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 Expert
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Location: Somewhere around here | My horse is pretty loose and bendy around barrels at home but it's too much and he doesn't quite "wrap" around the barrel. Right now he's running in a twisted wire gag bit, and the gag is about two inches. If I ride him in a dog-bone he is WAY too bendy. My questions is, what bit would you suggest? |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
 
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Is he bending his whole body or just noodle necked? Is he floating out of the turn on the back side or losing momentum? |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | http://www.joseywesternstore.com/product-p/b-%20j211.htm |
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Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | Three 4 Luck - 2014-01-27 11:32 AM
Is he bending his whole body or just noodle necked? Is he floating out of the turn on the back side or losing momentum?
He gets noodle necked and floating out a little but he keeps his speed. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I do lots of collection and lateral work, making sure to use my outside rein to control the degree of bend and driving them hard up into the bridle. You can even counter-arc around your turns in slow work at home to reinforce driving the inside hind leg under and stay in their tracks. Once you've stiffened him a bit, teach him to bend his ribs around your leg. You can't pull on this type horse in a turn because they will always overbend if you do. You have to get them where you can follow their nose with your hand and they will push into it a little because 2 handed around barrels is not practical long term. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | It also helps to use a stiffer type bit, like one with no breaks in the mouthpiece and very little if any gag. |
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  More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | A Connie COmbs stabilizer bit works great for too bendy horses. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) |
THIS!!! I have this on my SUPER bendy mare. This is what I ride her in now. Also, a little a hack to ride out in the field or trail ride. |
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Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | Thank you Three 4 Luck, that was some great advise. Once it gets a little warmer this week I'll ride him and just work on being collected.
Are there any exercises to stiffen a horse up? Plus thank you for the bit recommendations everyone! My mind was thinking about to those style of bits but I've never ridden in one so I didn't know exactly how a horse could work in them. |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | cecollins0811 - 2014-01-27 12:07 PM
Thank you Three 4 Luck, that was some great advise. Once it gets a little warmer this week I'll ride him and just work on being collected.
Are there any exercises to stiffen a horse up? Plus thank you for the bit recommendations everyone! My mind was thinking about to those style of bits but I've never ridden in one so I didn't know exactly how a horse could work in them.
When I find a bit I like I buy at least 2 of them. LOL I have 2 Stabilizers. They are our go-to bits and yes we run in them on certain horses. They set on the bars of the mouth. |
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I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | cecollins0811 - 2014-01-27 12:07 PM
Thank you Three 4 Luck, that was some great advise. Once it gets a little warmer this week I'll ride him and just work on being collected.
Are there any exercises to stiffen a horse up? Plus thank you for the bit recommendations everyone! My mind was thinking about to those style of bits but I've never ridden in one so I didn't know exactly how a horse could work in them.
counter arcing helped my horse a lot. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| I put mine in a Jim Warner hackamore. Works great! |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | hack.........
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Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | Nateracer - 2014-01-27 12:14 PM
I put mine in a Jim Warner hackamore. Works great!
For a month I was riding him in that at home. Worked great!! But then once we went to a show he completely ignored it, went by first two barrels by a stride and I really had to check him at the third barrel so he wouldn't go past it. I like it at home but showing I think I need something more. |
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 Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | mruggles - 2014-01-27 10:20 AM hack.........
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^^^^ 
(don't talk so much mruggles. you wear me out)  |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | cecollins0811 - 2014-01-27 12:20 PM Nateracer - 2014-01-27 12:14 PM I put mine in a Jim Warner hackamore. Works great! For a month I was riding him in that at home. Worked great!! But then once we went to a show he completely ignored it, went by first two barrels by a stride and I really had to check him at the third barrel so he wouldn't go past it. I like it at home but showing I think I need something more.
I've used a hack on bendy horses too. If he's running through that I'd try the stabilizer |
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Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | Maybe use a hack at home but then a stabilizer bit in shows? |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | cecollins0811 - 2014-01-27 12:57 PM Maybe use a hack at home but then a stabilizer bit in shows?
I use the stabilizer at different times on different horses. My old stud horse has always been a dead head at home but a little harder to handle at runs so I can ride him at home in a halter but put the Stabilizer and a tie down on him at barrel races. I have a couple mares that I go to a lighter bit at barrel races, a Goostree and a Wright med shank 3 piece but here at home especially when we go out in the fields and breeze we put the Stabilizers on to keep a handle on them. They love love love to run! |
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Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24953
Location: WYOMING | You need to teach him to engage his shoulder when he turns to get rid of noodle necking. Get that shoulder moving properly instead of leading in the turn and that will fix the drift also. |
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | geronabean - 2014-01-27 1:39 PM You need to teach him to engage his shoulder when he turns to get rid of noodle necking. Get that shoulder moving properly instead of leading in the turn and that will fix the drift also.
What kind of exercises do you do to teach them to engage their shoulders? |
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 Hero of the Year
Posts: 10767
Location: Haslet, Texas | Mullen mouthpiece for the runs. Keep soft and colected at home with your "at home" bit. Mine was a ring snaffle but ran in a rubber mullen. |
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Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24953
Location: WYOMING | WYOTurn-n-Burn - 2014-01-27 2:45 PM geronabean - 2014-01-27 1:39 PM You need to teach him to engage his shoulder when he turns to get rid of noodle necking. Get that shoulder moving properly instead of leading in the turn and that will fix the drift also. What kind of exercises do you do to teach them to engage their shoulders?
I teach them to do this by learning to move away from leg pressure in the shoulders and I combine that with rein pressure. My horses are all tought a beginning reining spin which is great for this. I think it can be enhanced using a counter arc somewhat, but only if the rider understands the process and how their legs and hands effect that shoulder My goal is to have that front end moving and engaged in the right direction during a turn so that the shoulder guides the turn more than the head/neck. Keeps noodles to a minimum.
So I teach a horse to move/cross over their front when I bump the shoulder in combo with outside and inside rein pressure. My hands collect and pick up the front, my "inside leg" is open and off the horse so that the shoulder can move into that open area. Baby steps... toward proper body usage in a turn.
So for me the bits mentioned DO help but if the horse isnt excuting a turn properly no bit will fix the problem completely.
Edited by geronabean 2014-01-27 3:43 PM
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | geronabean - 2014-01-27 3:36 PM WYOTurn-n-Burn - 2014-01-27 2:45 PM geronabean - 2014-01-27 1:39 PM You need to teach him to engage his shoulder when he turns to get rid of noodle necking. Get that shoulder moving properly instead of leading in the turn and that will fix the drift also. What kind of exercises do you do to teach them to engage their shoulders?
I teach them to do this by learning to move away from leg pressure in the shoulders and I combine that with rein pressure. My horses are all tought a beginning reining spin which is great for this. I think it can be enhanced using a counter arc somewhat, but only if the rider understands the process and how their legs and hands effect that shoulder My goal is to have that front end moving and engaged in the right direction during a turn so that the shoulder guides the turn more than the head/neck. Keeps noodles to a minimum.
So I teach a horse to move/cross over their front when I bump the shoulder in combo with outside and inside rein pressure. My hands collect and pick up the front, my "inside leg" is open and off the horse so that the shoulder can move into that open area. Baby steps... toward proper body usage in a turn.
Good explanation.
I was training one last year that knew how to bend her neck and fly sideways off an inside rein...talking about floating out of a turn! LOL She had to learn to listen to my body and put hers together, so I would counter arc her or half pass her into a turn following her shoulder without moving my hand (counter arc left then turn right), just changing the pressure of my legs and how I was sitting. Made a huge difference in her turns. |
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What to do with an over bendy horse?