[SabreBaby]

So.... It'll be Christmas soon, and I'm looking in to getting my Yazi Baby a new bit. She does alright in her D-ring Snaffle, but I'd like a step up from that. I need a bit with a little more stop and turn. Any suggestions?

Also, what kind of saddles/saddle pads would you recommend for a Mustang? I've notice that her body is shaped differently and was wondering if they make special saddles or pads.

Thank you!

 

[SavvyHearts]

So.... It'll be Christmas soon, and I'm looking in to getting my Yazi Baby a new bit. She does alright in her D-ring Snaffle, but I'd like a step up from that. I need a bit with a little more stop and turn. Any suggestions?

Also, what kind of saddles/saddle pads would you recommend for a Mustang? I've notice that her body is shaped differently and was wondering if they make special saddles or pads.

Thank you!

You should never up the bit to get a little more stop and turn. Her not responding as good as you'd like to a simple D-ring Snaffle simply means you are over using the bit making her become desensitized to it.
If I were you I'd either stick to the D-Ring Snaffle or stop riding in a bit in general until you yourself can learn to stay out of her mouth and give her a little more responsibility.

I ride my little Mustang mare in a natural hackamore...occasionally a loose ring french link snaffle but that's only if I have to (going to a show, or something like that). I want all my horse's to be light and responsive to my natural hackamore.

As for saddle pads and saddles, I don't think they make them just for 'stangs, but I use the Theraflex saddle pad with a McCall Lady Wade. I am hopefully soon going to upgrade to the Natural Performer once the fiance says it's ok.
I like any saddle with a Wade tree (the front flares out giving room for the scapula)

 

[SabreBaby]

Savvy,

It's not so much that I have over-used the bit, but the people who owned her before me didn't exactly know what they were doing. Her responsiveness now compared to when I first started riding her has GREATLY improved, but she's still being a bit stubborn about stopping. I have considered a hack. I only have a mechanical at the moment, but I really want to get a bosal or a side-pull because I refuse to use my mechanical on her.

Do you know of any good excersizes Yazi and I can do in order to get her more responsive? She turns fine really, but in order to stop, I have to give and release over and over again before I can get her to give in fully and just stop. I never yank the reins or anything like that, and I try to ride with a really soft hand. I've ridden her in a tie-down a few times and it seems to help. Anyway.... Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[pintoluver112104]

With my horses I start all of them with voice commands on a lunge line and free lunging before I even get on them. If they don't respond to my voice commands then it's not safe to get on them. Your horse should stop when you say "woah" and you should only apply pressure to the bit if they don't stop.

 

[SavvyHearts]

Savvy,

It's not so much that I have over-used the bit, but the people who owned her before me didn't exactly know what they were doing. Her responsiveness now compared to when I first started riding her has GREATLY improved, but she's still being a bit stubborn about stopping. I have considered a hack. I only have a mechanical at the moment, but I really want to get a bosal or a side-pull because I refuse to use my mechanical on her.

Do you know of any good excersizes Yazi and I can do in order to get her more responsive? She turns fine really, but in order to stop, I have to give and release over and over again before I can get her to give in fully and just stop. I never yank the reins or anything like that, and I try to ride with a really soft hand. I've ridden her in a tie-down a few times and it seems to help. Anyway.... Thanks for the suggestions.

How are you asking to stop? I never pull with two hands, I raise one hand ever so slightly and let out all my energy and my mare stops and awaits more directions.
You might like the natural hackamores (a less expensive version can be found at Welcome to Half Circle Ranch! ). It's a bosal hackamore and is what I used to train my mare in when I first started riding her.

Keep her mind thinking on you is a great way to get her to be more responsive. Start by having her walk, and then after every 5 -10 steps having her stop. If it takes her 2 steps to stop, ask her to back up those 2 steps. But don't use your reins to stop first. When you ask her to walk pretend you are her and are walking off. Your energy will raise and then you'd ask with a squeeze from your cheeks and if she still doesn't go add more pressure down the legs. When you ask her to stop, release your energy with a sigh, sit down heavy in the saddle (like all of a sudden your butt became an anchor), and give her some time to think (especially for the first 10 times), then ask by lifting up the rein by the fence of the arena...if she still won't stop, then bend her nose to the fence (sloooooowly). Hold her nose there until she stops and she's mentally relaxed, then ask her to back up.
Worked wonders on my mare and all of my horses

I never use a tie-down on any of my horses. Horses use their body language to tell us how they feel. Raising of the neck very fast means either something is hurting them or something is frightening them. It is important that you see those "warnings" incase something else is to follow.