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Mike Sofen writes:
A curb bit without a strap/chain has no leverage, so using it will generate
no more pressure than a snaffle, but I don't think it provides as an
effective tool to control the horse as a snaffle when things go wrong.
With a snaffle, I can easily turn the horse's head to the left or right to
spin him and get a whoa. With a curb, when you pull only on one side, the
opposite side actually lifts UP and hits the top of the horses mouth ( it
has to - it's a solid bar being levered off the gums of the pulled side).
While probably not painful, it can't be presenting a clear signal to the
horse.
*Mike, I have a couple of comments here, based on my experiences.
Your comparison here is wrong, becuase you do not rein a horse with
a curb bit like you do a snaffle. Curb bits are designed (in my
opinion) to be used for neckreining, at least that is what I do with
my horses. I would not try to direct rein with one unless it was
an emergency. Since you can still bend the head clear around, if
the
other rein is loose, I feel like this is certainly a clear signal!
And I'll go a slight step further. I just returned from watching the
semi-finals of the "open" hunter/jumper championships (up to 5 foot fences)
at a regional event here in town. Of the 10 horses that made it to the
final round today, EIGHT had serious bit control problems, SEVEN knocked
down bars because the horse was still fighting the bit when they were
supposed to be setting up for the jump. Enough said.
*But it isn't necessarly enough said! How can you "judge" how a
horse goes and is bitted if you aren't riding THAT horse!? I'm
sorry, but nobody has a right to judge how I ride MY horses, unless
they care to do it themselves, or do the training themselves!!
I have 3 horses that all are ridden in curbs, for various reasons.
Our preferable way to ride is with either the reins dropped on the
neck, or held very loosely. I trust my horses to balance and carry
themselves without being ridden "on contact." I do not care to ride
them this way on the trail. While all 3 can be ridden in the arena
in halters or snaffles, I feel the curb bit is a "safer" bit on the
trail, and I feel that they "respect" this bit. I consider it far
more humane to ride them in curbs on a loose rein, than constantly
tugging on a snaffle, which unfortunately I see far too often.
Two that I own did not respect snaffles and were basically give-away
horses because they bolted in snaffles. I have known many people
over the years that rode with snaffles that got run away with. Yes,
it
is a training issue, and I am not against snaffle bits! Or halters,
or vosals. I tried a vosal on one ofmy mares and did not like the
way it fit at all. It contacted the bridge of the nose in two small
places, and looked very uncomfortable. All 3 of my horses came to
me with certain problems, and possibly were not started right, so
this has some bearing. One mare was ridden for 4 years on the trail
in a mild curb. She was then sold and "retrained" to do English
pleasure andjumping. In a snaffle. She learned that she could
"run through" the snaffle and bolt with riders. This was after a
year with a professional trainer. NObody wanted to deal with
her, so I ended up with her When
I got the horse and put her
back in the curb, she was a lot happier, and probably more secure.
But I sure would be resentful of anyone that tried to judge ME
because I ride her in a curb, not knowing her background and the
2 years of hard work I have put into her that turned her into a
dependable trail horse instead of one that bucked, bolted and
spooked at every thing.
*If you can ride your horses in a snaffle, or halter or neck rope,
or by telepathic communication, that's great! But unless I am out
there on the trail endangering you from my lack of control, you have
no business judging what works for me and my horses.
*Karen
Mike Sofen
Seattle, WA
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
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