Since I finally found a tack repair guy willing to make the reins of my Spirit bridle shorter I could not use my Spirit bridle this week.  Deprived of my new tack I sat looking at all my other bitless options and I remembered the sort of dead feeling contact with them.  I decided to see if I was right with my hypothesis that the feel of the Spirit bridle was so much like that of a bit that I would have no problems switching back to a bit.  So I sat looking at my vast bit collection, decided that I would try my beloved Dr. Bristol bits again.  I went through my collection of Dr. Bristols, quite a few since I have them from 4 1/2" to 6" widths, and I noticed that the center plate of the bit was wider in a few of them.  On most of the Dr. Bristols, including the JP Hunter D's the center plate is 2" wide, and on a few of them the center plate was 2 1/2" wide.  For Mia I picked a 4 3/4" eggbut Dr. Bristol with a 2 1/2" wide plate.  There were two reasons I picked this particular bit, first it had the thinnest cannons so it would fit better in the tiny space Mia has for a bit, second since Mia had been so emphatic about no longer liking the JP Dr. Bristol D-ring with the 2" center plate I hoped that if the bit rode on her tongue differently I might get better results.  Of course I did not use the running martingle with the bit, I don't mind using one for a bitless system but I am not going to risk my horse's mouth with one.

 

Debbie was quite willing for me to use a bit because she was also interested to see if using the Spirit bridle had improved Mia for use with a bit.  Luckily on Wednesday I had forgotten to bring my ice vest for my ride.  To my surprise the heat did not affect me quite as badly as I had feared.  When I had used my ice vest this summer everyone was remarking on how red my face became from riding.  With MS any heating up of the head/brain leads to a quick worsening of my MS symptoms and this may have been part of the reason my hands deteriorated so badly whenever the heat arrived in spite of using the ice vest.  Plus I am sure that putting ice on my back and shoulder muscles affected how I used my hands.  Anyway I got up on Mia and started riding her on sagging reins and out of curiosity I asked Mia to pick up contact even though I fully expected her to refuse.  Mia did not refuse contact, she confidently reached out with her head and took up contact with relaxed tongue and lower jaw.  We walked around for a while, with me asking for contact, Mia willingly reaching out for contact, and walking for a short while on contact until I got too tired, then we went back to sagging reins until I rested enough to repeat the process.

 

Then Debbie asked us to trot.  I started out in a posting trot and Mia took good contact at first but every time after a 1/4 way around the ring she would start to invert.  I kept her at a posting trot until I persuaded her to reach out with her nose (by using my legs and "fingering" the reins gently) then we would go back to a walk.  Doing this I got in a bit more trotting than usual since I did not want to do a downward transition until she reached out to the bit.  I don't blame Mia for inverting, I was getting hot and my hands were getting worse by the nano-second.  By the end of my ride I just tried the sitting trot, making really sure to keep my hands still, and Mia not only accepted contact but she relaxed her neck and started to gently slide the reins between my fingers until she got her head where she wanted it, and she went on in the sitting trot, on contact, until I asked for a walk.  I guess in the heat my hands are steadier in the sitting trot than doing the posting trot.

 

The interesting thing was when we did the movements.  Her turns on the hind-quarters were wonderful, she kept the 4-beat walk and rotated around her inside hind hoof which went up and down in the same place.  Much better than I've managed with the Spirit bridle.  But when I asked her to back up she became much less responsive than in the Spirit bridle, resisting every micro step of the way and telling me how displeased she was.  Turn around the fore-quarter?  Hah, I finally got one relutant step to the side with her hind end when I gave up and did not ask her again.  I definitely get better backing up and turns on the fore-hand with Mia using the Spirit bridle.

