Re: Vosals,Hackamores,bits,etc.

Ruth Bourgeois (ruthb@tdsi.net)
Tue, 28 Jan 1997 08:52:05 -0600

Mateef@aol.com wrote:
>
> I have been lurking for some time now and reading with great interest the
> discussion concerning head gear for horses. No one has mentioned the use of
> the side pull. I remember reading in Linda T. Jones book that side pulls
> (she calls them Lindels I think) work better for Arabians because they are
> more comfortable due to the smaller jaw? My old trail horse I used to ride in competitive trail rides got very competitive (hot-headed!) and it seemed
like I was always having to be too heavy-handed with him, and didn't like pulling on the bit all the time. I
switched to the TTEAM sidepull, and he did very well with that. He was 1/2 Arab, and the Tellington-Jones
sidepull fit nicely. I had originally purchased this to use on my purebred Arab, and trail rode her all the
time with this. I used the sidepull for training young horses also, and have had great success with it.
I loaned this sidepull to a friend who also rides an Arab, and it worked so well for her that she wanted to buy
one for her horse. She didn't buy the TTEAM one, tho, but purchased one through a mail order catalog. It just
did not fit as well as my TTEAM one, was too big for her little Arab's head, and she had to send it back. After
trying out about three different ones, wished she'd got the TTEAM one to start with.

I have been thinking about trying
> one because my horse has a tendency to "dive" in the snaffle at times. I
> have been taking dressage lessons for the last 2 years with him. It has most
> definately helped him travel more balanced and supple but it does seem as
> though the bit is not entirely comfortable. After trying several different
> snaffles, he seems to do the best in a french mouth snaffle but even that is
> not a "perfect fit". I use French snaffles on my 1/2 Arabs, and when I switched to these last summer they accepted this bit nicely
and no longer try to resist like they sometimes did with the regular snaffles.

Working in the ring at home, he is extremely responsive
> and obedient. Out on the trial, adrenelin can sometimes get the better of
> him. I also have the TTEAM roller bit and used that occasionally on competitive rides. These worked great when I
needed more control than with the sidepull.
> Ruth