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What Kind Of Bit Is This

4K views 18 replies 4 participants last post by  SPhorsemanship 
#1 ·
Was wondering what kind of bit this was and what it is primarily used for. Thanks so much! It says Made in England and Never Rust on each side
 

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#6 ·
It is a bridle used for high level dressage that has two bits: a curb and a snaffle. The rider uses two sets of reins and communicates to the horse differently with the curb bit(weymouth) and the snaffle(bradoon). It is used after riders have ridden many many years and have very light hands. At this level the rider uses aids from their body, legs, arms and pretty much every part of their body to communicate to the horse at a very subtle level and the two bits are incorporated in that.

This website has a lot of information on dressage: ::: Sustainable Dressage - - Welcome to my Site about Sustainable Dressage! :::
 
#10 ·
It's amazing how intelligent and elligant horses are! I can only imagine how complicated it is for them to try and understand what we want them to do by different pressures in their mouth. Its sad when a horse is sold from home to home and has so many different people on it who all ride differently. My TB is my world, I live sleep breathe her. My boyfriend doesn't ride and doesnt understand horses and back when I was talking about getting her (He has kids) he wanted me to bring them out to ride her. I know how I came across but it was hard for me to explain to him in a nice way I don't want a bunch of inexperianced riders jumping on her and pulling on her mouth or kicking her to go. I want her to learn me and me to learn her so we can ride as one.
 
#12 ·
I use to barrel race when I was younger, but never liked how rough some of the people I competed with were with their horses. That was 10years ago. I always looked up to people who rode english. I just saw so much more class in it. I've just begun English now that I got my mare
 
#13 ·
There's bad people in all disciplines though. Have you heard about rollkur? I think it really depends on what the rider likes. My style, or just what i feel is right with the horse is english. It seems to click more with me. I've done both english and western before and now I do mainly dressage. Lots of riders feel better doing western. Sometimes a certain riding style comes more naturally to someone. I see reining as a sport that involves a lot of communication between horse and rider and if I did western, I'd be doing reining.

Once you get into english riding sport, or any horse sport, you find the cheaters and the people that exploit horses for their own benefit. I wouldn't say one discipline is better than the other. For example, the best rider from each discipline would be able to get on a horse bareback with no bridle or halter and control their horse. Sometimes that class hides the truth and sometimes that calm, laid back riding hides the truth too. I find that in a lot of jumper rings, people just throw a bunch of gadgets on their horses and yank them around the ring. *Sigh*...the only thing that makes dressage "better" in the training sense is that bad training can't be rewarded, or at least it shouldn't. Anyways...I respect western riders even though some can have somewhat harsh methods. English trainers do to, except they seem more whimpy and tie the horses up more...well that happened with my horse.

You didn't really ask for this answer but it should probably help you in understanding the horse world.
 
#14 ·
She is a 17.1 h 6yr old OTTB. I've had her since the 24th of last month and I plan on jumping with her. Right now we are mainly doing ground work. Lunging to the right so she can learn to use her muscles on that side. She is a little clumsy so I am doing alot of ground work moving her around so she can get used to her footing and ALOT of stretching. She has never had an injury but her face has some scaring underneath, probably from a bad trainer. She is extremley smart and picks up things so quick. I have rode her three times now. Getting her use to walking and trotting, so she doesnt always think she has to GO. I worked with her for about five min the other day on standing still while mounting and she picked it up almost immediatley. If you have any advice on what i should do with her next I'd really appreciate it! She listens when i lead her very well. Somedays i can just put on her halter and she will follow me around without a lead. The few times I have rode her she listened better than i had expected, but she does pull alot. I hate putting so much weight on the reins but if I don't she wants to go and once she gets going it seems like pulling back only makes her go faster. (I assume from the weight she is use to the jockey putting on her mouth when she ran) The first two times I used a hackamore but i would like to get a bit that would be suitable. I put a full cheek snaffle in her mouth for the first time yesterday but she didn't mind it very well. She picked up on my leg cues to know what direction I wanted her to go in but the bit did nothing
 
#15 · (Edited)
She doesn't understand what the bit actually means-communication to seat and legs, not pulling. You can't expect her to understand what it means. It is very understandable that she goes faster when you pull, she's most likely going inverted(neck high, back concave, nose in the air) and using her under neck muscles to brace against you. It's a fight you can't win. I don't have first hand experience with training an OTTB but other members of the horse forum do. I can give you some ground exercises and riding exercises to help but I really think you should start a thread in the training section. Call it something like "suggestions training OTTB". Then you can ask members questions and update them on your problems from each ride and possibly provide pictures.

