Re: RC: BITS

[Jasmine Cave <toppere@siu.edu>]

The gentlest curb would have short curved back shanks and a mouthpiece with
no joints. Or a uxeter kimberwick. A "english" hackamore has short curved
back shanks and a wide noseband
jasmine
At 11:31 AM 6/3/99 -0400, John B.Ayers wrote:
>Linda:
>
>What do you mean by:
>
>>Moreover, I would agree that people who ride English style and
>who want to have more control with just one rein, but who
>can't quite bring themselves to go for a curb might do well
>to check out all these new jumper bits that *are* very similar
>to bits originally developed, in more recent times, as western
>training bits.<
>
>Is this a hackamore similar to the Enghish?
>
>I would like a *little* more control than I get with a full cheek snaffle
>when riding my 8YO Arab gelding in CTR.
>
>What might be the mildest curb?
>
>Thanks, John
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Linda_Merims@ne.3com.com <Linda_Merims@ne.3com.com>
>To: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
>Date: Thursday, June 03, 1999 10:54 AM
>Subject: RC: Re: Snaffle Snaffoo
>
>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Jasmine Cave <toppere@siu.edu> said:
>>
>>> ...Miller's carries richard shrake bits that are
>>> made of black iron, including snaffles...
>>
>>I don't dispute that you can find sweet iron snaffles. I see
>>them in western catalogs all the time.  But does Miller's
>>show them in their *english* catalog?  The point I am
>>making here is that there seems to be a kind of cultural
>>segregation on sweet iron.  The English-style folks seem
>>to have gravitated instead to all the various "German silver"
>>blends.
>>
>>(Richard Shrake, by the way, is a marvelous
>>lecturer.  I heard him at the Northeast Horseman's Conference
>>this past February and he had many, many interesting
>>insights on bit action useful to all disciplines.)
>>
>>> I ride in a double bridle for
>>> dressage so I have a aurigan single jointed loose ring bradoon and a
>>> stainless steel medium port sliding cheek weymouth which is a true curb.
>>> When on trails I use an "s" hackamore. When doing saddle seat I use a
>>port
>>> pelham which has loose rings for the snaffle rein.
>>
>>You should really try using your dressage weymouth (or whatever
>>combinations of snaffle and curb bits in a full bridle rigging)
>>when you ride saddleseat. Trying to use a pelham to set up a
>>horse is like trying to do surgery with a butter knife.  The
>>ability to use the sensitive actions of the bits independently
>>is critical.  In a pelham, it's like my horse feels he has
>>to choose to respond to either the curb or the snaffle action.
>>With a full bridle, I get very distinctly different reactions
>>with each bit and can blend them very subtley to create just
>>the effect needed.  In comparison, using a pelham when doing
>>serious work feels like trying to play a piano in mittens!
>>And a pelham is *never* acceptable in the show ring.
>>
>>> All good western
>>> trainers start a horse in either a snaffle or a bosal, then graduating
>>the
>>> horse to a short shanked curb that also has a snaffle ring, then to a
>>> "true" curb, than hopefully to a spade. The snaffle has always been used
>>on
>>> the western set and most english bits like elevators, gags, and pelhams
>>> came from western designs.
>>
>>I am going to have to disagree here, on two points.  Although
>>it is now common practise to start a western horse on a snaffle,
>>I do not believe that this was "always" so.  I might be wrong,
>>but I think that this is something that has grown up over the
>>last 30 years.
>>
>>That most English bits like elevators, gags, and pelhams came
>>from western designs is simply not true.  I might be convinced
>>on the elevator:  this is a design that I have only recently
>>seen come into use on English bits, and then only on jumpers.
>>But gags and pelhams have been around, in use, on "english style"
>>horses since at least before the turn of the century.
>>
>>I would, however, concede entirely that the english-style
>>hackamore was taken entirely from western designs.
>>
>>Moreover, I would agree that people who ride English style and
>>who want to have more control with just one rein, but who
>>can't quite bring themselves to go for a curb might do well
>>to check out all these new jumper bits that *are* very similar
>>to bits originally developed, in more recent times, as western
>>training bits.
>>
>>Linda B. Merims
>>lbm@ici.net
>>Linda_Merims@ne.3com.com
>>Massachusetts, USA
>>
>>
>>
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>
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