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Re: [RC] [RC] energized horses/making them that way and then toning it down! - aggiekrisYour power to stop your horse isn't in the bit - it's in his training. If you don't have the basics for the horse to listen to you, changing to a harsher bit will ultimately do more harm than good. If he's going to run through the bit, once the novelty wears off, he'll still do it, and it's a hell of a hard time trying to soften a horse's mouth after this. It all boils down to consistency - NEVER let your horse get away with pulling on you. It takes a lot of patience, and a lot of time, but eventually it'll pay off. I like to use one-rein stops the moment i feel them start pulling. If i'm in the arena, and gate-sourness is playing a role, i switch the direction we start in each time as well. I have a mare who i've had for 7 years now. Have never put anything other than a snaffle in her mouth. She's headstrong, and can be a real pill, and certainly loves to race; she used to never think twice about running away with me (or anyone else) if she thought she could get away with it. Last ride we did back to back 55s in a rope halter. At this stage in the game, all it usually takes is me threatening to do a one-rein-stop, and i've got her attention. I've got another horse i hope to start competing on next season who, up until i got him was ridden in a double twisted wire with 5" shank. Good lord, i still cringe thinking about it. He wouldn't letyou put a bit in his mouth for the longest time, and if you managed to get it in, you couldn't really notice it. Fast forward nearly 3 years, he's going in a Kimberwicke on the snaffle setting. He's very rateable, and i actually prefer him to the mare sometimes because he's not such a big fan of questioning authority. My goal is to ride both my geldings in either snaffle or side pull. So far Ramsy is fine with either and I can use my tone of voice to get him to stop dead in his tracks. I think he has the potential for race brain though. The other gelding I just started riding again after a layoff and have a snaffle on him. He is not so easy or sensitive. What is better, keeping a snaffle but risking putting him in circles even during conditioning rides or to change bits? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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