Now lets imagine for a moment that this horse has a rider that pulls back on the reins with say....10 lbs of pressure. Can you imagine the pain that would cause on the cartilage of this horse's nose? When the noseband sits on the soft portion of the nose like this...it's also cuts off air when pressure is applied to the reins. So not only does the horse experience pain....he can't freaking breathe! Horses CAN NOT breathe through their mouths! So when they open their mouths they are not trying to breathe...they are trying to get away from the pain of the bit... If they happen to have their mouths closed, they are putting up with the pain of the bit for a moment so they can actually breathe.
The person who took this picture actually thought the noseband was okay because she could fit her fingers under it. She actually thought it was okay.
Of course it's okay while the horse is standing still and no one is actually engaging the reins!!
Oh...this same vacationer also likes to loin sit apparently. Could that saddle be digging any deeper into that poor horses loins? But at least the rider in the picture was smiling and having fun. I guess that's the main thing.
