Tie Downs - Good and Bad?

Thank you Sorrel ! I am currently without a trainer & am scouring my books for this answer, could you please explain more ?? Why do Jumpers use them ? Do they lean into them?

She throws her head up when she does a lead change & when she begins a canter...But it's not crazy & "upside down" (as my early trainer called it in early training.) Is it okay just to let it be ?? We only show in amateur & not that often.

I think we're talking about a standing martingale right?

A tiedown and standing martingale are capable of serving similar purposes but when the standing martingale is used, it should not be used to brace against. It should be used so the horse either a) can't hit you in the face over jumps, b) can't get their head over the point of control, and c) when hunting, it was my undrstanding it would help protect the horse in case of a fall.

I'm not hugely english experienced so someone is welcome to add as well, I only know the basic stuff from my brief endeavor.

When a tiedown is used in barrels it's intended to help the horse balance. The standing martingale shouldn't do that. So many of them are adjust incorrectly to be used similar to a tiedown.

Are her teeth done? Saddle fitting okay? Chiro been out lately?

I'd check for discomfort, then address the problem after that.

My mare flings her head when she gets excited. She only does it when she's fresh and after awhile of schooling the lead change in warmup, by the time we go show she's soft in the bridle again. What does your trainer think about it?

Thank you S. I am currently my own trainer-my barn trainers only know English & are high school girls *sigh*. I understand the martingale now, saddle okay, no chiro but you raised a good point about floating teeth. She is of that age.

Yeah I'd check it out.

I thought my mare was fine until I got her chiro'd, then suddenly it was a drastic change and everything just felt a hundred times better and I realized I'd been settling for less than she was capable of due to her discomfort.

Same with teeth, that will greatly effect her.

A standing martingale would properly do the opposite of helping a horse in a fall as they need to be able to get their head right up to correct themselves - even when tripping badly and a standing martingale (similar to the tie down) if adjusted tightly enough to stop the horse from smacking you in the face would impede its ability to right itself
I personally don't like to see them in any sort of jumping as a horse often needs to be able to stretch its neck right out to get out of trouble over a big spread or if it takes off too soon
A correctly fitted running martingale allows for the rider to have some control over its action as it works off the reins so isnt so 'fixed'
They are pretty standard uniform in UK foxhunting and in eventing and more popular with showjumpers than a standing martingale.
Either way they should all be a safety net and not a training aid or a crutch