The videos below will help start your journey to sound bitting knowledge, and provide the process to choosing the right bit to put your horse in. Most horses are going to need a snaffle with a thinner mouthpiece so I’ll go to my absolute favorite snaffle…. And some horses work so well in it that you can keep them in it for years. We’re not the largest – we are the most specialised. Do NOT create pain, just surprise. He’ll be tentative and prone to make mistakes due to his nervousness. So I’m forced to ride him in a stronger bit most of the time. Now, this particular horse behaving this way disappoints me but I don’t hold it against the horse. This includes young horses prior to any form of mouthing and horses that may have undergone a significant spell. The loose shanks make it much easier to take a horse’s head to the side and get lateral flexion. I don’t get angry with him for it. Either they refuse to lighten up at all or they will get light for a while and then revert back to being heavy. After a while though, this is the bit I’ll be using to do MOST of the training. Lighter in the mouth. For those horses, the next bit I’ll use will be a low-port mouthpiece with 8” loose shanks (cheeks). Many years ago I had a very extreme experience. “Bitting is key when your horse is young. A horse that bites when the girth is fastened might have an ill-fitting saddle or be extremely ticklish (if they also get mad when you brush them under the belly, they're probably ticklish). Here is where a lot of folks get confused. Once you’ve eliminated all other possible causes of a bitting problem, you can then turn your attention to the bit itself. Horse Bitting Consultants. This type of curb bit can easily be used on a snaffle bit horse because the shanks are so short and curved back that there is almost no curb action. In reality, most horses will slack off from time to time and not work up to their potential. It often comes down to being hand dominant, rather then leg dominant! I’ll ride a horse for a while with this low-port curb bit and see how he responds with it. One: Although this information is aimed towards bitting a horse for polo, many of the principles are correct for bitting any horse. Larry also offers instruction to riders who want to learn reining, cutting or reined cow horse. Especially the older horses that are being tuned up or re-trained. pressure is more evenly distributed over the tongue and bars of the horse’s mouth. You want him to associate his effort to bite with a distracting tap on his shin. I stay with this until the horse is too heavy in it and I can’t get him to respond Bitting vs Horse Training - How to Recognize What the Problem is. I’ll normally ride the horse with a tuning bit for a ride or two (or show in it) and then go back to Warwick has hundreds of full length training videos filmed with REAL horses, REAL people, REAL problems in REAL time. Again, as soon as the horse lightens up and is responding well, I’ll Horse Bit Hire can help give you the best choice for your horse. Ideally, the horse should be taught to do everything that you want him to while being ridden in the snaffle bit. They Horse Bitting Advice; Choosing the Right Bit Bit Assessing, Fitting & Types. My first exposure to it involved putting the snaffle bit in the horse’s mouth without reins and letting it wander around the stall mouthing it and adjusting to the existence of the bit in its mouth. Here is the sequence of the various types of snaffle bits that I use: I try to do most of the foundation training with an o-ring snaffle with a 7/16” diameter mouthpiece. snaffle”. In this newsletter, I want to try to clarify some of the misconceptions about bits and how to use different types of snaffle bits and curb bits to their best advantage. The super sensitive ones, I’ll ride with the 7” shanks. Gavsays.com For 10 years, I trained with a running martingale purely out of habit. reward the horse for good performance, he cheats me and won’t work right. 46 talking about this. Providing Video Tutorials on all things Equine: Horse Training, Riding, Health & More... Bitting Example 1: Barry Gag to Control Plate, [FREE DOWNLOAD] The Ultimate Blueprint to "Bitting Your Horse" [CLICK HERE to get it]. A steel rod inserted in a horse’s mouth and held in place by the rest of the bridle. But NOT so strong that it scares the horse. And, many older horses that need fixing should also be schooled in a snaffle bit. Another bit that I sometimes use to lighten a horse up is a “draw” or “gag” bit. Most colts should be started in a snaffle bit. The three horses who got their first bits at my hands started that way. For those horses, you are going to have to go to the “next stage” of the bitting process sooner than you would the average horse. The horse is already familiar with the snaffle mouthpiece so the only thing he needs to adjust to is the curb action of the shanks. I finally asked myself… why am I wasting time and money on a piece of equipment that doesn’t work? The majority of horses will respond well to this. However, most horses will eventually need to be moved up into a regular, solid-mouthpiece, curb bit. Just click on the link to go to the subscribe page. But for the majority of horses it won’t be quite enough. A pro’s advice about the bitting processand what bit to use when. On my horse’s that are normally ridden in a transition bit or curb bit, I’ll use a tuning bit that has a “correction” mouthpiece and seven (7″) inch, loose shanks. However, the horse might be in pain. I believe the snaffle bit is the best tool for teaching a horse how to position himself and use his body correctly. While oxen could be guided from a ring in their nose, horses apparently did not respond well to that approach, and almost as soon as evidence of domestic horses first appeared in a region, the bit also appeared. It seems there is a lot of confusion about when to use a certain type of bit and when not to. BTW, if you’re not subscribed to the Horse Training Tips Insider, you can get it ABSOLUTELY FREE. The practice of using a stronger bit to lighten a horse up and then switching back to a milder bit for every day riding, works really well to preserve the horse’s mouth while keeping him working right. Finding the right bit for your horse can often be a challenge. Generally, the horse should stay in some form of o-ring snaffle bit until he is well along in his training. Your horse has been training well, responding appropriately to hand and leg cues. With the higher port, there is less tongue pressure and more bar pressure. The other, I use on horses that are in a Horse training videos and DVDs by reining and cutting horse trainer, Larry Trocha. A good way to establish yourself is to keep his head front and center when you are working around him, including for grooming. A horse’s mouth can be very sensitive but if its not also educated on how to respond to pressure, the sensitivity really doesn’t help much. Some people also leave off the noseband at this stage and add it later. I have a horse like this in training right now. Very green Quarter horse filly from the snaffle to a horse ’ s can stay the! Bomber Nel often throughout this article this roller “ limits ” the training s usually a stronger than. Their first bits at my hands started that way talking about some good principles... Aids, clearly not something we have a picture of a bitting Problem, you want to... 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