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Western Riders: Spade Bit?
For all of you western riders out there - what is your take on the spade bit? Do you like it? Do you hate it? What is the purpose of it, in your mind? Pros/Cons, etc.
Personally, I've yet to form an opinion. I'm a "ride in a snaffle/halter/hackamore or don't ride at all" type person, but I've been reading up on the spade and the use of it in western disciplines, and now I am interested in your thoughts.
So, anyone who has used a spade, or knows what it's all about, what's your opinion?
Personally, I've yet to form an opinion. I'm a "ride in a snaffle/halter/hackamore or don't ride at all" type person, but I've been reading up on the spade and the use of it in western disciplines, and now I am interested in your thoughts.
So, anyone who has used a spade, or knows what it's all about, what's your opinion?
Tags: bit, bits, spade bit, western bit, western bits, western spade
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by A_Sassy_Temptation on -
okay, so this is kind of like a cathedral. For me these bits are made as correctionals, many or most correctional bits have the high port, these bits are used on horses that are broke broke broke, who do not need any or very little rein. I ride in a high port bit, but my horse knows to keep his frame and is WP broke broke broke.
so the bit your looking at probably aids a little bit in tongue relief but when the reins are pulled it will put pressure on the palate on the horses mouth which can cause pain, and in many aspects this type of bit is used for horses who tend to lean on a riders hands, need to be "lifted" in the shoulder and head area with out much contact and in many aspects be put back in the bridle, since its a leverage bit (has shanks) it will also but pressure on the poll so for a horse that has issues breaking at the poll a soft leverage bit is nice.
I would not ride in it after moving from a hackmore, or snaffle. In the right hands this bit is fine, in the wrong its a dangerous tool
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Permalink Reply by Nicole Salo on -
I am also curious to know what others think about spade bits and their usage. There are several types of spade bits: some with high ports, some with low ports, some with spoon ports w/rollers etc. but they all have one key thing in common -- or a few things in common rather. One, they should never be used on a green horse or a horse that isn't comfortable with a bit in his mouth. Two, you should be well trained with very quite hands. Three, your horse should be able to neck rein, move collected on a loose rein, and respond to your seat and leg aids rather than your hand. Why? Spade bits are a serious deal in the horse's mouth, with many combinations of what they can do (see above about just a few styles of the bit), sometimes there is even a double bit on the same shanks.
Most of the spade bits I have seen, and used embody the fact that you really have to be aware of your hand movements and the sensitivity of the horse you are riding. Generally a spade acts on the tongue, bars and roof of the mouth, which allows a well trained mount to respond to the slightest finger movement on the reins. If you were to pull back or two-hand this type of bit chances are you'd go for a 8 second ride and your horse would no longer be your friend --- I think in terms of this bit how I feel about when a piece of chip jabs me in the roof of the mouth, it doesn't feel pleasant! So riding in a high ported/spoon spade, I can just imagine how the horse feels being jabbed in the roof of the mouth, and worse if the rider has limited control over their reining hand -- step, jab, step, jab, step, jab etc.
Now, not all spade bits have such a high port, but still should only ever be used by well trained hands and in the mouth of a well trained mount. A well trained mount will 1. be able to respond to seat and leg aids 2. be dead broke to neck reining 3. is not afraid or worried about the bit you put into it's mouth because A. it doesn't rely on the bit for 98% of communication and B. knows you aren't going to be bumping it in the face all along your ride. Under this scenario a spade bit is a wonderful tool, and in all honesty can look quite complex and fancy when your friends see what you are riding with. Older spade bits are quite the collectors items as well.
Ok, so my knowledge on the topic is limited and I would love to hear from everybody else. In simple logic don't throw a spade on a greenie and not expect to have a sour relationship after your ride, this bit is ment for well broke horses and riders who don't rely on the bit as a means of communication, but rather as an accent piece.
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Permalink Reply by Ashley on -
From what I have heard now from several sources, I would have to say I agree with both of you. It is to be used with very light hands on a very 'broke' horse. I've also heard that it can be a self-correcting bit in that given the construction of the bit, the horse learns to pick the bit up in his mouth, and also, if he raises his head, the bit will lean forward to stay balanced, and apply pressure to the palate, and the opposite if his head is too low. I think I agree with this method of self correction, as it causes the horse to learn a natural headset and figure out what's right for him as far as carrying the bit goes. No gimmicks needed! Though, a "spade horse" as I've heard them called, should already know all of these things, as Nicole mentioned. So I guess the point here is that a spade bit looks scary, but in all reality, when used on the right horse, with the right rider, it's as harmless as a fly on the wall. True?
