Bitless Bridle

As with the tradition of horses needing steel shoes, comes metal bits inserted into the horse's mouth.  We all are guilty of this and the practice has not been questioned for hundreds of years until recently with the research of Dr. Cook.    Thanks to his work, more and more horse owners are recognizing that the old school of thought has been outdated and damaging.

When I first introduced Dr. Cook's bitless bridle to my horses, the look on their face was just amazing.  It was one of surprise and relief.  For many years, I struggled with trying different bits on my horse because he clearly showed anxiety when being bridled and became extremely nervous and agitated.  As time went on, this behavior got worse.  Eventually, he began exhibiting lameness only when bridled.   When lungeing with side reins he was a nervous wreck and the entire time of riding, even just standing on a loose rein he was fussing and clucking with the bit as if trying to spit it out.  

The first time bridling him with the bitless bridle, the conditioned behaviors started and as soon he realized there was no bit, he immediately stopped fussing and stood very quiet.  He even lowered his head into the bridle and was completely cooperative.  

From my experiences with Dr. Cook's bitless bridle, the horses respond to it positively.  It is as if they are stripped naked of all the evasions and now they can put their energy into working and traveling straight and correct with no pain.  It takes time to redo the negative behaviors that were created by the bit.  The horse becomes conditioned that the bit causes pain and is something to get away from, therefore the evasions are created out of self preservation.  They bulge their shoulders to either side, plow through your aids, track crooked, run, bolt, grab it and buck, pull the reins out the riders hands, bite down on the bit, curl behind it, break at the poll, cock their head, the list of evasions to the bit is endless.  

The retraining comes naturally as they begin to learn there is no reason to travel crooked, it is safe to move into the bridle and there is no pain.  For years we struggle with trying to teach the horse to get on our seat and leg aids and move forward into the 'bit'.   Steady hands are most important to not inflict pain and cause the horse to evade the contact.   Most of us are not olympic riders and although we do our best with quiet hands and seat, there are still times when we may pull or jerk on the reins, even a little bit, causes the horse to suck behind the aids, curl, tuck their nose, overbend etc.  

With the bitless bridle the horse is more than happy to move forward into the bridle and they will do so in a correct frame because they are allowed to do this without something inhibiting their natural movement.  I have found there is more control and more sensitivity with the bitless bridle.  The horse responds immediately and understands the request.  

A horse that overbends, which is often a difficult problem to correct because they are tucking behind the aids and tucking their nose behind the bit, will easily move up into the bitless bridle and stop overbending.  I have found you can collect, lengthen, leg yield, half pass, etc more correctly with the bitless bridle because it allows the horse the freedom to do so.   

The more I work with the bridle with different horses, the more impressed I am at how natural the response is from the horse and how quickly they catch on.  The aids for the rider remain the same, most importantly coming from the seat and legs and then into the bridle.  Halting is immediate. The signals with the reins are light yet the response is quick and precise.  It improves your communication with the horse.  

There are several companies making bitless bridles as they have become more and more popular.  I have not worked with other brands of  bitless bridles other than Dr. Cook's so I cannot attest to their effectiveness.  I am extremely impressed with Dr. Cook's bitless bridle.  

If you are still sitting on the fence about trying it, afraid you won't have control.   You have more control and  a happy horse.  Give it a try, your horse will love you for it.  

Why Barefoot?

What would happen if you walked around with your foot in a steel unforgiving shoe?  You might be laughing at the thought of how ridiculous this may sound and how obvious the discomfort would be.  Well, this is what horses are expected to do and the shoes never get to come off.   Yet it is an accepted school of thought that horses were meant to wear shoes and the thought of riding your horse barefoot is scorned by those who support steel shoes on their horses.  The extensive research of the natural barefoot hoof is unquestionable

The distorted pathologies of horses' hooves damaged by shoes is horrendous.  Despite the limitations placed on them, it is amazing that the horse still gives us his best efforts.   You're horse's hooves are one of the most critical parts to keeping them sound, happy, and pain free.  As the old saying goes: no hoof, no horse, not to be taken lightly.

For those of you still sitting on the fence about rehabilitating your horse's hooves and taking those steel shoes off, click to read this article.

Safe Horse Fencing

Not all fencing is suitable for horses.  All too often horses are seen fenced in barb wire, straight wire or some other type of unsafe confinement.  These type of fences are extremely dangerous for horses.  The damage done to a horse from improper fencing can permanently scar, maim, lame or kill a horse.  It causes unnecessary vet bills and stress.

Yes, good fencing costs more but the initial investment pays for itself and then some.  There is no substitute for proper fencing.  It provides peace of mind, knowing that your horse or horses are safe from harm.  An example of safe fencing is one that is highly visible to horses.  A grazing horse appears calm and it may seem to never go near the fence.  If that same horses is frightened and bolts, and the fencing is not visible, such as a wire fence, the horse will have a collision and may end up severely injured.  

The fence needs to be secure but also have some give so that should a horse bolt and collide with it, the damage to the fence and the horse is minimal.  It should be high enough to discourage the horse from jumping it and strong enough so the horse cannot push it over.  It should have no openings that can trap a hoof or a head and no sharp points for the horse to injure itself on.

With that said, there are many safe fencing options available that are specifically designed for the horse.  Do the research and plan well for the type of fence that will fit your needs and your budget.  Your horse's welfare depends on it.

