[rockinA]

local cowboys around here tell me that the stoping,turning,control problems I have w/ my green mare can be solved w/ a bit that makes her mouth sore a little,then she wil not fight me so much.As much as I believe in "Tough love" Im not shure I want to do this to her,and am a little affraid of what she might do to me if it hurts her too much.Any one have any thought on this?These bits are high $ and so is my doctor,lol.

[bay_blnd jmpr07]

That is how you ruin a good horse.

[cd_horton]

a horses mouth is to be preserved...fear and pain is only a temporary cure to a larger problem...there is no tool or bit that will fix a horse...they have to be taught how to stop, turn, be supple and soft...ect...reining horses are perhaps the biggest stopers and fastest turners and they learn to do it in a snaffle and once trained can do it bridleless.

[harli36]

The horse has to understand what you are asking them before (and even then it's not right) you use "tough love". Your mare is green so she probably doesn't fully understand these things yet. So it would be like screaming at a child for eating the ice cream you just gave them. They won't understand why you are screaming so they get confused and defensive and later resistant. It's not fair to your horse what these people are suggesting you do.

What you SHOULD do is put her in the bit that she finds most comfortable(research shows most horses find french links the most comfortable, so that is a good place to start on your search for a bit). If a horse is uncomfortable in their bit then they don't want to listen to the cues. If they are comfortable they may be willing to listen.

[bay_blnd jmpr07]

I will try my best to explain LOL

A harsher bit will only MASK the problem, not fix it. The horse won't be as willing either. The horse will be FORCED into something and that can make for a VERY sour horse who will, if angry/annoyed/hurt long enough will throw you from the saddle and ignore ALL aids.

Your horse needs to go back to basics. Do some ground work. Walk, whoa, back, pivot, trot, turns (figure 8s and circles, surpentines)...all while on the lead line.

Ground drive too.

Then work at the walk, getting your horse responsive. Walking on, whoaing, standing still for good lengths of time, backing a few steps, figure 8s, serpentines, circles again. Get all that down pat, where you aren't fighting your horse or taking several steps/attempts to get the desired result before moving into the trot.

I'm a strong believer that any horse can be ridden in a snaffle with the correct training.

What exactly is your horse doing?

[bay_blnd jmpr07]

Originally Posted by harli36

The horse has to understand what you are asking them before (and even then it's not right) you use "tough love". Your mare is green so she probably doesn't fully understand these things yet. So it would be like screaming at a child for eating the ice cream you just gave them. They won't understand why you are screaming so they get confused and defensive and later resistant. It's not fair to your horse what these people are suggesting you do.

What you SHOULD do is put her in the bit that she finds most comfortable(research shows most horses find french links the most comfortable, so that is a good place to start on your search for a bit). If a horse is uncomfortable in their bit then they don't want to listen to the cues. If they are comfortable they may be willing to listen.

My mare is in LOVE with her french link. The single jointed snaffle was uncomfortable and she resisted contact.

[miss machine]

Good for you for asking about something you weren't sure of.

I highly disagree with their advise. Look through these threads and you will find A LOT of problematic horses, and 90% of these horses IMO had these problems because of pain issues of some sort. A horse will "vocalize" their pain to the rider - which to us, seems like a behavioral issue. If you put this horse in pain, I would bet money that you are going to end up with more behavioral issues then you can handle.

The key is to determine WHY the horse is not understanding what you are asking, not to put the horse in pain.

So my question is, what is it that you are having issues with? I'm sure there are many many ways to correct the issue that does not involve causing the horse to be in pain.

[JBandRio]

Originally Posted by rockinA

local cowboys around here tell me that the stoping,turning,control problems I have w/ my green mare can be solved w/ a bit that makes her mouth sore a little,then she wil not fight me so much.

These are the idiots that continue to give "cowboy" a bad name

[bay_blnd jmpr07]

I have talked and given advice through PMs but wanted to bring it out in public. Maybe someone can expand on something, make something better or offer a totally new way on how to deal with this problem properly.

I made my first comment...I'm not always confident explaining/suggesting ways on dealing with training issues, but I thought I had a few ideas I could share. So I explained a few posts up and gave some additional ideas through PM...

Quote:
Originally Posted by bay_blnd jmpr07
Quote:
Originally Posted by rockinA
These suggestions sound very sound.I have done these things but mabbe not enough.I have only used a saffle bit so far.She does well on the ground,she does well when I lead her from my other horse,then when I mount her she just sands there,the only way to get her to move is to swat her on the rear,[spurs dont even work],then once she is moving she runs sraiaght to the fence and just stops again,no bucking,or any thing,just wont listen from the saddle.

So she takes off, then stops on her own and doesn't want to move?

MAKE her work!

Get a crop and smack her with it behind your leg. MAKE her move. If she takes off take hold of one rein tight and turn her sharp (hold on!). She will slow down/stop but it's YOU who's telling/making her do this.

This is a respect issue in my eyes. She knows what she can get away with.

If she takes off and starts slowing down to stop start kicking her or using the crop to keep moving her forward. Don't let her stop until YOU decide.

Use voice commands too. Tell her walk on, trot, and whoa. You can also use other words like slow and easy to steady her and bring her back a touch (slow her down some).

And remember to really use your seat and legs. Sit deep in the saddle when asking/telling to slow or whoa.

[luvmyhorse]

I have a TB gelding that came off the track, the people that had him wanted to get a "quick fix" so they put some kind og harsh bit in his mouth it is scarred on the corners. When I got him about one year ago he still had no stop at all he would fight me all the way. He knew how to push threw a snaffle and I tried about 10 different bits till I bought a long shank ton thumb that works relly good. I had to walk, stop for a long time it got relly boaring. After he got that down I trot,walk, Woah. then trot, woah. canter trot woah and so fourth It has taken about six months but he has got it down pretty good. He will never be the most gracefull but at least he knows what I am asking Hope this helps