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Permalink Reply by A_Sassy_Temptation on
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it is harmfull, never think it isn't. If it was a self correcting, everyone would ride in one. It helps correct when the reins are bumped up, with then pushes the roof of the mouth, horse moves away from pressure, head moves up. The rider must always ride. A well broke western pleasure horse (I am most used to these bits with these horses) should be dumb, I can tell my horse to lope right into a fence, so I need to tell him lift his shoulder, lift his face, move his hip, lope, jog etc etc, a bit like this helps due to its severity so I only have to move my rein a tad to make a big difference, which is ideal in the showpen.
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Permalink Reply by Ashley on
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I think I may have given the wrong impression when I meant self-correcting. I meant that without having to touch the reins at all, this bit will teach a horse where to carry his head (even though he should already know). Moving his head up pushes the spade into his palate, moving his head too far down pushes it onto the back of his tongue. I didn't mean that it's a solve-all bit, sorry ;-)
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Permalink Reply by A_Sassy_Temptation on
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I believe him moving his head down would cause the port to hit his palate (roof of mouth) with rein contact not the other way around, the bit would sit there if no rein contact was given and the horse would be able to move his head up or down. In a well broke western show horse most of them are taught to lower there head with spur pressure. But I could be wrong, I just know with my DM Lifter the high port withr ein pressure moves the horses head up, not down as you said.
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Permalink Reply by Jackie Cochran on -
I have never ridden in a spade bit. EVERYTHING I've read has the introduction of the spade coming only after you have trained the horse using 2-3 different bosals, in decreasing diameter. Only after the horse is very, very good at obeying hand aids in the bosal is the spade bit introduced--ie. after 2-3 years work after starting under saddle. At this point the horse thoroughly understands the hand aids AND has developed the necessary muscles for correct reaction to the spade.
I think that a lot of the communication of the spade bit is 2-way. IF the horse trusts the rider's hands, the spade and the other adjucts to the mouthpiece enable the horse to use its tongue to "talk" with the rider.
Even if my hands were good enough to ride on a spade (they are not), it would be abusive to put it in the horse's mouth if I did not do the preparatory 2-3 yrs. work in the bosal. The spade bit is meant to be the final stage of a loooong process.
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Permalink Reply by Nicole Salo on
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Exactly my thoughts Jackie, this is a finishing piece and not a training tool -- it takes many long years to get a horse to the point where a spade would be a logical bit, and it takes a rider with a steady hand.
Most of my experience using a spade has been on cutting horses, when the horse is well broke and knows it's job in the pen, your rein hand goes on the withers and you're off to work -- no correction from your rein hand, if you lift your rein hand, you signal that you are finished to the judge. And my training has been that when you are finished your ride or are ready to draw another cow, you use a "cowboy whoa" to signal your horse (put your non-rein hand on your horse's shoulder/wither) to whoa and then lift your rein hand to signal shoulder direction through neck reining. Which makes a spade ideal (to me anyway), since your 1. cueing from seat/legs/weight and 2. not pulling the reins as a means of stopping your horse.
As for riding a WP horse in a spade bit, I would not consider it in the past, but AQHA WP classes seem to be taking a turn for the better and promoting self carriage more now than in the past and will hopefully continue along this path for the better of the horse. It would be a sad sight to see an unbalanced horse going painfully around in a spade bit, regardless of their class. I'm just using WP as an example because I know the class well, and know how poorly WP horses are sometimes trained and ridden.
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Permalink Reply by Cheryl A. Harless on -
I used to ride in a spade bit, and it can be wonderful with a well trained horse. However it can be cruel in the hands of an unskilled writer. Having said that, I've never read a better article then this one, The Vaquero Way. You can find it here as a PDF: http://www.horsechannel.com/media/western-horse-training/vaquero-wa... Sheila Varian discusses the entire process of training with this method. Written by Kara L. Stewart.
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