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Veteran
Posts: 107
| My horse likes to get stiff when working circles and running the pattern. I am doing slow work with her in a D-ring snaffle to really work on lateral flexion and staying soft. Any other tips to keep your horse soft not only in the neck but through the rib-cage as well? Also what bits are best for encouraging bend in your horse? |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
  
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I have found a chain mouth will do this. |
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Veteran
Posts: 107
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 966
Location: Loco,Ok | Use feet and legs more. Horses will give to leg foot pressure quicker and easier than pulling on their head. Three parts to your leg. Hip to knee,knee to ankle and foot itself. Move the horse with leg,bend them with your foot. Press don't punch. You support your feet with your hands. Lead through the turns not pull. Your left hand is his left foot,right hand right foot,your chin is his chin. Balance your body square with the ground chin over the horn or a bit in front. Don't brace up and they won't brace up against you. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
Location: Lost in the swamps | a chain mouth. |
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 Straight Shooter
Posts: 5725
Location: SW North Dakota | If a horse is soft and broke and truly understands where you want his body, my rule of thumb is generally this: The more "movement" a mouthpiece has, the more bend you can expect. So I completely agree that a chain mouth will encourage bend- just tweak it from there. Myler makes a barrel style mouth that bends throughout, but never gets "floppy" like a chain. Maybe just a dogbone is enough? |
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Veteran
Posts: 107
| ND3canAddict - 2017-09-20 10:46 AM
If a horse is soft and broke and truly understands where you want his body, my rule of thumb is generally this: The more "movement" a mouthpiece has, the more bend you can expect. So I completely agree that a chain mouth will encourage bend- just tweak it from there. Myler makes a barrel style mouth that bends throughout, but never gets "floppy" like a chain. Maybe just a dogbone is enough?
Okay, I will check that out and try a chain! I have a dogbone gag that I'm "running" (taking a break from competing to go back to basics) her in now. She does get some bend but when I lope through the pattern she anticipates her turns and braces at the barrel. So doing lots of bending and turning around the barrel until she softens and bends for me and I just want a bit that will encourage the bend more so she loosens up a little! |
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Straight Shooter
Posts: 5725
Location: SW North Dakota | Prairie Rouge - 2017-09-20 11:00 AM ND3canAddict - 2017-09-20 10:46 AM If a horse is soft and broke and truly understands where you want his body, my rule of thumb is generally this: The more "movement" a mouthpiece has, the more bend you can expect. So I completely agree that a chain mouth will encourage bend- just tweak it from there. Myler makes a barrel style mouth that bends throughout, but never gets "floppy" like a chain. Maybe just a dogbone is enough? Okay, I will check that out and try a chain! I have a dogbone gag that I'm "running" (taking a break from competing to go back to basics ) her in now. She does get some bend but when I lope through the pattern she anticipates her turns and braces at the barrel. So doing lots of bending and turning around the barrel until she softens and bends for me and I just want a bit that will encourage the bend more so she loosens up a little!
Is it possible that she's had her head snatched during the turns? It sounds like she may be anticipating this and bracing up in an attempt to protect herself. Perhaps I'm off base, but that could be what is going on and it will take a while to fix, regardless of the bit you choose. I think you said she was sound, but hock/stifle/SI soreness can also cause what you're describing here. |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | Prairie Rouge - 2017-09-20 12:00 PM
ND3canAddict - 2017-09-20 10:46 AM
If a horse is soft and broke and truly understands where you want his body, my rule of thumb is generally this: The more "movement" a mouthpiece has, the more bend you can expect. So I completely agree that a chain mouth will encourage bend- just tweak it from there. Myler makes a barrel style mouth that bends throughout, but never gets "floppy" like a chain. Maybe just a dogbone is enough?
Okay, I will check that out and try a chain! I have a dogbone gag that I'm "running" (taking a break from competing to go back to basics ) her in now. She does get some bend but when I lope through the pattern she anticipates her turns and braces at the barrel. So doing lots of bending and turning around the barrel until she softens and bends for me and I just want a bit that will encourage the bend more so she loosens up a little!
A loomis may give you what you are looking for. But I would think in addition to that there are specific drills you can probably search on youtube that professional trainers have posted that show tips on correcting what she is doing.
I would be driving her past the barrel keeping her straight and honest, then counter turning and then turning the barrel. She should travel in a straight line as far as you tell her to go before you ask for the turn. If she steps in before you tell her to, she needs to be corrected ( I typically counter turn a circle), and then brought back to the barrel to turn it.. JMO. |
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Veteran
Posts: 107
| ND3canAddict - 2017-09-21 9:59 AM
Prairie Rouge - 2017-09-20 11:00 AM ND3canAddict - 2017-09-20 10:46 AM If a horse is soft and broke and truly understands where you want his body, my rule of thumb is generally this: The more "movement" a mouthpiece has, the more bend you can expect. So I completely agree that a chain mouth will encourage bend- just tweak it from there. Myler makes a barrel style mouth that bends throughout, but never gets "floppy" like a chain. Maybe just a dogbone is enough? Okay, I will check that out and try a chain! I have a dogbone gag that I'm "running" (taking a break from competing to go back to basics ) her in now. She does get some bend but when I lope through the pattern she anticipates her turns and braces at the barrel. So doing lots of bending and turning around the barrel until she softens and bends for me and I just want a bit that will encourage the bend more so she loosens up a little!
That could be, I didn't "start" her on barrels and I'm not aggressive enough to snatch her head around in a run. I can look back at old videos with previous rider and see what was going on, or if that was a problem. She was a lot more aggressive when running than I am at this point. |
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Veteran
Posts: 107
| casualdust07 - 2017-09-21 4:17 PM
Prairie Rouge - 2017-09-20 12:00 PM
ND3canAddict - 2017-09-20 10:46 AM
If a horse is soft and broke and truly understands where you want his body, my rule of thumb is generally this: The more "movement" a mouthpiece has, the more bend you can expect. So I completely agree that a chain mouth will encourage bend- just tweak it from there. Myler makes a barrel style mouth that bends throughout, but never gets "floppy" like a chain. Maybe just a dogbone is enough?
Okay, I will check that out and try a chain! I have a dogbone gag that I'm "running" (taking a break from competing to go back to basics ) her in now. She does get some bend but when I lope through the pattern she anticipates her turns and braces at the barrel. So doing lots of bending and turning around the barrel until she softens and bends for me and I just want a bit that will encourage the bend more so she loosens up a little!
A loomis may give you what you are looking for. But I would think in addition to that there are specific drills you can probably search on youtube that professional trainers have posted that show tips on correcting what she is doing.
I would be driving her past the barrel keeping her straight and honest, then counter turning and then turning the barrel. She should travel in a straight line as far as you tell her to go before you ask for the turn. If she steps in before you tell her to, she needs to be corrected ( I typically counter turn a circle ), and then brought back to the barrel to turn it.. JMO.
Been doing drills to get her softened, tried counter-arcing for a while and it never did anything to soften her up nor quit her anticipation for a turn. She's a really tough horse for me to figure out sometimes. |
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Favorite Bits that Encourage/Increase bend?