ISES taper gauge- An objective solution for dressage stewards
24/01/2013 by Cristina Wilkins
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The ISES Taper Gauge is now available. A simple device to objectively check that nosebands are correctly adjusted and never over-tightened.
In the last decade there has been growing concern about the the over-tightening of nosebands as a means to mask training problems such as opening the mouth and lolling the tongue, behaviours that show deficiencies of training and should be taken seriously, as well as being penalised by judges.
Most horse people would have been taught to adjust a noseband in a way that allows two fingers to be inserted between the strap and the horse’s nose, but until now, nobody had gone as far as determining exactly how and where the measurement should be taken, or whose fingers were the right size. The lack of precision and the inability to enforce this guideline prompted the FEI to remove its mention from their rule book a short time ago.
The International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) has come up with a solution that could allow the rule to be restored. The ISES taper gauge is a simple device designed to be the size of one and two average sized adult fingers. It easily glides under the strap at...