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Re: [RC] [Guest] Bits - k s swigart----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Holland" <lanconn@xxxxxxx> Jeeeeze....have you asked your horses THEIR opinion? To the extent that one can ask a horse its opinion about anything....yes, I have. Except for horses that have been trained NOT to eat with a bit in their mouth (there are people who teach their horses this...and it can be a hard lesson for them to learn and one that needs constant reinforcement) who don't say anything at all, I have yet to have a horse to express any displeasure about eating with a bit in its mouth or say "Oooo no, I can't do it, it is too hard." Nor have I ever had a horse refuse to eat before I took the bridle off. In fact, I have had plenty of horses who have been unwilling to let me take the bridle off before they start chowing down :). You COULD turn them out to graze with their bit and bridle on and I doubt they would starve, but I bet you don't. I don't because I don't turn my horses out with anything on. I bet you don't turn your horse out to graze in his hackamore either, even though you COULD. There are lots of reasons for not doing this, but a horse's inability to eat with tack on is not one of them. Why would you want to ask your horse to travel all those miles with something in his mouth if you don't HAVE to????? Well, because, generally speaking, I have found a bit to be the most effective piece of equipment for teaching a horse to travel correctly without having to over use my hands (counterintuitive as this may seem to some people). And while a horse doesn't HAVE to travel correctly, why would I want to ask my horse to travel all those miles without having taught him to travel correctly. Does this mean that I think a bit is the only way for any rider to teach any horse to travel correctly? Most definitely not. However, what I have found is that for most horses, an egg but, jointed (either single or french link, most horses have a mild preference for the french link) snaffle is the least confusing piece of headgear there is and the one for which I have encountered the least amount of resistence (so, yes, that is asking my horse's opinion). Other than the bitless bridle (which I confess to not yet having tried, but it is an idea that I am intrigued by and probably will) and a vosal (which I confess to also not having tried, and have no intention of trying since there is nothing attractive I find about that idea), all of the other things that I have tried (a bosal, a mechanical hackamore, a side pull, a halter, a rope halter, a jacama, a jetera--although this is also very simple and very effective...but it also goes in the horse's mouth) have all generated much more resistence on the part of the horse. On the other hand, what has never generated any resistance that I have observed, is eating with a bit on. Which isn't to say that there aren't some horses that resist bits and do not travel more effectively in some other type of head gear. What I am saying is that a rider should choose the head gear that gives him the most effective communication with his horse (and for some horses and/or some riders, that is a type of head gear that doesn't have a mouth piece). As I said in my previous post, there may be plenty of reasons for not using a bit, but the ability to eat and/or drink with it on is not one of them. Jim (who doesn't OWN a bit) So one presumes that (since you don't own one), you have virtually no experience with bits and know virtually nothing about how your horse would respond to one or what his opinion might be. On the other hand, you may have tried them and found that you and/or your horse(s?) don't like them....but I bet it wasn't because they didn't like eating with it on. :) kat Orange County, Calif. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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