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Basically, I've seen lots and lots of people use things that I've never used on any lesson horse, like...

martingales
breastplates
ear bonnets
bell boots
flash nosebands

If anyone can tell me in detail when and why these things are used, that'd be great. biggrin I think I have a very general idea, but since I've never needed to use one, I never bothered asking about them. rolleyes

Thanks for the help! But breastplates don't make sense to me. If they go around the front of the horse, shouldn't that make sure the saddle doesn't slide backwards? There's a thing that a tiny lesson pony uses that attaches to the back of the saddle, goes down his back, and then wraps around the dock of his tail. That seems like it would be used for keeping the saddle from coming forward, not a breastplate. Also, what's this called?

Oh, I get it now. There's no way the girth could come onto the shoulders really, so the saddle wouldn't either! xd

Also, another question. As far as snaffles go, what do the slight differences do? Like, what's the difference (as far as riding in them goes, not how it looks) between D-ring snaffles, eggbutt snaffles, and full cheek snaffles? What type of horse would use each different type?

Okay, I just don't really get how much of a difference the different bits can make when the changes aren't even in the horse's mouth. confused

I hate to be argumentative... but I have a few corrections on the equipment.

martingales
Depending on the martingale, they can have many uses. Usually used, like Sai said, to keep the horse from whacking you in the face with their head. The most common are standing and running, and each has it's own puprose. A running martingale not only keeps their head down, but also keeps it straight. A standing martingale works more like a tie down.

breastplates
Breastplates are to keep the saddle from sliding BACK, not forward. The piece of equipment that you were describing that goes under the tail is called a crupper and is used to keep the saddle from sliding forward. The breastplate is the piece that hooks to the D-rings of the saddle, comes down to a ring in the center of the chest, and has another strap that goes down between the front legs and hooks to the girth. A Breastcollar is a wider piece that just goes from the D-rings of the saddle around under the neck. Both pieces keep the saddle from sliding backwards. This can be used for many reasons. Often used on jumpers because as the horse stretches over the jump, the body elongates and the saddle can slip. Used with eventers for the same reason. Foxhunting for the same reason, as well as moving at high rates of speed. You use them on trails if you're going up a steep hill, as gravity will then pull your saddle back. They are also often used with horses that are wasp-waisted (their barrel slopes up sharper than it should, so they don't have a wider part of their barrel behind their girth) or that are really long and skinny. I used one of both of my eventing hroses. A crupper is less common in riding, often only seen on really wide ponies with no whithers to keep the saddle in place. Usually, it's part of the driving harness.

ear bonnets
Keeps flies out of their ears, just like Sai said. smile

bell boots
Bell boots are used only on the front feet. The purpose of bell boots is to protect the heels of the front feet from the hind feet when the horse overstrides. They are used more often in high velocity sports because horses are taking longer strides and are more likely to over-reach or forge. Bell boots also can help prevent the horse from pulling a shoe when they over-reach. My thoroughbred went in them any time I was mounted because he had such a huge overstride. I went through 3 pairs of the cheap velcro ones and he would destroy them in about 2 weeks time, stripping the velcro off. I finally gave in and bought the "no-turn" ones so that the velcro would stay in the front and out of the way of his hind feet! Some horses wear the pull-on ones full time, not only when ridden. Many people will also put bellboots on all four feet along with a simple stable wrap to protect the horse's legs for trailoring, rather than doing a full shipping wrap or using shipping boots.

flash nosebands
One of the most mispercieved pieces of equipment in the horse world. Contrary to popular belief, the flash noseband is NOT to hold the horse's mouth closed. The cavesson does that. A properly adjusted flash should NOT hold the mouth closed. If it is preventing them from opening their mouth at all, then it is A) too tight and B) too low. So what is the purpose of the flash? To hold the bit. Yes. I can find you sources if you don't believe me. The flash is used to steady the bit in the horse's mouth so that it doesn't move up and down as much, allowing for more exact contact.
Many people do use the flash to hold their horses mouths shut, but not for grazing purposes. If your horse has a problem with snatching grass, you'd be better off with an overcheck/grazing reins, or a muzzle. The flash, even incorrectly adjusted, won't keep their mouth closed enough to not be able to get to grass. The people who do use it to hold the horse's mouth use it to prevent them from gaping their jaw and evading the bit. A horse in a flash noseband can still bite. Trust me. A horse in a dropped noseband can definitly still bite. Trust me. The dropped noseband is more to keep the mouth shut and prevent gaping, but a flash can do it's job adjusted fairly loosely. You should be able to fit a finger or two between the flash and the horse's nose, it shouldn't be cinched down too incredibly tight.
Most dressage bridles come with flash nosebands anymore because they actually allow more delicate communication, not a forced submission.

