Focusing the horses attention

newforest

newforest

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2008
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Anyone tried/ used/ using a noseband cover for this reason?
She does focus her attention a lot better with a few tweaks. She still focuses her attention, it's just not always where it should be ;)
Approaching a jump you don't really want a cob to go 'ooh lookie at that' and the body not just head realigns!
I was in two minds, turn away and reapproach or just kick on and hope! I know the horse doesn't see the jump a few strides away but I didn't think she had seen it at all. Re approached and gave the naughty side a focus tap!
 
Do you mean a fluffy on the noseband that stops them looking down? If so then yes I have done that a few times, but I'm not sure that would really help you if she's looking to the side or around the jumps. Blinkers would be more effective in that case. But I don't think I'd use them unless it was a consistent problem. Annie isn't always the most focused approaching jumps but since we don't go higher than 80cm I've always just taken the "kick on" approach. Though her bridle is pretty much just a sidepull so not the best for accurate steering anyway, she was better when I jumped her in her fulmer.
 
Yes the fluffy one. I wasnt sure what it meant by focuses.
The ducks chose that moment to stretch their wings and it was so utterly gripping! I can think of another option actually. :D
 
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Well I think the noseband covers are mostly designed for horses that put their head UP, I know in racing they use them for stargazers. Using it for Sunny who put her head down at jumps was an experiment which worked, but she was a bit "special" to put it mildly!
 
Yep I'd concur, it stops them looking down their nose, so a horse who put its head up has to drop the nose to see ahead. I don't see it would specifically make them pay more attention to what you are asking them to do.
 
I think it was an advertising gimmick to include the focus maybe?
Or maybe I was getting muddled with the side blinkers?
 
I think in racing blinkers, French or otherwise, can help focus because it blocks their view of all the horses behind them, which some find very distracting. Bit like with driving blinkers, stops them thinking their being chased and getting distracted by what's behind them.
 
These are the blinkers we use for jumping, they're by Dy'on. The only kind that are competition legal, so driving and racing type blinkers are out.

montants-focus-.jpg
 
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@newforest I used to use the Dy'on ones for indoor jumping on my old pony, he was young and just helped stop him being too nosy but once he started jumping he always got into the flow and didn't really get distracted.

I'd be working on straightness, poles guiding you in and keeping her straight with hands and legs, the more they do the better they get.
 
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