# Using a bungee whist riding?



## Jenna1406 (20 March 2015)

Hi,

Does anyone use a bungee whilst riding?

I have been using the bungee on my horse that is very upside down in the next and it makes a huge difference when lunging and I am seen small signs of him accepting the contact to use the correct parts of his next instead of the underside - I was wondering if using it whilst schooling would be beneficial to him?

Jenna


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## Rosesandhorses (20 March 2015)

I have used one when riding but only very loose. I had a horse that had a tendency to do giraffe neck and run so I used it to try and encourage her that giraffe neck was not default mode. I would usually only use it for the start of the session and then remove so that they're not actually restricted and I mainly did long and low work in it.


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## Goldenstar (20 March 2015)

I have used them and watched my trainer training people when the horses are wearing them .
As with all these type things you need a clear understanding of what you are trying to achieve and how the equipment used is going to help that .


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## AdorableAlice (20 March 2015)

Yes.

Two reasons, the mare, goes inverted in trot when she gets excited in company.  The bungee comes into play without my hands interfering with it.  Secondly the mare gets very strong and will start tossing her head and yanking at me which is painful for me as I have had extensive surgery.

With the simple bit of elastic on she stays round but not overbent and only gets a reminder when she provokes it.  I had never heard of it until recently when I had moaned to a friend about how much pain I was in when the mare titted around.


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## Pigeon (20 March 2015)

To tie the horses head down with anything is kind of a safety risk in my opinion. Tbf my horse is prone to freaking out if he feels trapped, so this is a more paranoid perspective than you would get from someone who has a quieter horse.

Draw reins are better because they can be released if it all goes wrong. When I first got my horse and didn't know anything, I did use them occasionally, to get his 'head in the right place', but knowing what I know now, I wouldn't use them again. Very loose side reins are an option, the horse should be able to fully extend his head and neck but they encourage him to seek the contact and reach down. I personally wouldn't lunge with anything attached to the bit, but again, paranoid! Plenty of people do with very good results.

The bungees that go between the front legs are pretty bad. The positioning means that the bit is not working on the parts of the mouth that would be utilised by a rider, so it won't translate through to ridden work, and only really close the shoulders. You might succeed in gaining 'submission' to the bit, but you might get a horse who is afraid to take the contact. And trust me that takes a long time to fix. 

Some horses take a bit of time to 'get' stretching, in-hand stretches and ground work over poles has given good results for me  But it will take more time. If the penny really doesn't want to drop maybe a pessoa or an equi-ami (don't know much about these) or something? But you can't use them while you ride. 

So really, personally no, I wouldn't ride in a bungee, but it is your decision. I would make sure you have a safety break somewhere, a bit of baler twine or a purpose made quick release loop so if it goes wrong it will come loose. And make sure you have an instructor to help!


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## Goldenstar (20 March 2015)

Following on from pidgeons post you should always tie a bungee on with a leather loop made from a shoe lace , they break easily under pressure .


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## Rosesandhorses (20 March 2015)

In my opinion I really don't like draw reins- I've had experience of horses being permanently damaged from the use of them. In experienced hands they can help but only if you really know what your doing with them. 

The bungee should go from the girth through the bit and to the poll and only comes into action should the horse throw it's head in the air and then it is a flexible action. 

I own a Pessoa and it is brilliant but lots of ropes and pulleys so horse needs to be relatively sensible to lunge in it as if they throw themselves around there's a lot that can get tangled up. Never used an equiami but heard good things!


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## kassieg (20 March 2015)

We used to hack out the eventers in them loosely so they did hack out in an outline per say but they couldn't stick their heads in your face, was fine other than 1 who hated them would spook then the bungee would come into play he would **** himself panic rear & spin like a crazed horse. He was genuinely petrified (sensitive sole bless him). I would always ride him & would hack him without the bungee & was much better ! He was the only horse there who chucked me twice, both times because of the bungee.

But generally they are fine ! not a fan of any kind of aid myself but they do a job


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## Jenna1406 (20 March 2015)

Thanks for all the replies.

I use the bungee when lunging and I have bailer twine between the legs so that it could break if he was to get a fright, I have used it on a few occasions when lunging and when he stops fighting it he goes beautifully, you can really see him lifting, I have to chase him forward but I never use it for long lengths of time and after 5 or 10 mins on each rein, I tend to take it off and let him stretch it out.

He is 17 - so a lot of years of being upside down (he is not my horse, he is a loan horse which I have to compete this year).  He is very fixed on using his muscles on the under side.  He tends to cross his jaw when he is fighting it but as soon as it clicks and he uses him self correcting his mouth becomes quiet.  This is why I was wondering if it would be ok to use when riding as it may help hi m to submit so to speak sooner without the added tension and then finish the schooling session without it on to see if it makes a difference.

I might have a go tonight, I will warm him up the normal way I do on the buckle for his walk, trot and canter and then maybe put the bungee on for a short period of time.  I will try and get some pictures as my other half should be there to help me.

Thanks again.


