After months of saving most of my spending money for Christmas I finally saved enough to spend some on myself--well, horsie stuff really.  After my earlier experiment with a Myler bit I had been sort of disillusioned, but when I got home after realizing Mia did not have much room in her mouth I measured the thickness of the mouthpieces of several of my bits.  The results were eye-opening.  I finally realized that the thicker the bit was in the middle (1.8 cm for the copper roller snaffle, 1.6 cm for the Wellep full cheek snaffle, and 1.5 cm for my JP Dr. Bristols) the more Mia had objected to it.  The Myler bit came in at 1.2 cm all the way across, but now it looked like it was the way I used my hands that caused my problems, my normal method of giving hand aids just did not work well with this bit ( Myler triple barrel snaffle, MB 32-3).

So I hied my way to my favorite tack store to see if I could fine some thinner bits that would not abuse the horses I ride.  I found bits with the other two Myler mouth-pieces that I thought I could use for my type of riding, a used egg-butt high-port snaffle (MB 33), a loose ring comfort snaffle (MB 02), as well as a 4 3/4" mullen mouth Kimberwick.  When I got home I measure my new bits, the Mylers were still 1.2 cm in the center of the mouthpiece but only 1 cm at the ends.  The Kimberwick won the thinness in the center competition, 1.1 cm in the middle, though it goes up to 1.2 cm at the lips.  Since Mia does not seem to like the bitless bridles any more than the thicker bits when I ride on contact I figured I had nothing to lose.

Since then I've only gotten to ride Mia.  Hopefully I will get to try them out on Cider also.  With apologies to Mia I started out with the Myler comfort snaffle loose ring.  The first time I think I left the cheek straps too long for this particular bit.  Mia started off encouragingly but then got more and more fretful when I rode with contact.  I apologized to Mia again when I removed the bridle, went home and shortened the cheek pieces.  The next week I used the comfort snaffle loose ring again, Mia took several minutes to realize that the bit was more comfortable higher up in her mouth, then I got some good walks on contact.  But when I tried the trot up went her head.  I worked on her and ended the ride when she finally consented to contact at the trot with her head down, with extremely light contact.  Near the end of my ride she also gave me her sure fire signal that she did not like her headgear, rubbing her mouth against her lower leg.  This time it was fine, I had two more bits to try!

I had hoped to try the comfort snaffle on Cider so I could get a second opinion but the weather did not cooperate.  For Mia I switched the bit to the high port eggbutt Myler snaffle, and this time I also changed my reins from the laced ones to the plain ones.  When I got the bit on the bridle I saw a problem, since the eggbutt does not have the hooks for the headstall the mouth-piece tends to rotate downwards towards the front.  Finally, with the help of some string, I got the bit stabilized enough so it could move a little in her mouth but not rotate forward.  With more apologies I put the new bit in Mia's mouth.  She seemed sort of interested in the new shape of the bit and started exploring it with her tongue while we walked to the ring.  Riding the first few minutes on loose reins at a walk I let her get used to her new bit, then I asked for a very light contact, and after several comments from Mia that she was not totally sure about the bit she started giving me light contact at the walk.  Her trot was also better, I could get several strides with her head where I wanted it (neck sort of low, nose extended forward) before she started inverting.  I think Mia prefers me using the plain reins because it is easier for me to give her more rein.   Greatly encouraged I ended my ride.  Mia had not given me her signal that the bit irritated her.

Last week I tried the high port snaffle again on Mia.  She was not terribly cooperative about letting me put the bit in her mouth, but once it was in she started relaxing.  This ride was better, so long I kept my contact light, and I had no problems with contact at the walk.  This time, when I trotted her, when she started inverting after several strides of the trot I raised my hands and managed to successfully give her enough rein when she brought her head down.  We trotted for a while, on light contact, then Mia would invert, and while keeping contact I'd raise my hands (after shortening my reins) and she would reach forward and reestablish proper contact and I would let the reins slip through my hands and we would trot on nicely with proper contact.  I would only ask her to slow down when her head was down so I got in a bit more trotting than I usually do, waiting for those few strides on proper contact before giving my hand aid.  Thankfully Mia only reached forward into her good head position, the first horse I'd used this technique on would dive her nose all the way to the ground before giving me proper contact.  The key to this technique working is that the rider must keep contact through the inversion, down however far the horse wants to go, and into proper contact trying to keep the same pressure all the way through.  I am trying to prove to Mia that it is much more comfortable to carry her head lower, with her nose extended, during the trot than her preferred inversion.  I must have done a decent job, again Mia did not try to rub her bridle off!

Another thing that probably helped greatly is that I am working on my hands, yet again.  I had picked up the habit of moving my hands up and down as well as back and forth while keeping contact.  I am paying more attention to my elbows, making sure that the hinge works properly.  Unfortunately I've had to look down at my hands often while riding to make sure they were keeping contact properly but I tried to keep that down to brief glances, otherwise my whole position deteriorated.  Off the horse, at home, I am practicing with my hand/arm movement so my body, yet again, can learn how to keep contact properly.  With my MS the ever changing physical sensations I perceive often do not reflect reality, which means that I frequently have to work on new position faults that feel right to me, but are wrong and adversely affect my riding.  Luckily with Mia I am riding a horse who promptly tells me when I am doing wrong with my hands and as long as I pay attention to her protestations I get the feedback I need to become a better rider.  If, after I fix my hands, Mia still inverts too much with this bit I still have the Mullen mouth Kimberwick to try.  Whichever bit I end up using, it will be Mia's choice, it is her mouth after all! 

Debbie will be recovered enough to give me a lesson this Wednesday.  I can't wait to have her correct all the faults I picked up during the last few weeks!  I have also been working on keeping my feet at the girth, for some reason that started feeling wrong to me a few months ago.  Head up, heels down, it is a never ending project, me trying to ride in a good Forward Seat so that my horses will move like proper FS horses, with calm, smooth and freely flowing movement, head quietly reaching for the bit, and the tail gently swinging.  When I get there I am amply rewarded, my horse then gets happier under me, moves more freely, and I am on the top of the world!  

Ah, the money I spend, the hours of thought, all trying to get a horse I don't even own to consent to proper contact.  This is often harder with Arabians since many of them are so ready to invert when they are not comfortable with the contact.  Then this becomes a habit and the horse forgets that it is much more comfortable to move properly, until ridden by someone who is ready to take up the challenge and do whatever is necessary to get the horse's consent to move properly.  Otherwise the martingles and tight nosebands come out and the horse either resigns itself to discomfort or rebels.  Other horses react differently to discomfort, it is a constant challenge for me to ride well enough so that they all can move properly.

Have a great ride!