Every summer I have to face the fact that my normally good hands deteriorate. My tremors increase, the sensitivity of my skin decreases, and my responses slow down. The horses I ride notice this long before anyone else, and by various means they tell me--hey, time to go bitless.

The first signal of my degredation comes when the horses I ride ACT like they are on full contact, but when I see my reins they are slightly sagging. My horses are still perfectly willing to establish contact intermittently with relaxed tongues and jaws, and they accept and comply with my hand aids, but they are TOTALLY unwilling to stand full contact with my hands for more than a few seconds. I can't say that I blame them. These horses stay calm using this intermittent contact, but if I try to force them to take up full contact each horse just becomes more and more upset until I get the message and loosen the reins.

I have no choice but to accept their decisions. Intermittent contact--calm, happy horses, full contact--raving lunatic horses. It is not a hard choice for me to make. (I stop long before the raving lunatic state). The horses know my physical abilities better than I do. They sense physical changes long before I notice them. The horses don't really care about my ego, my hopes, my dreams or my aspirations, but they DO care alot about their mouths. And these horses are perfectly happy with me using the bit as long as I accept that intermittent contact, and I can ride with a bit, having perfectly good conversations between tongue and finger for around 2-4 months more every year-- as long as I content myself with this intermittent contact.

To keep cooperation I slightly lengthen the rein, and every time my hands move forward I slightly emphasize the forward movement of my hand. I keep my fingers relaxed when following the horse's head motion so that when the horse does establish contact it feels comfortable to them. 99.9999% of the time the horse dictates his head carriage, and as long as the horse is going forward with his nose stuck forward I do NOTHING to interfere. I may not have the strong contact, but I still have CONNECTION, with the horse aware of every movement of my fingers and hands and usually obeying just as rapidly and exactly as when I use full contact. My contact is through the weight of the rein.

Then, inevitably, comes the day when the horses refuse me even intermittent contact with a bit. I know that summer has come and to keep my horses happy I put away my bitted bridles and switch to bitless riding. During the summer the best I can expect from my horses is intermittent contact with the bitless bridles, the horses DO NOT WANT TO FACE MY HANDS even in a bitless bridle, and I accept their decisions as I know that the horse I'm riding is the best judge of my riding abilities I'll ever find. I know that when my hands improve enough that the horses will at first give me intermittent contact with the bitless bridle, then with the bit, and as my hands get steadier the horses will finally give me full contact with the bit, for a while.

And all through the year the horses I ride are calm, cooperative, and responsive (most of the time).

Enjoy your ride.