on the bit

[Karla Koch Dick <karlak@mail.tca.net>]

All the talk about on the bit and dressage in endurance made me think of
an instructor I once had.

I had a dressage instructor who could put a horse into a wonderful
frame, rear totally engaged, without touching the reins so when she did
touch the reins they were already prepared and most of the way to
collection.  She insisted that to get a good, true collected frame, a
person began on a loose rein, and asked the horse to USE his rear.  She
would work the horses at all gaits, seeking to encourage them to reach
underneath them and give her balanced gaits with a rounded back and good
impulsion, her results were very good.  She insisted that done from back
to front that when the horse was ready, you would already have his head
were you wanted it because he'd put it there himself as he conditioned
and learned to carry the rider.  And while she might make contact with
his mouth at times to train him to read the bit, her horses stayed very
light.

She had the most wonderfully trained school horses.



--
**************************
Karla Dick
mailto:karlak@mail.tca.net
Texas
**************************
Where you can begin the day in a long underwear, a sweater, hat, coat
and the heat on,
and end it in shorts with the air conditioner on.
**************************



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