Regarding the Horses in our lives...

[perchie.girl]

Someone sent this to me on Facebook... Yeah i have an account... I read it about once a week

Its a complete discussion about bridles and bits.... when I say complete I mean complete

http://www.sustainabledressage.net/tack/bridle.php#placement

deb

 

[Bunnylady]

Wow, that's a week's worth of reading right there!

 

[perchie.girl]

LOL... I scanned and panned.... some stuff I knew some stuff was just interesting like the Gifs and how they showed the action of the bit....

deb

 

[Bunnylady]

It's odd, but a lot of people don't seem to think about the action of the bit. I recently watched someone trying out a horse that was wearing a Western curb bit, and she had only ever ridden English. She kept trying to get a bit of contact, and the horse kept throwing its head up

 

[perchie.girl]

It's odd, but a lot of people don't seem to think about the action of the bit. I recently watched someone trying out a horse that was wearing a Western curb bit, and she had only ever ridden English. She kept trying to get a bit of contact, and the horse kept throwing its head up

Horse wasnt ready for contact... or bit wasnt right for him... but some people dont realize you cant work a western bit like a snaffle... two handed..

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

gnight.... Its almost 5 am and I need to go to bed...

 

[Bunnylady]

I was thinking either you were up mighty late or up mighty early!

Sweet dreams!

Though the horse was rather young, she had been worked in both Western and English tack, and was OK with both. The problem was that the rider was trying to get contact with a shanked bit. She didn't realize that every time you take the slack out of the reins with a shanked bit, you put pressure on the jaw and the poll, which is telling the horse to stop. With her legs and seat, she was telling the horse to go - is it any wonder the animal was getting frustrated?

 

[seminolewind]

Interesting article. And I usually go to bed at 3! I've been thru lots of bits (tack queen) . I truly believe that the rider is 100% at fault for using a bit the wrong way. With my Walker, I've loved a western curb because I barely had to do any work. She never liked a jointed bit or a straight bar. I've worked my way down over the years to a short shank Pelham limited joint with a small ball in the middle. She likes it and chews on it a lot which keeps her jaw unlocked. I love the Pelham because it's got room for snaffle reins. I feel like it's much better and less harsh than using a snaffle with someone pulling constantly. My belief is that your hands should never move backwards. You can hold hard like stop moving them, or squeeze your fingers, but never pull back (with exceptions like bolting). I should also be able to push my pelvis into my hands to stop.

Bunny, that's why I follow classic dressage, hands without legs , legs without hands. I use just enough contact with a shanked bit for communication. Yes that should be alternated with looped reins as a reward. I use the same contact with both, but most horses are heavier in a snaffle until schooled.

I had a surprise when just keeping her jaw soft made everything just fall into place. There's a video on You Tube from Lisa Maxwell and it's 6 minutes long and gives a lovely example of how well that works. You can have a piaffe with looped reins, unlike the grand prix riders who seem to compress a horse into a collection.

I'm rambling. LOL

 

[perchie.girl]

educated use of hands and seat and you can ride with just about any bit as long as it fits the horse.


My initial training for riding was long drooping reins basically because we pretty much trail rode every where... so when it came time to ride with a little more contact my mare was very confused... it took quite a while for me to learn how and learn how to use legs and seat to encourage that.

What happened eventually is she stopped leaping sideways when she spooked and happily collected and extended all the gaits. we became partners. Back then I switched to a pelham because I still didnt trust her... I rode with double reins curb on the pinky and ring fingers on the snaffle.

with Katee I stood and played with her snaffle to actually see the way it worked in her mouth... Instantly saw her open and see the bit was touching the roof of her mouth. Low pallet. I went with a mullen mouth because I wanted her to just have the bit resting there. I thought for years that the larger diameter bit the better and softer... But after seeing how much room Katee didnt have in her mouth... I was happy to go to a smaller diameter too.... so was she.

So now when we do work shes in her mullen mouth either driving bit or her pelham... shes got a light foam and can work the bit up and down on the pelham shanks a bit... with her tongue. I use a standard cavesson for either bridle... set with a two inch gap. If she opens her mouth I am doing something wrong. or we are doing something wrong together.

for what its worth I dont slip the cavesson up through the browband strap so i can use the same cavesson with either bridle. I truely believe the original intent for a noseband was to steady the bridle and per form the duty of a halter if need be. Not for tieing but for leading or a standing martingale.

The only martingale I have ever used was a running martingale even can be used driving. They are nice if you have a horse that gets a bit too excited... just for a reminder to keep their attention on business at hand. Like with all devices I believe them to be training aids only... and to not rely on them to take the place of good hands and seat.

when I first started training Katee I read about and implemented a set of running side reins. Its a complicated looking affair but they allow the horse to flex their whole body into a turn as well as allowing for one to do a figure eight in the long lines. They are there only to allow contact through movement and to help with stargasing... Katee is up headed when she gets excited but does it rarely. She really didnt need them.

she came to me with a nasty stainless twisted wire snaffle I found out later why they had resorted to it. Katee is a bolter. Mind you when 2000 lbs of horse bolts its pretty dang amazing.... she Bolted with me in harness at the Del mar fair... But interestingly enough... to me it was more like about a hundred foot scoot... in a straight line and because when I drive i ask for the canter the change in sound of the vehicle and the more bouncy the straps get... she didnt spook from that... I was in the training arena at the time by myself.

I hollered to someone to scratch me from the class and Katee and I had a workout. she wanted back to her corral and did a mighty good job of punching a hole in the Race track fence by the exit. Shoved the left hand shaft right through the shade cloth coveing the chainlink of the back field. Funny thing was she was caught and couldnt move because of it... when she was done with her tantrum it was my turn... Oh and she learned she could back out with a little coaxing from me... For what its worth I dont think oak shafts would have survived that abuse.... Love my hickory...

so once un hooked she got worked.... till she was tired and I told her we could go out that gate. Then she and I went for a lovely drive all over the back side of the Del Mar fair grounds....

But I attribute that whole episode to pain avoidance from a snaffle mouth driving bit. but I also realized that showing was bringing out my bad side... I get caught up in competition and forget too much. I did it with my Marc when I showed... So that show was the last one I ever went to.

deb

 

[seminolewind]

Really eye opening