Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Someone stated that horses that need bigger bits need to have the basics 
re-trained, and to some part of that I agree.  But not always.

I can, in the ring, ride Alpine in a plain snaffle.  He bends, collects, does 
lateral work, etc.  My dressage instructer loved him because he's push button 
in the ring.  On the trail by himself or in a small group, I have the same 
amount of control.  However, if he spooks or if he's in a big group, or if 
anyone is going faster than him, he is a handful, and will run right through 
that snaffle, taking me for quite a ride.  For that matter, he's run through a 
med port curb, a paso bit, a kimberwicke, and a mechanical hack. He does seem 
to respect a pelham if I use the bottom rein.  We have done the leap frogging 
thing.  Anything I ask in a small group he does. Gets left, leaves, walks while 
the others trot and canter.  Once you hit over about 7 horses, watch out, the 
engine goes into overdrive.

My "fix" for that is the myler hackamore combo. I can be as light as I want to 
be, or I have the umph to back myself up if I need to. And he likes the bit! 
Which is a first for him.

Saturday on the trail, while out riding with our resident dressage queen, we 
were doing the prettiest collected trot you could ask for (he can't gait when 
fully collected).  She kept asking me when I was planning on showing him in 
dressage.  I looked at her and said I'm sure it'll make quite a good impression 
when he gets wound up at a show and does his paso dance in the ring, then 
refuses to trot.  Somehow, I think we will lose points for gait there...but 
maybe we will make up for it with his big swinging walk.  *grin*

Juli and Alpine (who is scoffing at a snaffle bit at the moment)

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