 

On Friday I showed up at the stable unexpectedly, my son had told me just the night before that he could take me riding.  Mia hadn't been fed so we gave her a quarter of her grain ration before I rode, after reading the wonderful blogs on equine ulcers I did not want to ride her on a completely empty tummy, especially since I don't go fast so I did not have to worry as much about triggering colic.  Debbie kindly let me use the ring even though she was giving a pre-show schooling lesson to three girls, one for short stirrup, and two for regular classes.  Since I had to pay attention to where the other horses were my hands were nowhere as good as on Wednesday when I could give my hands my full attention.  Mia quickly told me that my hands were not good enough for much riding on contact at a trot!  So I rode mostly on sagging reins with Mia occasionally voluntarily reaching out for contact for a few steps at a walk before deciding yet again that my hands were not good enough for her mouth.  Luckily she accepted a hard halt when I had to avoid someone, she accepted the strong contact without any protest but then she could see WHY I was doing the hard halt!  If I had done one for no reason she would surely have gotten mad at me for my rudeness.  After I stopped riding and taken Mia back to the barn we fed her the other 3/4 of her breakfast and she was much happier.  Mia likes her food!

 

Today I got to ride Cider.  I had selected a 4 3/4 full cheek Dr. Bristol with a 2" wide plate, I am going to have to get another Dr. Bristol of that size with a 2 1/2" plate!  Luckily she did not seem to mind though she had given me a fit the last time I had used the JP D-ring Dr. Bristol.  I think that the huge D-rings irritated both fine-headed mares.  Cider reached out for contact with full confindence in my hands and she voluntarily kept good contact with my hands.  Blessed Cider!  To my surprise Cider was harder to stop with my usual alternating fingers and I finally had to use both my hands at once when she finally halted, reluctantly.  You would think that I would have to use lighter contact with a bit than with the Spirit Bridle but both mares decided otherwise.  Cider was also totally resistant to backing up in the bit when I used light rein signals, but I finally got a reluctant step in reverse when I strengthened my hand aid.  Her turn on the hind-quarters was nowhere as good as Mia's but that is normal.  I had no problem slowing Cider down, she was only resistant to halting and backing up.  

 

When Cider and I trotted around at the fence her old habit of diving into the center of the ring came back.  After a few attempts to use my inside leg to keep her at the fence I decided to try my outside leg (as her outside hind leg came forward) alternating with a LIGHT signal with my outside rein.  To my surprise Cider responded by not diving in toward Shannon!  Even when I did a serpentine in the ring, passing Shannon on both sides, Cider responded to my outside leg and kept moving straight (well, more or less straight!)  Even when I circled Shannon it was mostly my outside leg that kept her out though I did have to use my inside leg some.  I was not specifically asking for straightness, but by using my outside leg I did get some straight strides at the fence.  I know that using an outside leg to keep the horse out does not make sense, but since when do horses make sense?  It worked, and I am adding it to my possible solutions for problems with horses falling into the center of a circle.

 

I was right about the Spirit bridle not making my hands too heavy to use with a bit.  I did not have to readjust my hands at all.  Since the Spirit bridles requires lighter aids than with a bit the mares did not mind me using my hand aids while moving forward.  Both mares kept their tongues and lower jaws relaxed and both reached out confidently for contact at a walk.  And it was soooo good to feel and "talk" with their tongues again!  I love the Spirit bridle with the running martingle, I love the way the reins feel in my hands and I love how it is helping the mares move better, but there still is no substitute for the immediacy of communication I can get using the bit, from relaxed fingers to relaxed tongue, there is nothing like it.  Still I will be glad, glad, glad when my Spirit bridle reins get shortened, in the heat my hands just are not as good as when it is cold, and with the Spirit bridle I won't have to worry about accidentally abusing the horses' mouths.  Plus with the SB I can get the mares to back up in a relaxed manner instead of the iron jaw resistances I end up with the bit and I can actually get turn on the forehands!  I am confident that with the shorter reins I will get better results since I won't have to work around the reins and I will be able to used them just like I do with a bit, well almost like I do with a bit.  It will be delightful!

 

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran     


           

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Comment by E. Allan Buck on July 4, 2011 at 2:35pm

Jackie,

 

Once again many thanks for your postings about your results with SB.  I am humbled that your horses are teaching you some wonderful lessons in the communications with the aids.

 

Turns on the haunches with SB.....use the inside rein for direction, the outside rein to hold the head where you want it, and release the inside leg, apply pressure with the outside calf...push in the direction of travel.   Also if possible tighten your outside tush muscles...too.

 

Glad you are having great rides

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