I also took the opportunity to try out the new bitless noseband I bought from Cynthia Cooper of Natural Horse World.  I had chatted with Cynthia the last 2 Equitana’s and this year I purchased a Light Rider Noseband to be fitted on a bridle I had spare.  Following Cynthia’s clear instructions made fitting the noseband easy, and I headed out for my first ride in an enclosed space to be sure, as recommended.

We established on the ground that the pony understood turning and flexing from aids through the Light Rider Noseband, stop and back up.  Then I popped on and we had a good play.  It was lovely I have to say, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I have only owned Mojo since June last year, and having come to me after being in a paddock for a year, we are still working each other out in terms of our flatwork.  He had always been quite light on the aids, and after the Clayton Frederick’s clinic in December where I spent the two days watching Clayton stress that the horse must be between the leg and hand, I have been really working on having a good go and stop!

Riding bitless really gives you a good idea as to how much you may or may not rely on your hands.  It turns out that Mojo is very tuned in to my weight and leg aids, and made me reaslise that when I ride in a bit and bridle, I probably I use my hands more than necessary.  I found he was very light, very relaxed, and quite balanced.  I was able to easily do figure of 8’s in canter with simple changes in the centre, really just by thinking of them.  And funnily enough, his rein back is straighter and more balanced and even in the Light Rider noseband than in a bitted bridle.

I have not hacked him out bitless yet, but plan to very soon when I have company.  I might even have some dressage lessons with him bitless as an experiment too.  I will certainly be doing much of his long and slow fitness work around the track bitless.

I truly do think that every rider should have a play around with a bitless arrangement that suits them.  If you can do this when you have time to play and enjoy it, should you every need to ride bitless for an extended period of time, you and your horse will already be comfortable with that.  For example: Your horse has a cut lip, but you need to maintain his level of fitness or carry on training for a competition- riding bitless will allow the wound to heal properly, and allow you to maintain his fitness as well without hours of lunging on a headcollar.

Personally, I have used rope halters, cross over styles, and now this Lightrider, and I can say that this last one is certainly my favourite for me and the pony right now.  Have a bit of a play around and find something that works for you, and have some fun riding bitless every now and again.  It’s all supposed to be fun anyway, isn’t it?

Anita

The most disappointing thing was not that I was ill, but that I was unable to share with everyone my new presentation- 7 Top Tips to Bitting Your Horse.  I did promise a few people that popped by to say how disappointed they were that they missed it, that I would write it all down and share it with everyone in a little e-book.

So, after a mad December arranging clinics for Clayton Fredericks and Dr Kerry Ridgway, a super Christmas and New Year with LOTS of celebrating and having fun with friends and my fabulous husband, I have finally sat down and put something together that I am quite pleased with.

I am calling it, “The Beginner’s Guide to Bitting”, and while it does incorporate my 7 Top Tips, it goes into more detail and depth in some areas to help give you a wider understanding of what can be a very confusing area of horse keeping and training.

So, as a special offer for my blog readers, if you click the link here to sign up to my VIP newsletter you will receive a voucher code that will enable you to download the e-book absolutely FREE!  The book is available to buy on the website, is valued at $9.99, and is packed with quick tips and general information.  This offer is for a short time only, so be quick!

I am very pleased to be able to share this information with you, and do hope to be seeing at least some of you at Equitana in Melbourne, 2012- where I hope to be presenting once again, this time with a good, healthy, strong, clear voice!

Give the ponies a cuddle from me!

A

For me, the comfort of the horse is as important as the safety of the rider.  Improved comfort gives the rider improved communication, a more relaxed animal underneath them, a more enjoyable ride.  Riders will often complain that their horse is “heavy” in the hand, that they “pull” or “lean” on the bit.  I have said previously that riders need to look to their own riding often when a horse is “heavy” or “leaning”, and I won’t revisit that here.  However, another reason for a horse being heavy in the hand can be from discomfort in the mouth, as horses will generally push INTO pain.  They can do this to numb the area, or they can do it to run away from the discomfort.  (again, the discomfort of the bit can be from incorrect use or too strong a contact from the rider).

