More horse terms!

Hey everyone!

I thought of some more horse terms I would like to know! What does tracking up mean? And getting your horse on the bit means them listening to you, and not being heavy, but being light and respondent right?

Thank you!

This is tracking up:
See how Lacey's back foot is about to land right where her front foot just was? =)




I don't have such a good explanation for "on the bit" but it seems to me (from reading this forum) that on the bit is when the horse is working from it's rear instead of pulling itself along on it's forehand, while being light and responsive like you said. Someone else could probably explain that better than me though. =)

Thanks Wallaby! =] That picture really helped!

That's the general idea

Anytime. =)

That's a great pic of Lacey tracking up, Wallaby!

When a horse is on the bit, he is totally accepting of all the aids, not just the bit. Personally, I like "on the aids" better than "on the bit" as a description, its much less confusing, IMHO, especially considering that a horse properly on the bit isn't having the bit messed with in his mouth. It's a tricky concept, one that can be greatly misunderstood, and that my horse and I are still learning ourselves.

At the risk of explaining myself through articles yet again, here are a couple of good ones that may be helpful.

The Art of Classical Riding--On the Bit

The Three-Second Solution: Putting Your Horse On the Bit

The second one is a bit lengthy, fair warning.

Thank you scoutrider! Those articles are wonderful!