Mouth Closers & Training Aids

What is a training fork?

The training fork is similar to a Western martingale. Accordingly, it is also constructed similarly to a martingale, but omits the neck ring. The training fork is a training aid to limit or prevent tossing the head. It is attached to the girth and runs as a fork between the front legs. Finally, the reins are pulled through the rings. As it is a training aid, it should not be used permanently, but only for correction.
As with the martingale, the training fork only works when the horse's head is too high. When the head is in a normal position, the training fork does not pull on the reins. It is therefore essential to ensure that the fork is not buckled too short.
Caution! If the horse lowers its head and the training fork is buckled too long, it can happen that the horse gets caught in it with its front hooves. Therefore, it may be better to change to a Western martingale that has a neck ring that can prevent such accidents when lowering the head.

How is the Western martingale buckled in correctly?

A Western martingale is similar to a martingale used in English riding. It consists of a training fork and a neck ring. It differs from the Western breastplate in that it is not attached to the saddle to prevent it from slipping backwards. It is only used to restrict the horse from excessive upward head movement.
The Western martingale should be buckled so that the reins sag when the horse is in a normal, relaxed head position. Only when the horse wants to resist the hand by tossing its head will the correctly buckled Western martingale cause a bend in the rein line and exert downward pressure on the bit. The horse's head movement is limited.
The neck strap, which is part of the Western martingale, does not influence the effect of the martingale. It only prevents the horse from stepping into the fork with its front hooves when it lowers its head.

What is the effect of the mouth closer?

Western headstalls are often very minimalistic and have few straps. Compared to a cavesson bridle, they do not have a noseband. Instead, often only a curb chain or a chin strap that is used to enhance the effect of the bit. If, however, the horse is resisting the rider's reins by opening its mouth excessively, a mouth closer or mouth shutter, can help. It simply limits the movement of the mouth and thus prevents the lower jaw from tilting, but still allows the necessary activity of the mouth. The mouth closer is placed under the headstall and could be compared to the noseband of a cavesson bridle.
The mouth closer is usually only allowed in the warm-up arenas.
A mouth closer is not only used in Western riding, but also in Icelandic riding.

What is the purpose of the mouth closer in Western riding?

The purpose of a mouth closer is to prevent the horse's mouth from opening excessively. Mouth closers are therefore a useful accessory, especially for horses that avoid rein aids by tilting their lower jaw.