RC: Re: Bit advice wanted (was Control and Courtesy)

[Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

>Someone already said this, but I never advise using a Tom Thumb because
>of the nut-cracker action it has... I'm sure people make it work (they
>are sold, right?!) but there are many better bits.

Yup...there are *very* many better bits...altho some people can use the Tom
Thumb and their horses do fine.  I've only seen one person that did okay
with the bit...he happens to be a fairly accomplished reiner, not an
endurance rider tho.  Finding someone who can make that kind of bit work
well is a fairly rare occurrence tho, since they are soooo easy to abuse.
Now...have you seen the ones with the bicycle chains?  There's a nasty
looking bit!!  Or the double twisted wire snaffles?  Whew!  But I
digress......
>
>What I did in this situation with Cammie a few years back was to use a
>mullein mouth pelham (the mouthpiece is a slightly curved bar) with two
>sets of reins. I didn't want to mess with both reins on the trail, so I
>either rode on the snaffle ring and bungied the "brakes" rein to the
>saddle for use in emergency, or held both reins with no tension on the
>curb rein.
>
>
A near mullen mouth pelham (just a very, very slight port) is what I had
Blaze in for a fair amount of time.  I rode with the snaffle rein and had
one of those springy coiled key holders hold onto the curb rein until I
needed it.  For a while I had to hold both reins at the start of a ride
with, as Linda pointed out, the curb rein with no tension unless necessary.
 Also, I don't wait until we're deep into a disagreement before I bring it
into play (to easy to get a bit "over zealous" if you wait until the brains
are leaving <g>)...I would gently lift the rein if I felt any kind of
notion that he had some kind of Toadism up his stockings!! ;-)  That last
couple of times he wore that bit, I didn't have to pick up the curb reins
the whole time out.  So he moved to a Kimberwicke in anticipation of being
solely on the side-pull.  We're now to the side-pull for about 3/4 time
with the Kimberwicke attached for the fresh, friskies at the beginning. 

Sue

sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.


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