There are so many different shapes, thicknesses, compositions, weights and styles of bits that it can be hard for a rider to decide what might be a more comfortable option.   So much of bitting comes down to experimentation, but how do we know where to start?  By taking a look at your horse’s mouth.

It’s not very hard, and really, the amount of time we spend looking at saddles, checking the back, trying different saddle pads- when was the last time you looked at your horse’s mouth?

Here’s what I suggest you do.  Put your horse in a halter and have a look at him from the side.  Does he have thin, fine skinned lips?  Or are they bulbous and fleshy?  Are they pink and delicate? Are there any marks there at all?  How long is the lip line- does the mouth end before the chin groove or after?

an older gelding with a fat tongue obscuring his front teeth

Now take his lips from the side and part them a little with your fingers.  If he is a gelding he should have two canines in the middle, if he is young, they may not be coming through just yet, but you may see or feel the buds of them in the gum.  If she is a mare, have a feel along the bars, as sometimes there are tiny bumps where the canines would be on a male.  Have a feel along the bars- they are usually a lot sharper than most people realise!

Now look at the tongue.  It fills the mouth cavity doesn’t it?  There’s really not a lot of room there for, well, anything except a tongue really.  If the tongue is bulging out and perhaps obscuring the canines or front teeth, I would call this a “fat tongue”.  A normal tongue will still fill the mouth cavity though.  Have a look at the gums, and look for any redness or discoloration, particularly where you bit sits that may indicate bruising.

Do this on both sides, then pop the bridle on and have another look.  It is very important to assess the placement of the bit in the mouth buy looking IN THE MOUTH, not simply at the wrinkles on the lips.  Should your gelding have a short lip line (or your bit sit too low in a longer mouth) the bit will painfully and repeatedly bump into the canine teeth- this can deaden the nerve and kill the tooth.  In humans, a dead nerve means a root canal- ow!

the bit in the horse's mouth

Ideally the mouthpiece should sit halfway between the molars and the canine, or in a mare where the canines would be.  The correct placement of the bit should not be judged on the wrinkles of the lips, as some horses have very long mouths and others have very short ones.  Trust me, a short lipped horse will be more comfortable with a few more wrinkles in his stretchy, fleshy lips than with a solid bar of metal banging into his canines.

Look also at the thickness and shape of your mouthpiece.  Can you horse comfortable close his jaws and move his tongue?  Hold the reins and take a contact, can he still do the same?  look at how the bit moves in the mouth as you take the contact. (you might need a helper for this). Very thick mouthpieces (over 2cm generally) do not suit most horses as they cannot comfortably close their jaws around it, and really most ponies and smaller hacks do not have room for a double bridle set (unless particularly fine).

Looking at your horse’s mouth in this detail does not take very long, and you will be amazed at what you see!  I highly recommend everyone to take a peek.

Give your pony a cuddle for me!

A

Pinching, anyone?

seriously, do I need to comment on this?

o…k….?

For more images of the weird and wonderful things that some people feel they need to put in their horse’s mouth, check out this blog, Tacky Tack of the Day.  It’s American, but pretty amusing (and sometimes disheartening)

Now I guess we would all be able to understand that bits like these can cause a tremendous amount of damage to our horse’s mouths.  You don’t have to be a bitting genius to work that one out.  Now here’s an image that Dr Shannon shared recently on his Facebook page:

Ok, so this looks like your run of the mill, french plate loose ring snaffle.  This is a picture of bruising and damage to the mouth caused by a “nice”. “gentle” snaffle, surely the kindest bit of all?  They are, but only if made well and used kindly and with thought.  In this instance it appears that the bit is made with a wide, flat plate.  This leaves the join to hit hard up against the upper jaw with any side reins aids.  Central joins or plates in any snaffle should be as short as possible to avoid this happening.  Some of the french plates I have seen are over an inch wide, even in the smaller sizes, and many horses have very narrow jaws.

