# Overchecks



## Indian*R*A*I*N*Dance (Apr 6, 2010)

Could anyone give me some information on overchecks? when you would use them. And would you use an overcheck bit with them or a regular half cheek snaffle?

thanks =]


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## hobbyhorse23 (Apr 6, 2010)

I'm generally not fond of overchecks (no surprise to anyone who's read my posts for the last few years




) but that's because so often they are misused. I don't like the foreshortened frame that is produced when a horse is forced into a high headset they do not have the conformation to support or is checked up without any of the preliminary work that would allow them to carry such a high headset comfortably. Horses in that circumstance suck their necks down and back into the wither and travel on their forehands with their backs locked down. Other horses though, with the right conformation and careful training, can be steadied by the overcheck and it can be used to remind them not to duck behind the bit and "curl up." So much of it is in the hands that do the training! Any device can be used to torture in callous or ignorant hands and even an overcheck can be useful in knowledgeable hands.

Hopefully Disneyhorse will post her "Best of" reply on the subject of sidechecks versus overchecks as she had a really good piece on it.

I think for me it boils down to how the horse is built. I truly dislike using an overcheck on a horse who is built low or flat or heavy on the forehand as all it's going to do is accentuate their faults and make it very difficult for the horse to learn to move correctly. For a more upright horse who already carries his head and neck in an upright posture, the overcheck is going to have much less negative impact and can be used along with sidereins to produce the steady headset desired in the showring.

Honestly, the breed ring is the only place I would ever consider using an overcheck. There is no reason to use one in any other venue (minus harness racing) and they are deeply frowned upon in modern carriage driving and most other countries. If your horse has a problem with snatching grass, use a sidecheck.

Leia


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## disneyhorse (Apr 6, 2010)

Oh, okay, here it is (from 2006 or something):

Sidecheck vs. overcheck

There is not a lot of difference in the checkrein styles if your horse isn't checked up very high. For every day pleasure driving or for the Country Pleasure classes, the horse shouldn't have a lot of contact with the check for him/her to really feel it and for it to have any adverse effect on how the horse carries his head.

Now, when you get in the classes where your check is rather tight, the style of check may affect the horse.

Consider the placement of the checks:

The side check attaches to the bit below the cheeckpiece, and runs up to the ear. When the horse hits the check, there is a direct pull into the horse's mouth, the bit will pull towards the molars if that makes sense. The horse's nose will freely be able to swing at the throat pivot if that makes any sense.

The over check runs between the ears and down the face and attaches to the bit above the cheeck piece. When the horse hits the bit, there is a slight pull UPWARD in the horse's mouth, not towards the molars quite as much but more towards the roof of the mouth. The horse thusly will be a little less inclined to swing it's nose towards it's chest, unlike the sidecheck which allows for freeer movement.

That said, you will have to consider the individual horse and how it carries it's head and neck, and how it's headset is.

I like the sidecheck for most horses, particularly green ones. It does not impede their headset as their nose is free to swing whereever it likes. It is a fairly comfortable check as horses don't get their heads wrenched up as high with a side check. It helps horses learn to "tuck" their heads because the overcheck sort of works against that. And "just for looks' sake" the sidechecks tend to "look prettier" because you don't have all the leather straps all over their face smile.gif

However, some horses go better in an overcheck. The overcheck helps pull the head up higher than the sidecheck if you are looking to check your horse up very high (as long as the horse is properly built with a high enough neckset!). Some horses tend to get behind the bit (they tuck their nose in too much and the nose goes towards the chest) and an overcheck is more ideal for that situation. You will see overchecks a lot in the draft horse breed, where picking the head up HIGH is more of a priority than setting the head, and in breeds that are BRED to drive like hackneys, where they are BRED to have a super high neckset and an extreme headset where an overcheck doesn't impede the headset due to the horses' natural conformation.

I actually think that conformation plays a big part in check selection, because how they carry their head naturally will depend on how the check will aid or hinder what you are working for.

So there you go, I don't know if that helps you any. It's a minor selection, but you may find a horse goes better in one than another. I have a friend who drove in an overcheck and fought a bit with the horse... they switched to a sidecheck and the horse went happy as a clam.

Those are just some of my opinions that you may want to consider. I'm sure there's more I haven't thought of , I am interested to see what others have to say.

ADDED NOW: It was brought up later in the post to additionally check the show rules for the classes/registry you are showing. Some driving classes require NO checks. In the Shetland Pony classes it specifies which checkrein to use, for instance I think it's overchecks only on the Modern Roadster ponies.


