27/02/2015
Bit By Bit
The more I know about bits the more confused I become… Why do we end up with so many bits in our tack room when we only use just a few?
What is it that we are searching for?
Sometimes a bit becomes a shortcut for impatient riders who lack understanding of the purpose of the bit. Often the result can confuse the horse. I like to start a young horse with a halter or a loping hackamore to get them giving to pressure in a relaxed way. When they understand this and feel comfortable I move to the snaffle for more refinement of my aids.
I like to use the hackamore as a transition between the snaffle bit to the shank bit.
The most important thing is to always listen to what the horse is telling me. If there is confusion or resistance, I always go back to the step before and get the horse comfortable again.
The type of equipment I use depends upon what my goals are. I can advance up and drop down; for example, I can ride with the shank bit on Monday and go back to the snaffle bit on Friday by the feel of the moment- the horse can tell me that.
The goal is to always use less to get more, to be subtle in our requests.
A bit, bit by bit, quite a bit, every bit, a bit much, do one’s bit.
Photo by Lesley Deutsch