The Training Pyramid

There are no shortcuts to train a horse properly. There is a proven formula for success.  It is known as the training pyramid or training scale.  Visualize a pyramid with the base of support being rhythm.  This is the first step on the scale to be followed by suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection at the apex of the pyramid.

The rhythm of the horse is the foundation.  This is established when the horse can maintain a rhythmic, steady tempo within its natural four gaits.  The walk is a 4 beat, the trot is a 2 beat and the canter is a 3 beat.  The horse needs to be neither to fast or to slow and moving through the back to the front in a relaxed, supple way.  The rhythm must be established first. Each step of the pyramid builds on the one before it.

Suppleness is the looseness and flexibility of the horse's body.  It can be longitudinal and lateral.  Longitudinal suppleness is the ability of the horse to stretch his top line forward in a relaxed manner reaching into the bit. Lateral suppleness is the amount of sidewards flexibility to make a round circle or move sideways. 

Contact is the horse's acceptance of the rider's aids which include the seat, legs and hand.  Good contact is shown as a happy horse moving freely forward on the aids and willing to accept the bit.  The poll will be at the highest point, the back will be swinging and supple, the jaw relaxed and the nose slightly in front of the vertical.  

Impulsion is seen by the amount of thrust the horse has coming from the haunches to the front.  The hind end engages and the horse has the desire to move forward energetically reaching well under his body with his hind legs.  Impulsion is accomplished naturally when the first three stages of training are solid.  It is light and forward.

Straightness is an important phase of the training scale.  A horse is straight when the hind foot tracks in the hoofprint of the front or slightly beyond.  To achieve straightness the horse must be equally developed and trained on both sides of its body which means going in both directions, right and left.  All horses have a stiff side and a flexible side.  They will tend to do things better when traveling on the flexible side.  It is like us, we are either right handed or left handed and are awkward trying to do things with the off side.  A straight horse is a happy horse.  It has the ability to do what you are asking with less chance of injury or evasion.  

Collection: the ultimate goal of classical dressage. This happens when all parts of the training scale have come together and are solid.  It happens naturally.  A forced collection is not fluid.   When the horse has the strength to collect, the forehand lightens and you have self carriage.  The horse is not leaning on you and is truly carrying its rider in harmony.  You now have all phases of the training pyramid working as one unit.

What is Dressage?

Dressage is a french word which means "training".  Dressage evolved from calvary training for the battlefield, growing into Classical Dressage.   The goal of dressage training is to allow the horse to perform what it does naturally but with a rider.  The systematic training of the horse preserves the natural gaits and strengthens the horse so the weight of the rider is not a hindrance to the beauty and fluidity of the horse's natural movements.

All horses should be started with the fundamental basics of dressage regardless of whether the horse is to be a jumper or a trail horse.  These basics teach the horse how to carry the rider and remain in it's own natural balance.  The horse learns how to bend, flex and move forward properly while listening to aids of the rider.  It is a language that the horse understands.  The outcome is a safe, trustworthy horse that is willing to perform for its rider.  It becomes a partnership.

Think like a Horse

Horses are prey animals.  What this means is they are always on the lookout for predators in the their environment.  They are highly evolved in this way.  If you move a bucket from one place to another, they will notice it and immediately have to decide if this object is a predator.  They are not thinking it is a bucket that was moved, they only know that it was not there before so this is cause for alarm.  Once they are allowed to see that it is harmless they feel safe with it again.  They have to trust their handler for them to be brave enough to explore these scary things.  The more trust they have the easier it is for them to recognize the object and move on.  The same thing applies under saddle.  The more trust they have in the rider the easier it is to get them through those obstacles that may cause them alarm.

The horse is a herd animal.  In this social structure, there is always a leader, an alpha in charge.  That alpha is responsible for keeping the herd safe.   As long as the horse considers you, their rider, handler, trainer etc as their leader, you can build a strong healthy relationship built on trust and the horse will do just about anything for you.   If this connection is not established right away then you end up with horses that bully their way around people.  Horses must be treated like horses.   They are happiest when they know who is in charge of the herd.

If you think like a horse you will understand why they respond or react a certain way and know what to do to help them understand your request.  They are governed by fight or flight instincts.  If they are in pain, they will fight to avoid the pain.  If they are afraid, they will run away from the fear.  If they emotionally cannot handle or understand what you are asking of them they will shut down.

If you are having a training issue, check to make sure you are being clear with your aids, the saddle fits properly and your horse is not in any pain.  It is your responsibility to be precise with your request.  This helps the horse to remain calm and want to perform for you.  Keep your emotions out of your riding.  Your horse will feel your tension and respond accordingly.  Learn to ride well so you are not banging on your horse's back or hanging onto the reins.   Think like a horse when you ride.  This will help you to read what your horse may be thinking of before they have time to react in a negative way.

Dangers of Vaccinations

Animals have become the test tubes for the pharmaceutical giants and no one questions the practice of injecting poisons into your otherwise healthy happy pet. It is time to start questioning and educating yourself about the serious side effects and how damaging this practice can be.  These articles are informative and give alternatives and will allow you to make educated choices in regard to the welfare of your pet, whether, cat, dog, rabbit, horse or any other species.    Dangers of Vaccinations  and Truth about Vaccinations