the horse did. About the time they had exposure to other gaited horses around the world and more specifically defining "tolt", they brought in the European tack, which included the noseband. In riding faster gait, and trying to get more "racky", they pulled on the horse's mouth more. The horse had no option but to open his mouth away from the bit. The bit was not being used as a device of communication, but a device of control thru discomfort / pain. They used the noseband to "fix" the open mouths. And found that the tighter it was, the more adrenalin the horse gave them. The more adrenalin, the more bracey, the better the rack / tolt. Are they purposely trying to cut off the horse's air? No, I don't think so. I think it's a matter of not knowing the biomechanics. But... what if they DO know the biomechanics? If they know the biomechanics, will they make changes so the horse doesn't suffer? That's the question to be answered. Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