As for the bit, start with the most mild snaffle you can find. A double jointed loose ring snaffle or egg butt snaffle would be the best.
 
#16 ·
I think I'll start a thread tomorrow :) If you have any ground exercises off the top of your head let me know. I've got to get to bed now, so I can get up early and work with her. Thanks so much for your time and advice, I really appreciate it
 
#17 · (Edited)
I honestly love groundwork. It's so beneficial. I would get her working on yielding to pressure. It will make her softer all around. I think you should restart things very simply and gently. Through getting her to do things by choice and not forcing then she will be obedient and more willing. I would start with just a halter, a whip(dressage preferably for the future), a lunge whip and a lunge line.

Work on: 1) Getting her to lead well at the walk and trot. When you stop she stops, when you turn she turns. She does not barge ahead of you or lag behind you. Aaaaaah I'm so tired, I'll give you the best exercise I can give with my half awake mind:

I don't know where she is at on her groundwork training so I'll start simply.

Lunge her around you at the walk on a small circle. You should be in the "lunging triangle". In my opinion, there should be slack in the rope and only tightened to slow her down. My horse is so in tuned to my body language that I stop him with...my body language. I'm too tired to explain, I can go on about body language for hours. So just get her to lunge both ways at the walk, slacked rope, get her forward. Do walk-halt transitions and turn her around. Once she is stretching her head lower then ask for a trot. Do walk-trot-8 steps-walk. This is not how you have to always lunge her, you are getting her in tuned to you. Repeat that both ways(now on a larger circle because she is trotting). Between the trot transitions, allow her to relax at the walk. Your goal is to have her relaxed, with her head low(not in frame) at the walk and trot. Relaxed doesn't mean slow. She needs impulsion. Goal: relaxed at walk and trot, responsive to cues and doing transitions.

Exercise numero two: Yield to pressure from halter(if she doesn't know lunging, then this is still a good exercise)

Grab the side of her halter. Stand to one side beside her shoulder. Gently pull on the halter, mainly sideways but a little bit down. the second she moves her head the direction you are pulling her(kind of to her shoulder), release immediately. This simple exercise will help teach her to respond to pressure by anticipating a release. Pull, release. If she pulls against you in an upwards direction, do not release, but do not pull more. Just continue up there. You must make sure that even if she only gives a little tiny tiny bit, you release or else her throwing her head in the air will be your fault. This is not meant to be a pulling battle. If she releases cm by cm then so be it, she will get it. Do it both ways and also downwards(in this case the bottom of the halter). Make sure you ask for slightly forward and down because if you ask for backwards in down she will move her head to far back(behind the vertical). You want her reaching down like she is grazing. This will actually make her calmer.

Try something with her too, I just want to try to understand her more. Put your hand behind her ears with your four fingers on one side of her crest(top of neck) and thumb on the other side. Push down hard, tell me if she gives to that pressure. My horse is an absolute fighter and just pushes back, he's much better now. This will be a good exercise in the future but I need to know what her reaction is. If she puts her head lower, that is very good. I don't want it to be a fight for submission but an exercise that can help relax her. If she fights it, then working on pressure and release will help in the future. A willing horse that trusts you will drop its head.
 
#18 ·
I worked on the pressure exercises the third and fourth day I had her. She lowers her head almost immediatley when I touch behind her ears now.
I'm going to work on the lunging. She does well now, picking up on my cues for trot and walk, but I haven't done alot of transition work. I usually make her walk for a few min then trot and then walk again.
Thank you so much for your help! Look for me on the training forum :)
 
#19 ·
I didn't really know what she had done before. When you make your thread please include what she knows. I'll think of some exercises. For me, I usually do what I feel needs to be done and I don't have any "written" exercises. I can make some with diagrams.
 
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