So, its more of a debate between myself and the yahoo community it seems, than between two equal sized groups. Whenever anyone asks for a different bit or suggests to the asker that they try a different bit they are shunned. I can completely understand why, there are so many people that use bits for purposes other than what is intended or they think they can make their high strung horse safe for a green rider by putting a harsh bit in. It isn't acceptable. However, I have found many times where a change in bit can help a horse in rider team tremendously. For instance, often it works well for horses to be worked in a different bit for each different discipline they do. When the team changes from one bit to many different ones they sometimes get better than what they were. Other times the team has only ever worked in one bit and doesn't know how much better (or worse) a different bit could be. If they don't try out different bits they might miss an opportunity to become better.
My mare had become very excited when going around the barrel pattern. When I first started riding her she acted like an old dead trail horse and as I got better as a rider she got harder to handle. When we practice the barrel pattern, we have to keep it slow since our arena doesn't have the best footing (just dirt, we don't have a tractor to churn it deeper or a waterer). My mare especially will pull her check ligaments if we rate at a fast canter to a gallop because she has pulled them before. Because she has become so excited, to get her to calm herself down when we practice I have to have a whole bunch of contact in her mouth to get her to stop running (my hands pull from up in the middle of her neck back to my thighs). She's been hard mouthed since before I bought her. I'm pretty weak overall in the arms and it is hard to do this. I would typically do circles with her to get her to slow down if she wasn't reacting to my contact with the reins, but that would put her at risk of injuring herself if I did it more than a couple times. So the other day, we tried a bit that had longer shanks and wasn't broken in the middle. It worked wonders. I could give her loads more rein all the time, especially when she wanted to run around the pattern and I didn't want her to. I think it is going to help with her being hard mouthed also. Now we can work up to using less and less contact until she understands not to be hard mouthed.
So what is wrong with this? Why must everyone freak at the suggestion of a new bit? If you give a warning with your suggestion, what is so bad?
Thank you guys for your opinions. By suggesting that most people freak at the suggestion of changing a bit or getting a better bit, I am going very stereotypical and I'm sure a bunch of you out there aren't like that. Because the horse world is changing from a "master the horse" place to a "natural horsemanship" place using a harsher bit is sometimes seen as going back to that "master the horse phase," which is why I think some people are very against using a harsher bit.
Part of my mare's training routine is to do multiple things. For the most part we barrel race about one week a month (and typically it is other barrel patterns, not cloverleaf) . The rest of the month we go out on the trail, go over jumps, or do roundpen work (if I had more to do I would, but we have no access to cows and I have no knowledge of reining or dressage). It is definitely essential for a barrel horse. My mare speeds around even on the trail or when jumping, and I think it is just the barrel horse attitude.
"any bit can be harsh in the wrong hands......if you have a horse that has a snaffle in and the rider is yanking at the horses mouth, that horse is being ridden a lot harsher than a horse who has a long shanked bit in, but the rider barley has any contact on the reins."
Exactly. This is why I think we are both working better with the stronger bit.
Thanks for the links also. I appreciate hearing both sides of the story, and the ones that are in the middle too.
My mare and I have been racing competitively for over a year and are finished with the basics. She has no problem rating before a barrel, it is after a barrel that she gets excited. This is fine for the actual competitions, its what she's supposed to do, gallop to the next barrel. When I'm practicing however, it isn't.
Can you explain to me why my success with this bit will be short lived? If I understand that better I might be able to reason it out and look ahead.
My mare had become very excited when going around the barrel pattern. When I first started riding her she acted like an old dead trail horse and as I got better as a rider she got harder to handle. When we practice the barrel pattern, we have to keep it slow since our arena doesn't have the best footing (just dirt, we don't have a tractor to churn it deeper or a waterer). My mare especially will pull her check ligaments if we rate at a fast canter to a gallop because she has pulled them before. Because she has become so excited, to get her to calm herself down when we practice I have to have a whole bunch of contact in her mouth to get her to stop running (my hands pull from up in the middle of her neck back to my thighs). She's been hard mouthed since before I bought her. I'm pretty weak overall in the arms and it is hard to do this. I would typically do circles with her to get her to slow down if she wasn't reacting to my contact with the reins, but that would put her at risk of injuring herself if I did it more than a couple times. So the other day, we tried a bit that had longer shanks and wasn't broken in the middle. It worked wonders. I could give her loads more rein all the time, especially when she wanted to run around the pattern and I didn't want her to. I think it is going to help with her being hard mouthed also. Now we can work up to using less and less contact until she understands not to be hard mouthed.
So what is wrong with this? Why must everyone freak at the suggestion of a new bit? If you give a warning with your suggestion, what is so bad?
Thank you guys for your opinions. By suggesting that most people freak at the suggestion of changing a bit or getting a better bit, I am going very stereotypical and I'm sure a bunch of you out there aren't like that. Because the horse world is changing from a "master the horse" place to a "natural horsemanship" place using a harsher bit is sometimes seen as going back to that "master the horse phase," which is why I think some people are very against using a harsher bit.
Part of my mare's training routine is to do multiple things. For the most part we barrel race about one week a month (and typically it is other barrel patterns, not cloverleaf) . The rest of the month we go out on the trail, go over jumps, or do roundpen work (if I had more to do I would, but we have no access to cows and I have no knowledge of reining or dressage). It is definitely essential for a barrel horse. My mare speeds around even on the trail or when jumping, and I think it is just the barrel horse attitude.
"any bit can be harsh in the wrong hands......if you have a horse that has a snaffle in and the rider is yanking at the horses mouth, that horse is being ridden a lot harsher than a horse who has a long shanked bit in, but the rider barley has any contact on the reins."
Exactly. This is why I think we are both working better with the stronger bit.
Thanks for the links also. I appreciate hearing both sides of the story, and the ones that are in the middle too.
My mare and I have been racing competitively for over a year and are finished with the basics. She has no problem rating before a barrel, it is after a barrel that she gets excited. This is fine for the actual competitions, its what she's supposed to do, gallop to the next barrel. When I'm practicing however, it isn't.
Can you explain to me why my success with this bit will be short lived? If I understand that better I might be able to reason it out and look ahead.