[Chester]

"No, I am not good enough" "I might catch him in the mouth over a jump"

That was the response I got when I suggested to some unnamed child of mine when I suggested that perhaps, maybe, she may want to swap her bit over for jumping. This was after Dizzy decided to get a tad excited about it all and got strong and wasn't listening to the half halt any where near as well as he should.

She wasn't and still isn't keen on my suggestion. She isn't a good enough rider (in her opinion) and her horse shouldn't suffer for her inadequacies.

What sort of bit do you think I suggested? A medieval form of torture one?
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No. A thinner sweet iron snaffle than her thicker sweet iron snaffle.

Honestly, some days I think this kid has been too well educated about bits, their purposes and how they work. Pity she doesn't see what a great rider she is.

[John]

And this is just the start!

[madvoice]

She is a very sensitive soul. I think it does her in good stead for her riding. If I only had a smidgen of her talent I'd be thankful. She's going to go places that girl

[mytega]

Her riding will only improve if she has to handle situations by her riding skills alone. It shows she is not intimidated and is willing to do the hard work. Hopefully she will see she is an incredible rider with the knowledge, attitude and maturity to back it up. It is refreshing since so many competitors are willing to take short cuts. (I'm not saying at all that your bit suggestion is cutting corners, but someone else would have immediately gone to a much harsher bit in this situation.)

[ShezaBayDoc]

I wish all people were more like that with horses. People need to be more conscientious. Not that your suggested bit is particularly harsh, but this is touching.

[Rummymuffin]

Originally Posted by mytega

Her riding will only improve if she has to handle situations by her riding skills alone.

Maybe for this rider (since she sounds very talented and conscientious) but for many others, this is a surefire way to get very hurt. Trying to do something on skill alone, when the skill is not enough, gets very dangerous. Yes, many training tools are too often misused and take the place of good riding, but there are tools that are there for a reason, not just a shortcut. Oftentimes, they can be safety measures for a rider. The rider cannot improve if they are constantly in danger of getting dumped, run away with or otherwise injured. Once you have reduced the severity of the situation (sometimes with different tack, sometimes it's a change of place or the skill they are practicing) then can the rider learn and grow. Once they gain some confidence, the goal is to remove the aids, go back to the original task/environment, or move up a level.

Sorry for the random tangent, it's very sweet to hear someone be so concerned about her horse's mouth. She should learn more confidence in herself!

[Chester]

Originally Posted by mytega

Her riding will only improve if she has to handle situations by her riding skills alone. It shows she is not intimidated and is willing to do the hard work. Hopefully she will see she is an incredible rider with the knowledge, attitude and maturity to back it up. It is refreshing since so many competitors are willing to take short cuts. (I'm not saying at all that your bit suggestion is cutting corners, but someone else would have immediately gone to a much harsher bit in this situation.)

One of her dressage instructors described her as being '10 years in front of her peers'.


So many people try to avoid the hard work that correct training takes to the detriment of their horses.

The thinner snaffle is by no means a harsh bit. Especially when her fellow competitors are out there with dutch gags set to the most severe and other equally severe bits.

You have to wonder if more training of horse and rider would negate the need for them?

[John]

You have to outsmart them. I took Kim to a well run open show once where they had some very nice prizes to go along with the ribbons. I could see she had her eye on the award for the high point winner . She entered a ton of classes. About noon she asked me to go over to the office where they were posting all of the results on a big board and find out how she was doing. I did and told her that she was two points out of second place. She rode harder and about three oclock she had me check again. Four points out of second now. She did not give up and at the end of the day we had loaded up and were driving past the office where they were announcing the winners. They called her name for the high point award!!! I guess that I had forgot to say which side of second place that she was on!! I had a hard time driving home with a very sore right arm!

[Martini!]

Originally Posted by John

You have to outsmart them. I took Kim to a well run open show once where they had some very nice prizes to go along with the ribbons. I could see she had her eye on the award for the high point winner . She entered a ton of classes. About noon she asked me to go over to the office where they were posting all of the results on a big board and find out how she was doing. I did and told her that she was two points out of second place. She rode harder and about three oclock she had me check again. Four points out of second now. She did not give up and at the end of the day we had loaded up and were driving past the office where they were announcing the winners. They called her name for the high point award!!! I guess that I had forgot to say which side of second place that she was on!! I had a hard time driving home with a very sore right arm!

Hahaha! Classic!


Anyway, it's definitely nice to see someone concerned about their horse's comfort.

[mytega]

Originally Posted by Chester

One of her dressage instructors described her as being '10 years in front of her peers'.

What a great compliment! I'm sure they meant more than her riding abilities, too.

Originally Posted by Chester

So many people try to avoid the hard work that correct training takes to the detriment of their horses.

The thinner snaffle is by no means a harsh bit. Especially when her fellow competitors are out there with dutch gags set to the most severe and other equally severe bits.

You have to wonder if more training of horse and rider would negate the need for them?

I think there are so many tack options available, that it is sometimes easy to blame tack on behavior and training problems. You can try 1000s of bits hoping to find that one your horse will love and be an angel in, when most often time and sweat is most effective.

I know certain equipment serves very good purposes and your horse may truly dislike something. I personally love tack and learning about it, but I'm usually most impressed with the rider who can preform at the same level as others, but with the simplest and kindest tack options. Then you know they aren't hiding anything. There is always an exception, but does good training and practice backfire?