Snowy and Appy, thank you for reminding me!

If I see a horse with a great big "martingale bulge" on the underside of his neck, I will assume the rider really doesn't know how to ride their horse and is relying on artificial means (tie-downs, martingales, draw reins, etc.) to force their horse into frame. I know a lot of pro riders (especially jumpers) show in martingales, but you'll rarely if ever see those horses with a big bulgy underside to their necks; they're not trained or ridden regularly in them, they're used in the show ring because of adrenaline, etc. Honest to goodness, folks, you're not supposed to use them every day...they're a training aid that should be used as sparingly as possible, until you can ride the horse up into your hand properly or if you need control in a specific situation!

Er, pet peeve, sorry. *sheepish* It's REALLY hard to get a horse to work properly through its back and have a soft mouth and poll and neck when they're used to bracing up against restraint all the time.