Chambon

Horses generally dislike pressure behind the poll and learn to release the pressure by lowering their head, and when in motion, this encourages the horse to relax its back and bring its hindquarters further under its body, thus encouraging collection.

The chambon has the opposite function to an overcheck or bearing rein, which is used to raise the horse's head.

The chambon was originally intended for lungeing and free schooling and rolly polys .

A chambon is not a way to quickly fix the head set of a horse; its purpose is to help develop the correct muscles.

However, it has no direct effect on the hindquarters, so the handler must use a lungeing whip or other method to encourage impulsion in the horse.