Ainsley Polo bridles & tack
Bridles & reins
These bridles have many features that grooms and player really appreciate from a practical and usability perspective.
Perfect length reins, no more tangling around the boots, knee pads, whips or other people. or your own boots.
Seamless run of leather to allow smooth flow and running through the bit ring while riding and playing. No stitched connections half way along the reins.
Running reins have a large loop at girth end for ease of use and to promote speed of tack changes between horses.
Reinforced leather insert where bit sits inside connection of rein to bit for longevity of life.
Cheek pieces the perfect length so they don't just fit polo ponies on the top hole. There are holes to move up and down to fit a greater range of horses.
Soft but robust dark brown beautiful quality English leather with stainless steel buckles.
Martingales
Correct length martingale, traditionally too long, and the buckle sits near the shortest hole. This design is the perfect length to fit most horses with still room to lengthen or shorten.
Loop for girth twice the size of normal standing martingales to promote speed of tack changes and ease of use for the groom.
Very durable double thickness high quality leather, normally there is a cheap leather stitched to a better leather as reinforcing.
Steel roller removed off the stainless steel buckle and replaced by a leather roller stitched on to eliminate any rattles from steel on steel movement.
Beautifully stitched and finished.
Soft but robust dark brown beautiful quality imported leather.
Drop nose bands
Designed to fit perfectly above the nasal cavity while being in front of the bit achieving its purpose effectively.
Most drop Nosebands used have two common downfalls, both having huge ramifications on horse performance. One being the length of the leather piece going over the nose. When tightened this creates pressure on one or both sides of the bit, decreasing sensitivity and movement of the bit thus interrupting effective control of the horse. The drop Noseband should fit in front of the bit letting the bit move unimpeded. The second downfall is the same piece sitting too low and restricting the nasal flare while the horse is breathing heavily. To prevent both from happening these drop Nosebands are the perfect length over the nose and a small stabilising piece of leather forming a triangle which holds the nose piece up above the nasal cavity.
Length of head piece to fit most horses with still room to lengthen or shorten depending on horse size.
Stainless steel buckle.
Soft yet robust dark brown, beautiful quality, English leather.
Article by Ross Ainsley in the Polo Times (Oct 17):
Bits
The bit constitutes a massive part of the communication between horse and rider. It is imperative to get the bit and biting of a horse perfect. Over the years, Ross has developed a
near perfect gag bit. Based on characteristics of very old models of bits that he and other horsemen have had the best results with. Three key characteristics sets these bits apart:
Weight of mouth piece. Most modern bits have very little weight in the mouth pieces, which is an obvious flaw given that when you release the pressure you need gravity to do its work and realise the pressure off the mouth that instant, signalling to the horse the millisecond the request or reward you need it to understand. Bits with light weight mouth pieces remain or hold up in the mouth too long to have perfect communication. The bit must fall away immediately when given slack to do so.
Center joint of the mouth piece. Many bits on the market do not have a smooth finish on the center joins of the mouth pieces. The mouth piece must be smooth with no edges to catch any part of the mouth while moving through the mouth or over the tongue, bars or lips. Again you want an even pressure that sends the exact signals you are transmitting to the horse. Edges and uneven thickness creates increased and uneven pressure points which not only decreases communication but also create cuts and damage to the mouth.
Even and perfect thickness. Creating an even pressure so you can effectively control the amount of pressure you are intending to transmit to the mouth. Too thick is uncomfortable for the horse and pushes too much cheek onto the molars, which will create ulcer like wounds in the mouth. Too thin decreases surface area which leads to cutting the corners of the mouth.
Article on gag bits by Ross Ainsley in the Polo Times (Nov 17) - also here: https://us15.campaign-archive.com/?u=71c4eba04a7eb3488a8d36fbd&id=e9ef5769fa