Want to check you bit fits well?  Just bridle him up, and have look.  Move the bit around like it would with a contact and see how the bit moves in the mouth.  It’s something we can and should all do, rather than wait for a good dentist to point it out to us.  Bits shouldn’t be out of sight and out of mind.  If you think your french plate is too wide, have a look at the Neue Schule styles on the Bit Bank webshop as an alternative.

A Gag bit accentuates the lifting action of the direct action snaffle bit, by increasing the pressure applied to the corners of the lips, asking for the head to come up.  A Gag bit (and in this instance I mean those in the running gag family, such as the Balding, Cheltenham and Nelson Gags) has cheek straps running through holes in the rings that the reins are attached directly to.  Rein pressure causes the bit to slide on these cheeks up the mouth, pulling the lips.  It is this sliding up and pull that the horse responds to by lifting his head.  A Gag bit can be very useful for a horse that tends to travel quite long and low, with his nose on the ground and when used sympathetically, can help lift his head and focus on the fence as they set up.  It can however, be a very powerful method of control, and there is a danger of the cheeks being trapped between teeth and bit so for this reason, it is not a great bit for those horses with very fleshy faces or for riders that do not have releasing hands and an independent seat.

A Cheltenham Gag with two reins attached.

The Dutch Gag was designed to combine this sliding and pulling on the lips with the leverage action of a shank.  A bit with leverage pressure- a shank extension below the mouthpiece- is asking for head lowering, “outline” and nose retraction.  So, the Dutch Gag is trying to ask for lifting and lowering at the same time.  Can you see the problem with this?

In reality, a greater amount of pressure is applied to the tongue and lower jaw through the lower rings (the “shanks” of this bit), than is applied to the lips, so the majority of horses will respond more the leverage pressure, rather than the gag action.  The Dutch Gag is therefore really not a gag at all, it is a leverage bit, and as such asks for head lowering.  It is not particularly elegant solution, as most riders use this bit with only one rein on the bottom rings, which leads to very fuzzy direction aids.  (Remember, your snaffle gives you the best indication for turning aids, as it is a direct action bit, this is one reason why a double bridle combines a bridoon and weymouth combination).

A Four Ring Dutch gag

Another factor that riders are often not aware of, is the shear amount of force that is applied, through leverage, on the Dutch Gags, particularly the Four Ring gag.  Look at the length of extension below the mouthpiece- it is often longer than the 10cm legal length for a curb/ weymouth bit.  This leverage force significantly increases the amount of pressure applied to your horse’s mouth from what you are applying from your hands.  So, to explain it a little, if you feel like you are holding 1 kg of weight in your hand, your horse may be holding 8kg in his mouth.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the Dutch Gag.  I just think it is over used and often used for the wrong reasons.  It is often the very first bit riders try when the feel a snaffle not enough.  However, it is not the right choice for a horse that already runs with his head down or low, already evades contact by sitting behind the bit or one that dislikes strong pressure on the lower jaw.  If you have an exuberant jumper, who comes into a fence with his head up high in the sky, it would certainly be a bit worth considering.

Tip: Both the Gag and the Dutch gag can (and ideally in my opinion, should) be ridden with two reins.  One on the snaffle ring and one on the lower ring in the case of the Dutch, or the gag rein in the case of the true gag.  This means you have the directional control of the snaffle that you lack with the Dutch gag normally, and can use the running gag as a normal snaffle, until you need to pick up the gag rein in approach to a fence.  This should only be attempted if you are completely confident with that much knitting, and to help keep everything in order, use a bit of electrical tape to tape the buckles of the two reins together so you can always quickly pick them up in the case of a whoopsie.

So in my mind, the Dutch Gag isn’t a gag at all.  It really is closer to a pelham or weymouth in the way it works and interacts with your horse.  I hope that this explains a little why so many horses in Dutch gags end up with their chin on their chests and their riders with nothing in front coming into a fence!