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## disneyhorse (Apr 6, 2010)

I also wanted to add... for miniatures, a separate bit may or may not fit in their mouth, they can have tiny bars that might not fit two pieces of metal. In that case though, you can consider making one out of thick shoestring or clothesline, which will reduce the amount of steel in their mouth. Some horses prefer leather check bits, which conform a bit better than steel.

Generally, I think in miniatures particularly, people just attach the check rein to the bit directly. However, if you feel the horse is fighting the check bit and not paying attention to your direct rein, you may wish to put a separate check bit in so the horse is working in two different ways.

Sometimes a separate bit can help your horse who likes to get the tongue over the bit, it's a lot more uncomfortable.

Each horse has its own preferences.

Just be sure to condition your horse to be checked up high, if that is the direction you want to go. Bitting them up gradually can help build the muscles needed, to work along with the horses' natural conformation.

Andrea


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## ~Amanda~ (Apr 7, 2010)

Very informative posts, thank you.


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## Minxiesmom (Apr 7, 2010)

Well said to both Leia and Andrea! I am going to copy these and save them for future people training opportunities!


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## RhineStone (Apr 7, 2010)

I agree with what has been said, but.....

Unless you have to have a check to satisfy the rules (archaic though they may be), lose the check. You don't need it, like tonsils. Lots of horses learn to carry themselves beautifully without it. Just my not-so-humble opinion.





Myrna


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## disneyhorse (Apr 7, 2010)

I have tonsils AND check reins, we get along just fine





Andrea


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## Indian*R*A*I*N*Dance (Apr 7, 2010)

Alright thanks so much! that helped ALOT! =]


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## Katiean (Apr 7, 2010)

disneyhorse said:


> I have tonsils AND check reins, we get along just fine
> 
> 
> 
> Andrea


Me too. Another use for the over check is a harness race horse will often use it for balance. Therefore, the harder the driver pulls the faster the horse will go. There have been many race horses that I have had to stop with a good seesaw to the mouth. These horses are also double bitted. I would not recommend making your horse that hard mouthed to where they will actually "PULL" into the bit for speed.


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## targetsmom (Apr 7, 2010)

Just wanted to add that for Pinto driving classes, checks are optional and at the New England shows (where I think Jen may be planning to show) you will see a variety of driving styles, carts/carriages and checks. Several drivers do ADS events so you will see some with no checks. If you want see what people used last year, check out Ellen Leffingwell's photos by Googling Photography To Remember.

Good luck - can't wait to see you driving!!


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## Indian*R*A*I*N*Dance (Apr 8, 2010)

targetsmom said:


> Just wanted to add that for Pinto driving classes, checks are optional and at the New England shows (where I think Jen may be planning to show) you will see a variety of driving styles, carts/carriages and checks. Several drivers do ADS events so you will see some with no checks. If you want see what people used last year, check out Ellen Leffingwell's photos by Googling Photography To Remember.
> Good luck - can't wait to see you driving!!


Mary, I wont be showing in Pinto driving





Whats ADS?


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## RhineStone (Apr 8, 2010)

Indian*R*A*I*N*Dance said:


> Whats ADS?


American Driving Society, the governing organization for carriage and recreational driving in the United States and Canada, was formed in 1974. The rulebook is based on the British Driving Society (BDS) and FEI. The rules stem from traditional driving and are based primarily on safety first and then style. www.americandrivingsociety.org

There are drivers that show in Pleasure Driving shows, which entail judged arena classes based on the performance of the animal, the skill of the driver, and the correctness of the Turnout. There are also obstacle classes based on accuracy and speed. (Minis excel in obstacles!



)

The Combined Driving Events (CDEs) have three parts, like a Three Day Event for riders: Driven Dressage, Marathon w/ Hazards (more politically correctly known as Obstacles), and Cones. There are also variations of the above events such as Horse Driving Trials (HDTs), Arena Driving Trials (ADTs) mostly in an indoor arena, Continuous Driving, and Sleigh Rallies.

Minis are shown as Very Small Equines (VSE) because the division is based on 39" or less at the withers, and most ADS shows generally don't have classes for "breeds". There could be Shetland Ponies or mini mules in the VSE division as well. VSE is one of the fastest growing divisions in the ADS. At our ADT last weekend, a VSE took the Best Dressage and Best Cones Time for the entire Training Level division, including "big" horses.

The ADS website has a list of events in the Calendar tab. Go check it out! Even if you don't participate, the shows are eye candy for the horse enthusiast!

Myrna (who is on the Bylaws and Governance Committee for ADS)


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