I have heaps of things to blog about right now and at the top of my list are blogging about my trip to Holland to visit a very dear friend and go to the London Olympics to watch the Grand Prix Special in dressage as well as how dressage is #1 in general BUT I’m writing about two things that have been on my mind this past week; bell boots & Pessoa Training System.

I’d borrowed a Pessoa Lunging System for a few weeks and incorporated it into a weekly schedule with Hansel and saw some great results. I think the change up in his schedule was refreshing and the variety of settings the Pessoa has made for some fun transitions. We didn’t work too hard, long or fast with it ever but just sort of played around with a nice steady trot and it really improved his performance in maintaining the tempo when mounted! Now I’ve returned it to its rightful owner (thanks for letting me borrow it SO VERY much Rebecca!!) it’s on the top of my list to buy. You can buy yours at >> Pessoa Lunging System

Number 2 I was thinking about how amazingly well my Pro Choice Quick Wrap Bell Boots have held up. I have a single pair in black that I’ve used almost daily for TWO years and they still work great. That’s almost daily for training as well as turn out mind you! I wash them about 1x a week or at least 2x monthly and the velcro holds like new and they look great and not a day over a few months old! I’m thinking about buying Hansel 2 pairs in white so he has a front and hind pair! Pro Choice Quick Wrap Bell Boot They come in heaps of colors but I’m just going with white because we’re doing a shoot for equibarre coming up and I need to be in shad dress with polos so the white will be a perfect compliment.

Now that I’ve got that out of my system, I can get on with preparing my blogs on my trip to The Netherlands and to London for the Olympics!

4 Comments

  • Very interesting device, do you have a larger picture you can share so I can see how all the attachments work? ie What is free to move what is solid? I like the concept and purpose as I see it from this picture, but am assuming a few things so would like to be sure 🙂
    I am not a huge user of devices, but for some horses they can be very beneficial to get over a hurdle cant they? And long and low with engagement is a big hurdle for some.

    Thanks
    Rod

    • I’m not a big fan of devices either but this one has been super for keeping Hansel through from the hind end and helps me when mounted keep him softer over the top line. You can enlarge the images on the Equestrian Collections page at http://shrsl.com/?~2mjp if you want to see it bigger. The white strapping is elastic and the bit snap has a pulley on it. The butt strap is nicely lined in sheepskin padding. Well worth the $200 I think and again, I’m not into devices either. 🙂 Thanks for the comment!

  • Thank you I will take a closer look, and one of the reasons I am not a big user of devices and also why I am curious to see this one closer is that this is one of the only devices that I have saw that works on both ends of the horse. Depending on how the attachments work it could encourage the horse to use his top line instead of force it like most devices do. I am glad to hear it did what you required of it. Thanks again for sharing.

    • The working from the back is the main reason why I tried it and it actually Rod. Like anything, it can be used ineffectively but for what I was going for it was a nice enhancement and a happy result. It’s definitely not for all and I don’t recommend folks using any device or “training tool” without proper supervision or knowledge. For me, it did encourage Hansel to stretch over his top line, relax his back and start the swinging. You’re very welcome on the blog. I hope you enjoy it if you try it out!

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