Happy riding,

A

It was great to meet so many riders and hear about your horses- some new clients and quite a few old clients came by to say hi, browse the range or just smell the Hay Steamer we were hosting on the stand.  Unfortunately, as we were so very busy I didn’t get to see as many of the other educator’s sessions as I would have liked, but I did make it to Dr Shannon Lee‘s dental session.  Very entertaining (did the guys in the front feel like performing seals?) and more than a little bit thought provoking.  Did you know that Periodontal or gum disease is THE most common disease in horses- around 70% have it? I didn’t!  When was the last time you had a qualified equine dentist out to check on your horse’s pearly whites?  For more info, visit his website www.advancedequinedentistry.com.au

Periodontal disease can cause significant pain and discomfort for your horse, and of course this can be related to the performance of the horse, and acceptance of the bit and contact.  We can brush our teeth to help combat the start of gum disease, our horse’s can’t.  Though Dr Shannon did show us a slightly amusing photo of a client brushing her horse’s teeth.  We did chuckle, but it was worth it- it cured the problem in no time.

After a large number of queries from people over the weekend in regards to horses that are “heavy in the hand” I honestly think a lot of riders need to look more critically at their hands and their way of riding.  We are all guilty of it- myself included- of pulling back on a horse that takes the bit or “runs though the bridle”.  Perhaps we should just give and drop the contact momentarily, and not provide the horse something to be heavy on?  I only recently had an instructor explain to me the benefits of “changing the grip” on the reins, instead of holding them in a steady, fixed contact.  My horse instantly relaxed into the contact, lifted his back and opened his stride.  Until then I never even realised I was the one “fixing” and leaning on the reins.  (it was one of those, “if only someone told me that years ago” moments…)  Yes, some horses are heavy for other reasons, and uncomfortable bit, lack of fitness, lazy attitude (“why should I carry my head when you will?) or even pain elsewhere in the body, but maybe they are heavy because we encourage it?

Regrettably I missed Andrew Mclean’s sessions, from the AEBC.  However, he has just released a new book he has co-authored with a vet, which promises to be very interesting.  Hopefully Santa will bring me a copy for some summer reading!

Keep learning everyone, there’s always something we don’t know yet.  Especially with horses! and the best way to learn? Keep asking questions, and don’t keep doing the same thing, expecting a different result!

A

I’m taking a short break from packing and organising to write this blog post, as it’s almost time to send all my gear on the truck on it’s way across this huge country of ours.  It’s a long drive from Perth to Melbourne- lucky for me, I’m flying while I have to trust in my shipping company to get the rest of my gear to Melbourne safely.  I’m a little nervous (being a slight control freak), but don’t laugh- my gear did actually get lost last year on the way home from Adelaide 4*!

While I have been to Equitana, this is Bit Bank Australia‘s first big launch on the east coast.  Very exciting!  I am looking forward to meeting a whole lot of new clients, and hopefully some of my old one’s will come by and say hi too!  We are taking out Top 10 Best Sellers, our Complete Pony Collection along with some speciality bits, Jeffries leatherware and Essential Eventing supplies.  Cliff from Happy Horse Hay Steamers will be demonstrating this new stable tool- follow your nose!

I am presenting two sessions at Equitana this year, on “Bitting for Performance and Comfort”.  I will be covering the 4 basic bitting families, their various actions and uses, assessing bit fit and size as well as how to assess your own horse‘s mouth conformation.  The Friday session is in the Horse Deals Classroom at 2.45 and if you miss that one, I’m on again Saturday at 3.45.  I am also making my self available for limited one on one in depth consultations at the stand (#298, Epsom Hall).  Pop by to book an appointment if you would like to discuss your horse in more detail.

If you didn’t see my coupon in Horse Deals, I am running a raffle over the 4 days- entry is free and the prize is a $499 IR Bridle!  Come by and fill out an entry form.

Here’s hoping I don’t forget anything!  Come by stand 298 and say hi to Jess, Zoe and myself at this year’s Equitana- can’t wait!

Happy Riding,

A