Martingales & Breastplates

You’re scrolling at 11pm with two near-identical running martingales open in two tabs. One is soft leather that will smell like a saddler’s when it arrives. The other is a synthetic that wipes clean in seconds. Which one deserves your money? That’s the synthetic vs leather martingale question, and it’s trickier than it looks, because … Read more

Picture the long, grinding gallop up the final hill on a cross country course. Your horse has a generous shoulder and a ribcage that’s more shelf than barrel, and your saddle has quietly decided to emigrate towards his loins. Nobody wants that conversation at fence nineteen. A well-chosen breastplate for eventing is the cheap, unglamorous … Read more

You know the moment. Your horse’s head rockets skyward, the poll arrives somewhere near your nose, and for one long heartbeat you’re a passenger. A standing martingale for horse and rider partnerships like that is the old-school answer: one strap, girth to noseband, and a firm ceiling on how high a head can go. Here’s … Read more

A running martingale for showjumping is a leather strap that runs from the girth, between the forelegs, and splits into two straps ending in rings that the reins pass through. It does nothing while your horse carries its head normally. The moment the head climbs too high, it adds downward leverage through the reins. Simple … Read more

Few pieces of tack start as many yard debates as the humble martingale. Bring up running martingale vs standing martingale over a livery-yard cuppa and you’ll get strong opinions, a story about somebody’s cousin’s cob, and at least one person insisting you should never use either. Let’s cut through the noise. Both exist for the … Read more