Something about bits and bitting

[Candice Burger]

I stole this off of Benny Guitron's web site, but I thought it fit here.

Benny's best bitting advice? "Buy a bunch of bits and try them on different horses- I do. Invest a lot of time, and learn what each bit does or doesn't do. Consider the horse, rider, and bit as individual elements that can add up in dozens of ways to create different effects, then pick your favorites and use them."

True story.

He's got some nice articles about snaffles, hackamores and bits.
http://www.bennyguitron.com/index.html

Sometimes it IS the horse--he just doesn't like the bit. period. Has nothing to do with conformation or training.

[SandyMM]

Here's a quote from his site... not for the same purposes as most Pasos, but his philosophy for the purpose and use of the bit is interesting.
Matlock Rose-
A pretty darn good horseman designed this- it's called the Matlock Rose. Some people call it a roping hackamore, and I do use it a lot on rope horses, but I use it on older bridle horses, kids horses that I want to frame up. You can rein a horse up in it, too. I made this one, but the original Matlock Rose was made by Crockett, I believe.

Notice the details: The chin strap ring extends way back so the strap won't pinch and lies right in the chin groove, and there's a ring for a lip chain so a horse can't learn to flip it forward, though I'm not using one here. The bottom string, which I always use on shanked bits, keeps my reins away from possibly interfering with the horse's mouth. Note that the mouthpiece floats up and down a little- kind of a loose-jaw effect- and it attaches through the cheek with cotter pins so you can swap out or completely remove the mouthpiece and just have a hackamore- it's a really versatile bridle.

I kind of think of the Matlock Rose as a poor-man's two rein, which you'll recall from the last article was a small hackamore used with a leverage bit. This is similar: you give them a signal on their nose first, then there's whatever mouthpiece you put in it that they feel, and then the chin strap takes ahold. You can actually put a really good neck rein on with this. But, when most people see this amount of metal, they think "Old Buford's been bad today, and I'm gonna' inflict some pain with this." That's not what it's for. Use it to educate the horse to the pressure points it touches, and you can develop tremendous lightness and response with no pain or fear in the horse.


Benny's Bits: Specialty Bits : page 3
* This article originally appeared in Western Horseman magazine. Reprinted with permission.
Author and photos: Suzanne Drnec

[Pam M]

Sometimes it IS the horse--he just doesn't like the bit. period. Has nothing to do with conformation or training.

Agreed Candice. My gelding is the nicest, most mild-mannered horse. Kids and beginners ride him all the time. But put a plain "mild" snaffle in his mouth and he WILL throw you the minute you put ANY pressure on it. He went for training at an english barn and I told them this - learned it the hard way. They didn't believe me, kept using the snaffle, and sent him home after a month saying he was unridable. I ride him in either a double-jointed snaffle or a Tom Thumb, which some say is harsh but he responds extremely well to it and seems to prefer it.

[CarolU]

You know, the every horse is different. And sometimes they will REALLY surprise you.

I train every horse to be good about paste worming with applesauce. A few syringes of applesauce and they come running with their mouths open for them. Whenever I worm I open a can of applesauce and use it as a chaser to keep them good about pasting.

Along comes Bruiser. He HATES applesauce! You should SEE him, almost stand on his head to spit it out. Can't STAND it! And I tried it several times. (loves apple-flavored treats)

He's fine with Ivermectin paste though. :roll: (BTW, he won't eat Iverease either, even when mixed with honey and grain). I hope he never needs meds. I have no idea how I'll get pills in him.

[SandyMM]

Yep - tried a new bit on Emi which should have been just right. His ears _completely_ disappeared they were so flat... _Very_ un-Emi-like! Got that off of him in about the blink of an eye (he _really_ didn't like it - and I hadn't even _touched_ the reins!) and put on the 2nd choice bit. Off he went in Happy Clam mode....

[TrueStepPaso]

That is so true. And I'm happy I learned that a long time ago....the family that taught me to really ride horses, and understand them, told me that you should never use just one bit/hackamore. You should keep the horse fresh & learning (progressing), but always strive to keep the horse at its lightest.

I have fifteen different bits/bridles, and only two horses.....some ppl look like this when they see that --> :roll:

[CarolU]

I wouldn't laugh Abbie. I use different tack on the same horse for different reasons. I do Parelli in the hackamore, primarily. I do all new training in my Casa Dosa or Yancy trainers, I trail ride and show in comfort snaffles, and for collection practice and classes I use a shanked Myler. I have one Colombian spoon that I use occasionally on Diablo to 'show off' with. I can't use it on Zar, plants her right on her nose trying to get away from it. Same bit on Diablo brings his head up and shortens his gait.

I think changing gear keeps the horse light, and when training I really like to stay away from their mouth until they KNOW it.