About: Standing vs Running Martingales

   Using a martingale while riding is very common practice. There are two different types of martingales, running and standing. The purpose of both types is to discourage your horse from throwing their head up too high when jumping. This can cause the horse and rider to lose focus and take a misstep while on course. 

   Both types of martingales require a rubber donut, like the one in the red circle in the photo above. This keeps the martingale from sliding around and becoming looser. Below we will take a closer look at both different types of martingales.

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Standing Martingale

   Standing martingales are commonly seen in hunters, equitation and some lower level jumper classes. This type of martingale can be adjusted to be tight or loose and is less flexible when considering a horse's range of motion. There is just a single piece that attaches to the noseband of the bridle.

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Running Martingale

   A running martingale is not allowed in the hunters, only allowed in jumper style equitation classes and are the only martingale allowed in jumper classes 1.30 or higher or any class restricted to young horses. The reason for this is because a running martingale is flexible and will still allow the horse to safely jump such large fences. 

   It is flexible because the martingale attaches to the reins of the bridle with rings that allow it to slide around. This is also why the rubber stoppers seen in the picture above are mandatory. You don't want the ring of your martingale to somehow slide up to the bit and get caught.