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## Jenna1406 (20 March 2015)

kassieg said:



			We used to hack out the eventers in them loosely so they did hack out in an outline per say but they couldn't stick their heads in your face, was fine other than 1 who hated them would spook then the bungee would come into play he would **** himself panic rear & spin like a crazed horse. He was genuinely petrified (sensitive sole bless him). I would always ride him & would hack him without the bungee & was much better ! He was the only horse there who chucked me twice, both times because of the bungee.

But generally they are fine ! not a fan of any kind of aid myself but they do a job
		
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Thanks for that.

I generally do not like using an aid but he is a stubborn old git and I would rather not have to get into "fight" with him as I would lose and all the hard work I am trying to put into him can go in an instant, I am only wanting to use it as a temp thing but when you talk about hacking, he is the worlds worst for when you go for a canter near knocking you out because his head can go so high in the air.


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## khalswitz (21 March 2015)

Jenna1406 said:



			Hi,

Does anyone use a bungee whilst riding?

I have been using the bungee on my horse that is very upside down in the next and it makes a huge difference when lunging and I am seen small signs of him accepting the contact to use the correct parts of his next instead of the underside - I was wondering if using it whilst schooling would be beneficial to him?

Jenna
		
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Personally, no. If you're only using the bungee as a guiding contact, then you have your hands - use them instead. If you're using it to keep the horse's head down, then it's dangerous - if horse resists the contact you have no way to release it and your horse could easily start rearing with you on top. 

Personally, I don't like bungees anyway - anything elastic encourages the horse to lean on the contact IMO (i use a plain rope cord), and I've seen the snap when a horse resists them, and the horse was lucky not to be blinded and left with a cracking scar on its face.


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## Geek (21 March 2015)

Jenna1406 said:



			Thanks for all the replies.

 I have to chase him forward

He is 17 - so a lot of years of being upside down (he is not my horse, he is a loan horse which I have to compete this year).  He is very fixed on using his muscles on the under side.  He tends to cross his jaw when he is fighting it.
/QUOTE]

Please don't use a bungee on this horse, he needs hours of riding that is almost more like Physio sessions to help build the muscles so that he can work properly and this will probably take even longer as he is older and been set in his ways.  Putting a bungee on so that he is strapped down will be very uncomfortable and difficult for him.
		
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## khalswitz (21 March 2015)

Geek said:





Jenna1406 said:



			Thanks for all the replies.

 I have to chase him forward

He is 17 - so a lot of years of being upside down (he is not my horse, he is a loan horse which I have to compete this year).  He is very fixed on using his muscles on the under side.  He tends to cross his jaw when he is fighting it.
/QUOTE]

Please don't use a bungee on this horse, he needs hours of riding that is almost more like Physio sessions to help build the muscles so that he can work properly and this will probably take even longer as he is older and been set in his ways.  Putting a bungee on so that he is strapped down will be very uncomfortable and difficult for him.
		
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Also, tbh, if he's really well developed under the neck, a bungee may well act like resistance training and build those muscles further of he continually pulls against the elastic (that's the problem with elastic training tools!).

If he goes like that, he's probably on the forehand - I'd forget the head and work away on the back end. He'll soon suss it out and without a battle over his head.
		
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## Pigeon (21 March 2015)

Jenna1406 said:



			Thanks for all the replies.

I use the bungee when lunging and I have bailer twine between the legs so that it could break if he was to get a fright, I have used it on a few occasions when lunging and when he stops fighting it he goes beautifully, you can really see him lifting, I have to chase him forward but I never use it for long lengths of time and after 5 or 10 mins on each rein, I tend to take it off and let him stretch it out.

He is 17 - so a lot of years of being upside down (he is not my horse, he is a loan horse which I have to compete this year).  He is very fixed on using his muscles on the under side.  He tends to cross his jaw when he is fighting it but as soon as it clicks and he uses him self correcting his mouth becomes quiet.  This is why I was wondering if it would be ok to use when riding as it may help hi m to submit so to speak sooner without the added tension and then finish the schooling session without it on to see if it makes a difference.

I might have a go tonight, I will warm him up the normal way I do on the buckle for his walk, trot and canter and then maybe put the bungee on for a short period of time.  I will try and get some pictures as my other half should be there to help me.

Thanks again. 

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5 - 10 mins is quite a long time, especially for an older horse. I would maybe do like two mins, then stretch for one min, then back on for two mins and so on, just so the frame doesn't get fixed. Which I hate to say, it kind of will with a bungee, but I totally know where you're coming from and understand why you're using it, though it's not the route I would go down myself.

Pics would be a good idea so people can let you know if it's been adjusted properly! The most important thing is that it doesn't inhibit his paces, if his trot is bigger/looser without it then it needs to be on looser.

It's worth looking at some photos of the musculoskeletal system of a horse when it's in the correct outline, that will help you identify when he's working properly! I know I have a sneaky horse who will contort himself into all sorts of positions to avoid working properly, he looks alright until you see him go properly and then it's like a different animal!


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