The Use and Fit of the Standing Martingale
The standing martingale is a long leather strap that attaches to the horse’s nose band and either to the girth through a neck strap or to a breastplate. The standing martingale is used to control the horse’s head height.
The standing martingale is a passive piece of tack until the horse lifts their head. When the horse’s head is too high, the standing martingale activates pressure on the noseband inhibiting the head to move higher. This is done without pressure on the reins or poll.
The standing martingale should be adjusted while the horse’s head is in a neutral position. The martingale strap should be long enough to reach up under the horse’s throat latch while attached to the noseband and girth or breastplate.
Like the running martingale, the standing martingale correction is released when the horse returns their head to the proper position.