Some clarification on bits:

The term snaffle refers to the ACTION of the bit, not to the fact that it's jointed. A snaffle uses direct pressure on the bars (the space on their gum where there aren't any teeth, where the bit sits), the tongue, and the lips. Single jointed snaffles can also put pressure on the roof of the mouth, which is referred to as the "nut-cracker" affect. More on that later. There can be unjointed snaffles. These are referrerd to as "mullen mouth" bits and are actually incredibly mild because they have no "nut-cracker" affect. I think they are slightly more severe than a french-link, but milder than a single-jointed snaffle. I'm not positive on that though. They're great for horses with cleft palate. The point of the snaffle is that because it uses direct rein pressure, the amount of pressure that you apply to the reins is exactly what the horse feels, pound for pound. So you put 1 lb. of pressure on the reins in a snaffle, the horse will feel 1 lb. of pressure on their mouth. This is why they are good beginner bits.
The other common kind of bit is a leverage bit. A leverage bit often has shanks, but sometimes doesn't. An example of a leverage bit that does not have shanks would be a kimberwicke. These bits have slots in the side of the ring so that when the rein is pulled, the bit is not only pulled back, but rotated in the horse's mouth. The cheekpieces of the bridle are attached toa fixed ring at the top of the bit, and there is usually a curb chain or strap under the horse's chin. When this bit is used, there is not only the usual pressure applied to the bars, lips, and tongue, but also under the chin (which is a VERY sensitive area) and to the top of the poll because of the way the bit rotates. This means that when you pull on a leverage bit, instead of getting pound for pound pressure, the pressure used is multiplied. This is why leverage bits are not good beginner bits, because it is difficutl for a beginner to understand that although they are only putting a very light amount of pressure on the reins, the horse is feeling quite a bit more on their face.

Different kinds of snaffles:
The D-Ring is probably your most common snaffle. Everyone and their grandmother rides in a D-Ring. It is, without a doubt, the greatest all-purpose bit in the world. The fixed placement of the rings doesn't create exessive "white noise", so if you don't have perfect hands, your horse doesn't get confused. The D shape of the ring, because it has the flat side, also helps to keep the bit from pulling through the horse's mouth. This is why they are a popular jumping bit. They add a little bit of steering power because when you pull on one rein, it adds pressure to the side of the horses's face to help with the turn.

The Eggbut snaffle is probably the mildest bit in the world. Because the rings are fixed, you don't get as precise communication with your horse, which for most of us, is a good thing. Unless you have perfect hands, you don't really need your horse to feel that faint muscle twitch in your pinkie finger. The rounded shape of the rings also relieves the pressure that the D-ring and the full-cheek apply to the sides of the face, but it does have a risk of pulling through the horse's mouth if you apply too much pressure to one rein, i.e. using a one-rein stop.

The loose-ring or O-ring snaffle is another all-purpose bit. This bit allows for the most precise communication of all of the bits because the rings are allowed to slide through the sides of the bit. As the rider works the rein, it massages the ring and makes it slide. The horse can feel the ring sliding in the bit and responds, if they are trained correctly. My trainer rides her FEI level dressage horses in loose-rings at home most of the time because she doesn't really like the double-bridle. You can tell, after a workout, if the horse wasn't fully accepting the bit on one side of their mouth because the ring won't be dirty all the way around. When the horse chews the bit and works the bit in their mouth (which is what you want in dressage) the ring spins. Despite this precision, these are still fine bits for beginners to use. You won't do any damage in them, but if you have a sensitive horse, they might get confused easier than they would in an eggbutt. Still an incredibly mild snaffle.

The Fullcheek snaffle is arguably the most "severe" of the snaffles. Still a mild bit, but with a bit more power to it. The full-cheek uses the same kind of leverage as the D-ring, but augmented. When you pull on one ring with a full-cheek in their mouth, the bars of the fullcheek press into the side of their face and physically push their heads over. These bits are very appropriate for horses that have steering issues. My thoroughbred went in a fullcheek all of the time, because we had serious steering issues. Not that he didn't know it, but especially on cross country, he would (hypothetically) flip me the bird and go barrelling off wherever he wanted to go. The fullcheek demanded a little more respect without having to go to a leverage bit or a more severe mouthpiece. Although they have their place, I personally hate using either for everyday riding because it makes me feel like I'm a crappy trainer. So I ride my horse around on the brink of control instead. xd Whatever works, right?
You should NEVER longe a horse in a fullcheek, as the long pieces can be caught in the line. (I used to longe my horse in it anyway... but that was a bad idea. Don't follow my examples. They're usually bad. razz )

Okay... I think I covered that pretty thoroughly. Any more questions?

... I may be taking a few too many riding theory classes. Or I may have read a few too many books. But this is what happens when you study horses and horsemanship full time. This is what I do, I teach. I'm in my third year of college learning about how to teach people about horses. I've been learing the biomechanics of how all of this stuff works and affects the way the horse moves, the way the rider sits, the way all of the communication works. If anyone disagrees with me, I would be happy to discuss it, because I admit that I don't know everything. I still have SO MUCH to learn, and I'm not going to ignore any source of information. biggrin

I can see coupling bell boots and brushing boots for a horse that brushes or interferes for extra protection.

I've never used a back cinch, so I wasn't sure exactly what it's purpose was or how it should be adjusted.

And that makes sense with the ear bonnets. I've never used ear plugs, so I always forget about that. They told me to put one of the school horses in ear plugs once because "he goes crazy out in the field!" but I ignored them and had the best ride of my time at school. xd Not a big fan of ear plugs... though I do understand that they are very helpful with some horses.

What Aria and Brat said. rofl

I can vouch for the fact that the breastplate does nada zippo nothing for keeping the saddle from moving forward. I used one on Joy 2 or 3 times (because it was pretty emo ), and it did absolutely nothing on a downhill horse like her. She also didn't seem to like it very much.. eek

Also, one correction that's been missed. The Irish Martingale does NOT have the same purpose of any other martingale out there. It has one purpose only; to keep the reins from flipping over the horse's head if the rider falls off. A horse can toss its head plenty with the Irish Martingale, it doesn't effect the headset at all.

Supposedly it helps the horse to lift it's front end so it doesn't travel so heavily on the forehand.. but I'm skeptical of any device that claims it can do that. xp