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Re: [RC] bits and hackamores - heidiI had a 25 year old mare (bought for baby-sitter/trail riding for young kids and hubby) She was a big, rangy, foundation style Appy. We put her in a cowboy snaffle (with pretty long shanks) and started riding. She was awful! Refused to walk at all, always went full-tilt, either trotting or cantering. Soon, hubby was refusing to ride since she also stumbled all over herself as well as going too fast. I was going to get the horses teeth floated, and was checking her out before the vet arrived. I was shocked to find the gums of her bars had no padding at all... it was like scar tissue over the bone of her jaw. The vet said she'd probably been like that for years and years. So I put a mechanical hack on her. Man!!!! What a difference! She walked, she trotted, she cantered, she was SANE! An entirely different horse. Keep in mind that a "cowboy snaffle" with long shanks is not a snaffle at all, but actually a curb bit with the added harshness of having all that leverage to "nutcracker" the lower jaw. It is about one of the most painful bits I can imagine. I can imagine it was just excruciating for her, given the pathology present as well. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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