This message is from: "janet" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Well I discovered a new use for saddle strings. They are for tying your Fjordies mouth shut when riding through eyeball high grass. Not 100% solution, but makes nipping off grass a lot more difficult! Snacking on the trail can be very dangerous because the horse is not paying attention and could easily make a wrong step.
My saddle has D rings through wich I have threaded nylon chord for tying things on. I tied it around the mouth just behind the bit, then tied the extra to the noseband of the bridle. Our trails are like riding through an ocean of green, so it is extreemly difficult to stop snacking without resorting to some strong measures. I never had this big an issue with any other breed of horse! Some other things I have done are: a quick snatch of one rein when they dive down for mild offenders, a slap in the face with a riding crop, which is very effective on the worst offenders, but *hang on* the first few times you do it! For leading the horse, I use a quick bump of the toe of my boot in the muzzle when they dive down for grass, that works very well. I am curious if a figure 8 noseband will work better than my saddle string? Has anyone used a figure 8 noseband for this purpose? btw our horses on are pasture 24/7 and they never tire of eating grass (or trees, or anything else that is green). Janet
