I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! 

My husband gave me some Christmas money, so I went to the tack store yesterday.  I’ve had my eye on a “Korsteel JP copper ball link full cheek” 3-piece snaffle with a small copper ball that rolls around the center link, as well as a “gelcomb” and a small brush so I could groom Mia’s head properly.  I lucked out, the bit was still there and I finally found the head brushes I was looking for.  One of the ladies who worked…

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I'll keep the background story brief about me and my horse Jobi for now. I'm sure it will develop itself with more posts. I owned him for many years and brought him up through advanced work in dressage using French Classical methods, life change forced me selling him only to later have the opportunity to buy him back. He was returned to me a very different horse and we are unweaving the many bad habits, resistances and new quirks.



Among those has been his complete inability to relax…

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This is my first attempt at a blog post so hope this is not too silly! It is 90 something degress outside, full sun so cannot ride until later thus I decided to blog.  My topic: happy mouth bits since I have found a tack item that I really like.  I started using the happy mouth loose ring snaffle on my OTTB.  He was right off the track.  I started with my double jointed D-ring snaffle. He did not seem to like it, seemed confused ( he is a horse that wants to please, like most TBs) but I knew…

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Since three years ago, I removed the metal from his mouth, as I always felt it was cruel. We are now both happy. From the very first trial he showed positive and thankful response. He does everything better than before and listens more to my…

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Hi Everyone~ I'm Jamie at Bit Blanket. I'm a member here on Barnmice and a life long horse lover. I invented Bit Blanket, the electric bit warmer, and as the holidays approach and cold weather begins to set in, I wanted to share our fun list of why everyone needs a Bit Blanket. Most of these came directly from our customers and I have a strong suspicion that our horses would definitely agree with many of them, especially…

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Today I worked with Fergie a bit. She was kinda being a poop. She threatened to kick me. I then put her on a rope and worked on her "leg" yielding. She took a little bit to figure it out but when she did she did well. Im really happy with her progress. Continue

hoping that my mom doesnt take the horse im training away.. i have a lil problem.... i can bridle him just fine and he likes the snaffle im using but when i get on him and aske him to go, he will walk a few steps and start throwing his head up and down or side to side. i wont even have two fingers on the reins, so i know i am not pulling on the bit causing this. just to rule it out i had my mom clip a lead to the halter and i let go of the reins and asked him to walk, again a few steps then he… Continue

Venue: Brightling, Sussex

Monday 19^th July 2010

Eric asked what we wanted to get out of the day, I volunteered ‘inspiration and energy’ which he thought was a tall order.…

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As dressage riders, we strive constantly to keep our horses "connected" - that is, working "on the bit." A truly connected horse has a relaxed back, with power that comes from behind, moves over the back, and gets recycled back to the hind legs. When a horse is truly connected, riding is pure joy.



This is, of course, a state of being that takes correct training of both horse and… Continue

Well, I am not entirely sold on the bitless bridle yet. We tried (mostly for the fun aspect) a bitless bridle on my mare - a very sensitive psp andalusian. What a ride. Wow, she was trying to figure that thing out from the very beginning - trying to anticipate our wishes. pretty much all she did was passage for the first 5 minutes, do some spins and maybe after 45 minutes could we get her to walk.

Trish Pitzel

The bit that you use on your horse is quite a personal thing. It is like shoes really. Sometimes we just force ourselves to wear certain types shoes that we really shouldn’t just because they are in fashion not because they fit us. The same sometimes goes for saddles, boots, saddle cloths, nose bands and bits.



I personally have a lot of shoes that I rarely wear that have been bought over the years, some fit and some I just like the look of. I’m the same with bits. I have over a…

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Does your horse come above the bit, toss his head or climb with his head and neck into every canter transition? If your answer is yes, you should ask yourself the following questions.

Picking up the canter on the bit is a big issue for a lot of riders. In this article, I'll give you some questions you should try to answer. You MAY find the ROOT of the problem!



There is a reason that your horse displays this behavior. Don’t look at the symptom. Get to the root of the problem. The… Continue

Yesterday I posted a blog about rider and training issues concerning your horses canter departs. Today i will be addressing a second list of questions you should ask your self and your veterinarian to help rule out physical issues that could be preventing your horse from cantering comfortably. Many times the bad behavior of your horse is directly related to pain and discomfort.



This second list should prompt you to ask about physical and external issues. An examination or two from your… Continue