I was watching an RFD TV clinician the other day, Horsemanship 101. The clinician wanted the bridle put on the typical way...

Lift headstall with left hand up to the right hand resting on the poll, bring the bit down under the jaw, then lift bit from under the jaw to the mouth, gently opening the mouth with your thumb, place bit in mouth. Slide headstall over right ear first then put over left ear.

Most of the students looked like complete novices and very clumsy. Poor horses!

Anyway, I'd have a problem doing this exactly as stated because I find it so much easier to put the left ear first then the right ear. I always thought I couldn't do it right because I'm vertically challenged. Does anyone else have a problem with this too? I've heard to do right then left to avoid poking the horse in the eye with the bridle hardware. But come on; is it really THAT important to do it exactly that way? You can poke the horse in the eye just pulling the headstall up to the poll if you're not careful.

Something I've been told NOT TO DO when bridling is push the ear backwards when putting on the headstall, always bring the ear forward. That didn't get mentioned as the horses' ears were bent backward or in half by the students.

Another clinician I watch always puts the saddle on from the oft side. And still another clinician recommends a Latino on both sides for easier adjustment.

Some of these guys are very rigid in how they want things done others are offering it as a suggestion. Obviously they do what they have found works best for them but are some of them just being a little anal-retentive????

I watched that Chris Cox episode. It was laughable. He explains why he does it how he does. If you don't want to do it his way then don't. Many of the TV trainers show you how to lower your horse’s head so you can put the bridle on, or anything you need to do with their heads, so being vertically challenged shouldn't be a problem.

Just my opinion though. I never really worried about anything other than not causing my horse any pain. Those guys are anal. I guess that's why they have a show. They have something that works for them and stick to it like it's the bible!

I'm going with the anal retentive theory... Some of that is a little to over the top. Teach them to get the bridle on without taking out the horse’s teeth or pulling off an ear. Teach them to do it so as not to create a horse that sticks his head in the air each time you come near him. But you "must" place over the left ear first??? You "must" use a double-sided Latino???

Some things are interchangeable. Some things are done a certain way for a VERY good reason. However, I think that some of what you were talking about was people just pushing the greenies to try and do it right. Maybe also trying to be a little more attractive to the more anal-retentive type of student that wants things to be "perfect" and needs to understand the why's of everything.

There are some things I am a stickler on. My husband is not a very experienced horse person (though please don't tell him that). When it came to saddling up his horse he would do well until it came to tying off the Latino. He would usually not place the saddle back to far or to far forward, he didn't bang them to death with the stirrups, but when he tied it off... Well let's just say it wasn't pretty. I can't even describe what he had going on there, with wrapping it and all. It just wasn't good, and not what I would call safe on any level. Well, we had this argument I don't know how many times. He would saddle his horse up, I would quietly come around and check the cinch and then retie the latigo. The whole time he would gripe and complain that "Just because it isn't done your way doesn't mean it's wrong." "There is more then one way to do things you know!" Well, sure there is. But I wasn't too excited about the prospect of have to pick him up off the dirt because the cinch came undone and he had ended up on the ground, or spooked the horse he was on and ran through a fence. He has given in finally. I think riding with other people and seeing that it wasn't just "my way" of doing things, but the "right way" of doing things!

You got to give em credit, I mean come on.. how many video are going to be sold. Next it will be a whole series.. what it already is..
I got caught in ... okay I am going a little transparent here... golf thing.. and boy did they suck me in.. you need this widget to keep from doing that.. and this thing-a-ma-stroke, to empty your wallet a little more that way it won't push on your butt and make you hook it..

anyway your right, most of it is with a grain of salt. If it works for the person looking for a solution because they need one.. than more power to em...

Those clinitions have their own programs that really work well for them, they can also work well for the general public. however, there are several ways to solve each problem and many, many horses that while it may work one one it doesnt for the other. That is why you should be taking your horse to a proffessional. Someone who knows many different ways of getting the desired results, how to deal with unexpected reactions,not just what they saw on TV.