June 2011 Tack and Training tips
Building a better stop pt 3/ starting in the snaffle bit
For those of you who have been following this training series your horse should be stopping off of your body and verbal Whoa cues. Should be soft in the rope halter and have a beginning knowledge of moving off of your seat and legs. We should be able to both gently bend our horse to a stop or do a one-rein stop with the feet stoping imidiatly and the horse being soft in your hands and maybe even breaking over at the poll slightly. Now its time to move on to the next step of getting that nice collected stop which means snaffle bit.
There are a multitude of snaffle bits on the market today and finding what will work best for both you and your horse can cause serious delay in your training. Be it an older horse your restarting or a young colt, the way their mouth is put together will determine what will work best. The key is first of all when you know your ready to move on, have the horses teeth floated and then give them a week or two to recover. Young horses teeth are very soft and will wear uneavenly quickly where an older horse will maintain a good mouth longer if he's had good care previously. Any sharp points, hooks or slight burrs on the horses teeth will cause resistance, poor carriage and a choppy lope. Next take a good look at your horses mouth. Does he have a long mouth or small? Is his tongue thick or thin? How much space is there where the bit will rest? These are all things that impact how your horse will react to the new bit. Next take a look at where he carries his head. Is it high or low? The weight of the rings or use of slobber straps also affect preformance.
But what is a snaffle bit? Is a Tom Thumb Snaffle a true snaffle? The answer is no. Any bit with shanks is considered a leverage bit save for a spade bit which is considered a signal bit do to the intense high level of both horsemanship and training. A snaffle can be any combination of O-ring, Full cheek, D-Ring or Eggbutt rings with either smooth or twisted mouthpieces of which can either be slightly curved or straight. Sound confusing? It can be but let me explain with the help of some pictures.
This is a D-Ring (standard 3inch rings) with no pinch swivel on the cheeks, a smooth sweet iron tapered 5 inch mouthpiece with copper inlay. This is my standard beginning bit. This is the first bit I reach for every time because it has a nice even weight between the cheeks and mouth. Most horses accept this bit well.
This is the same version of cheek piece only with a twisted, straight mouth. This would be a harsh bit to begin with if you have been doing your homework. If its an older, very stiff heavy horse I MIGHT use this for a day in the very begining but this is not what I recomend. I'm just posting it for refrence. If used improperly, a horses mouth can be damaged for life so if this is what you choose, use it sparingly and lightly.
This is a full cheek snaffle with a tappered 5 inch mouth piece. If I have a colt that is really playing with the bit, really testing it or gapping badly I'll grab this one. Its a nice beginner bit.
This is a heavy 3 inch O-Ring snaffle with a slightly tapered 6 inch mouth. For a high headed horse I'll often reach for this style of bit as the extra weight encourages proper head carrage in order to find the "hole" or place where both the bridle and mouth hold the bit balanced and no pressure is on the bars of the horses mouth. The wider mouth peice allows more play in the bit creating friction and slide if the horse is not carrying it properly. Yep I have one of these hanging too but not one I use often. Its something I'll use a couple of days in a row and then hang back up for a while after the horse has that "ah ha" moment. These like all others can be purchased with both a straight mouth or twisted. I really like a 1 inch browband headstall for a snaffle bit as well.
This is one of my favorite bits for the hard to bit horse. The straight mouthpeice plays off of parts of the mouth untouched with a tappered mouthpeice and the copper/stainless steel rollers the length of the mouthpeice gives the horse something to play with. This is the ideal bit to hang low in the mouth and let the horse pick it up with his tongue and hold it. If adjusted too high, the mouthpiece breaks and makes constant contact with the roof of the mouth so be aware of how it sets in the mouth. If your unsure of how it really works, hand the bridle up and hold the bit in your hand. Have the reins you intend to use attached and see what happens. Chances are that even without slobber straps the bit will break slightly just from the weight of the reins. We want to preserve the horses mouth for a more refined feel later on down the road, why not start where we wish to finish? With a soft feel. Use only the pressure needed and respond accordingly to your horses resistance or willingness. If you always pull first, your horse will never seek to improve.
Now on to the actual training. If you remember from the previous video I suggested letting the horse wear the bit of your choosing while being worked in the halter or hackamore so that by the time you begin using it the horse is accustomed to the weight and feel. The problem some folks have is giving the horse a chance to work through this new step. For the first few days, your horse will be a bit confused on cues and slow to respond, just be consistant and come back to your basics. By doing this your allowing the horse to find the answer rather than demanding it of him and perhaps scareing him. Confusion leads to frustration and that leads to problems so give him time. Do your flexing excersises, bending to a stop and exaturate your hand movements by leading him farther out into the turn than you were so that he can see your hand just like the very beginning. Its important not to pick up on both reins at the same time just yet. When you feel your horse relaxing and carrying it well, responding to your cues as before now you can move on to the half halt 4 beat stop.
For this stop imagine at the walk, each foot fall. Be aware of when each foot hits the ground and how quickly. When your ready to give it a try give your stop cue and as each foot falls pick up first left, right, left, right until your horse stops. What you should imagine is that with each half halt you are controling a leg. First left rear, right front, left front, right rear. Make sense? The ideal goal is for your horse to stop slowly as you are giving the whoa cue and break over at the poll just as all four feet stop. Don't be discuraged if your horse pushes against the bit or noses out, throws its head or begins backing up. Simply hold a gentle but steady pressure, keep your body relaxed and still and let your horse find the answer. Even if its only slight, reward their try because if you get it right the first time, next time will only be better. When doing your half halts in this 4 beat rythum keep life in your fingertips and not so much in your hands. The movment should begin in front of the saddle horn and end at or just past the horn. Pulling back past your hips will only throw you and your horse off balance and make your release time sluggish. Its through this that we will get our collected stop later on down the road. Remember to work on stops at the end of your training lesson. A horse that WANTS to stop will be more apt to learn the new cues faster and what you work on last today will be the first thing he remembers tomorrow. End it on a good note and you'll only see progress from here on out.
Hope this helps better define what I couldn't fit into the video for this month. Remember safety first for both horse and handler and always have fun! If there are any questions feel free to ask. Please forgive my typo's, I'm not much on spelling!! Thanks again, Sheila.