HOPE'S BIT BLOG - All about horse bits! Hope's Bit Blog - Issue 1

The  Real  Deal  About   Bitting  Your  Horse HOW  TO  ACHIEVE  YOU  RIDING  AND   TRAINING  GOAL                                   HOPE  BIRSH  – MARYLAND  SADDLERY Here at the Maryland Saddlery we spend lots of time talking to our customers about their horses. Much of the discussion revolves around the equipment and bit choices they are making for their level of training. Many of us use whatever bit is in the barn or what ever bit the horse we purchased came with. I have come to realize that most people choose a bit based on convenience rather than what the horse really needs. Can a bit cut down our training time? Or is it just a piece of metal that we use to stop and turn our mounts? The answer is yes to both. But if you think a bit by its self can stop a horse you are sorely mistaken. Can you stop a moving car, by pulling on the steering wheel? Of course you can’t. Horses stop because we train them to stop when we pull back on the reins. If a horse is truly determined to run away, no amount of pulling back will actually bring it to a stop. You cannot physically stop a moving object that you are sitting on. Only by running into a fixed object, like a tree or a wall, will a runaway horse stop if they have chosen to continue running. ACTION - REACTION So my point is that training your horse is more important than any bit you or I could choose. What kind of training am I talking about? Circles and transitions. Lots of circles and transitions… You have to train your horse through repetition so that they understand that your action will elicit a specific reaction from them.