Curb
Curb (of Hungarian Kantar , "bridle") is called in the equestrian one not broken dentures pieces using leverage, in contrast to the Pelham and lever-less bridle . The curb is used by the experienced rider to refine the aids. Since an enormous force can be built up by the leverage, improper use can lead to injuries to the horse's mouth. For this reason, the curb should only be used by riders who are already very confident and sensitive to their horse and who, in particular , can carry their hand independently of the seat .
construction
The curb consists mainly of a rod that is guided through the horse's mouth and to which transverse legs, the so-called "trees", are attached to the side and outside of the horse's mouth. The upper tree is connected to the cheek piece of the curb bridle, while the (longer) lower trees are connected to the reins by means of rings at their ends . Together with a curb chain , which is passed under the horse's chin pit and is attached to curb chain hooks at the side in the area of the upper rod ends, a leverage effect is created.
effect
The curb works in three ways: on the one hand, by pulling the reins, a pull is exerted on the mouth in the direction of the rider's hand; on the other hand, the lower jaw is pressed between the bar and the curb chain, which can cause crush injuries and, in extreme cases, break the jaw if the pull is too strong can be. Furthermore, the lever over the bridle creates a pull on the neck. This effect is stronger, the greater the ratio of sub-tree to upper tree. A sharp curb cannot be inferred from the sheer length of the lower tree. Long lower trees in connection with long upper trees make the curb appear "slow" and more predictable for the horse, that is, only after a certain rein travel. For the curb to work correctly, it is important to set the curb chain correctly (not too tight or too loose) and to select a curb with tongue clearance that matches the horse's mouth.
The curb was developed in order to enable an increased and more refined effect on the horse compared to the bridle, especially with one-handed reins. It is not suitable for preventing horses from going through.
Types of curb
According to the shape of the lower trees, a distinction is made between the Prussian (straight trees), the C- and the S-curb, the latter two having the advantage that the horse cannot grab the lower trees with his lips because they are further back.
In addition, a distinction is made between curbs with rigid trees and curbs with movable legs, mostly Western poles, and in their intended use between riding and driving curbs .
In dressage riding, in contrast to western riding and the driving curb, the curb is compulsorily supplemented by an underlay , a somewhat thinner bridle that lies above the bar in the mouth and is connected with additional bridle reins. In western riding, in the Iberian riding styles as well as in the classical art of riding , the fully trained horse is usually ridden with one-handed reins on the bare curb, i.e. without a cheek piece.
There are also Western bars or Icelandic horse bits that are broken like snaffles (American "snaffle bit with shanks") and act more like lever snaffles. Their classification as curbs is therefore technically incorrect.
A particularly soft-looking dressage curb has firmly welded levers, a double-broken bridle and a chin chain with tightly looped links that distribute the pressure over more links. The curb chain can also be provided with a protective piece of leather, and there are also chinstraps made entirely of leather (softening of the leather causes a decrease in precision, so a chinstrap has to be replaced more often).
The "English noseband" is almost always used for the curb in dressage. Another noseband would interfere with the mouthpieces. The use of the English noseband fixes the position of the bridle and the curb bar when the cheek piece of the curb is firmly connected to the noseband of the noseband. However, it can also be left out, as a lot of leather is strapped to the horse's head.
Curb maturity
Because of the increased impact of the curb, both rider and horse must have an advanced level of training. It is important that the horse on bridle stands well on the rider's aids . An informal leaning is just as necessary for this as permeability and a trusting hand-foot-relationship. If there are problems with the snaffle, the curb is only suitable under certain corrective measures. Lessons always have to be ready with the bridle before they can be performed on the curb. The reason is that the curb effect can force a horse into a certain head position, but this is not the point. Riding on a curb does not have to mean that you are a very good rider. If the curb is consciously or unconsciously used incorrectly, the animal even suffers unnecessary agony through the leverage of the curb as a violent means.
Rein leadership
The rider has to lead a total of four reins. These reins can be guided in different ways and therefore act differently on the horse's mouth.
- Three to one
- The original standard rein guide. Both curb reins and the left snaffle rein are guided with the left hand, the right snaffle rein with the right hand. The left bridle rein usually runs between the little and ring finger, the left curb rein between the ring finger and middle finger and the right curb rein between the middle finger and forefinger. In a variant, all reins can be shifted by a finger gap to the little finger.
- In a fist
- Advanced variant of the curb guide, in which the right bridle rein is also held with the left hand, between thumb and index finger, or between index finger and middle finger. This variant enables a weapon to be wielded in the right hand and was therefore the predominant rein control in the military.
The two aforementioned variants best take into account the fact that with the unbroken curb bar, one-sided rein action is only possible to a very limited extent. Each individual rein in the left hand can be yielded by stretching the finger around which the rein runs. The bridle and curb can be yielded on the left side by tilting the fist upwards and on the right side downwards. When doing turns, it is even more important than when riding on a bridle that the outer rein does not inhibit the horse in the bend; if necessary, even the curb reins have to give way a little.
- Shared reins
- One curb and one snaffle rein in each hand. It is used almost exclusively in modern dressage. A disadvantage is that the rider cannot give exact help with the snaffle bit or curb bit because he is holding the reins twisted in his hand. Usually the weight on the curb is higher.
- French guide
- The bridle rein on the same side is placed between the thumb and index finger and the curb under the little finger on the same side. The advantage of this guide, also known as the Fillis guide, is that the curb and bridle can be used very precisely. This requires appropriate experience and knowledge from the rider. This guide is available in another variant as the reverse Fillis guide, in which the curb and snaffle reins are interchanged.
- The French leadership can act individually on the bit and curb. The curb has a lowering effect, while the bit has a lifting effect.
- The French leadership was often used , for example, by S. Filatow , P. Karl , N. Oliviera and W. Schultheis .
- Bare curb
- When “riding on bare curb”, the bridle reins sag, so the horse is only guided with the curb reins. This tour requires very fine tuning of the horse and a high level of training.
