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Re: [RC] Bitting for Control Question - sharp pennyWell this is not the answer you will be looking for because it's not a *quick fix*. You control a horse through his mind NOT his mouth. Given the right stimulus a horse can and will run through anything you can think up to put in his mouth.....AND if you don't have control of him BEFORE you go to an exciting event like an endurance ride I can guarentee you sure as heck won't have control of him at the ride, no matter what kinda of bit or hack you are using on him...therefore, you are risking your safty as well as other innocent people around you and are a potential hazard. That said.... There are lots of good books and videos from some people like Clinton Anderson, Pat Parelli and John Lyons to name a few that can take you though the basic steps to develop a listening horse that yeilds to pressure. As for types of bits for general information consider that horses have different size mouths and shapes of palates so what one horse finds comfortable to carry another may not. Some horses find a large diamater snaffle bit like a rubber snaffle very uncomfortable and will be happier in a smaller diamater, even though a rule of thumb is, the smaller the diamater the harsher the bit. Snaffles work on the corners of the mouth and were designed to be used one side at a time EVEN WHEN STOPPING a horse. Pulling back on both sides of a snaffle causes a nutcracker effect also, you are giving a horse something to lean and brace by creating a fixed object in their mouth. French links (3 pieced snaffle bits) don't have as harsh of the nutcracker effect when both reins are used simentanously and makes it harder for them to brace or lean on due to the broken mouthpiece. Boucher bits imploy some poll pressure in addition to corner and bars of the horses mouth. Curb and mullen mouth bits add chin groove pressure (if you employ a curb strap) to poll and palate pressure but have no corner of the mouth action. Thats why you don't teach a horse to g lateral flexion in a curb action bit. Mechanical hacks work on nose, chin and some poll pressure. Length of the shanks on either a snaffle (tom thumb), curb or mechanical hack increase the severity of the device. Sidepulls pull on the same side that you are pulling on and cross pulls (figure 8's) pull on the opposite side. One reason I like starting a colt in a cross pull 'cause young horses innately want to move away from the pull and not into the pull. This is just a very basic rundown on a subject there have been books written about. My personal take on the whole control issue is that if I feel I have to use more than a snaffle or frenchlink to control my horse than I need to go back to the pen/pasture and work on what building block my horse has missed in his/her training and I have no business even trying to ride in an endurance ride, ctr, horseshow, or any event I know my horse will get excited in. I know alot of successful endurance riders will disagree with me, but then I am a bit of a horse control freak <vbg> Regards, Penny Please Reply to: CJ Fields longmilerider@xxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== Hello! Hopefully you all can help. I ride in a rubber coated snaffle and my gelding is super strong and frequently ignores the bit and runs. What would be some options? I was thinking mechanical hackamore but not sure of the control? I don't want to change to anything too severe because of our first ride coming up soon. I'm sure this is the millionth bitting question but I have a tough time searching the archives. Any help is GREATLY apperciated!!! Thanks! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance: Get your refund fast by filing online. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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