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Expert
Posts: 2685
   
| few questions: Do you warm up & run in the same bit? Which bit is "harsher" (in your horses OP- LOL)?Tie downs.. ect included in options. |
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 There Could Be Aliens Out There
Posts: 1393
Location: North Central Kansas | I warm up and run in the same bit. When riding around at home though I ride in something lighter. Usually a square mouth snaffle on my old guy for riding around every day and without a tie down. He runs in a medium shank locked gag twisted wire Ed Wright and tiedown for runs and warmups. With my 5 yo I'm constantly changing his bits around to find one that works for him. But always warmup and run him in the same one.
Edited by ks_cowgirl 2014-01-19 5:05 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 3534
Location: Stuck in a cubicle having tropical thoughts | when i was a youth, i used to ride at home in a lighter bit and sometimes warm up in the light bit and then switch to a different bit to run. I stopped doing this when one of my horses was turning into a hyper basket case once you put the running bit in her. She knew the difference. and she was to hard for me to control once she knew, so I started riding her in the same bit all the time and now I ride all my horses in the same bit all the time (that is after I transition them from o-ring, to loomis gag, to the bit I choose to run them in) |
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 Works Hard For The Money
Posts: 4469
Location: Memphis, TN | During the week when I'm just conditioning I ride in a chain mouth snaffle or hackamore. On race days I warm up and run in a jr. Cow horse twisted two piece. This is on my finished horse though and he doesn't have to be tuned on. |
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  A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | I ride at home and warm up in a short shank lifter bit from L&W.
A few people before I run (5 or less) I switch out headstalls to a Little S hack.
The lifter keeps him supple and bending and everything at home and when we're warming up, and the Little S stiffens him up just enough during a run. And gives me more forgiveness with my hands too. I run and work him in a tie down.
I could never lope a good circle with him in the hack. He's stiff as snot. But if I run him in a snaffle even, he bends WAY too much in his neck. So the Little S works best to run him in, and the lifter works great for working him at home or even to exb him slow.
Hubby tries to keep everything in a different set up for working and running. He ran his good mare in the same bit, but she only wore a tie down when she was being worked. Once you took it off, she was in full GO mode.
Add Waddell told him it was a good idea back when he rode for him. And I've heard Ty Mitchell say the same thing, especially when running in a hack. To use different bits for work and running. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| I warm and ride with split reins the drag before i run change reins to the barrel reins.
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | I ride at home in usually a loomis and split reins.
When I'm at the barrel race, if I have one I am going to exhibition typically I exhibition in the loomis and split reins as well, but sometimes not.
For the ones that I am running- when I go to saddle, I put their running bit on. I used to have a warm up bit and a running bit until I started entering rodeos. Lots of times I just don't have time to warm up and change my bit and get over there without feeling rushed. Also, I have a tendency to forget where I set things down…so after I started going to rodeos I pretty much just put on the bit I am going to run in.
I DO however change the length of my reins. I know some people are crazy about where they set their running reins and they never change them. I run in smooth leather reins that don't have knots and they have a wear mark where my buckle usually goes… so I can lengthen the reins to warm up and then shorten them back on their spot to make my run. One less thing I have to lose switching... |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | This is a good question! I've often wondered what others do when it comes to switching or using the same bit.
When I'm at home doing dry work (just riding) I use a 3-piece twisted wire D-ring snaffle with a german martingale. If I am going to work him on the pattern (anything faster than a trot) at home I'll warm up in the snaffle and then switch to my tie down and either a medium shank combo bit or a 3-piece Sherry Cervi short shank. I've only entered him a handful of times but generally at the barrel races I warm him up and run in the same bit/tie down. |
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 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | All my horses do it all in the same bits. With that being said all my horses can and have used any bit that's laying around for daily conditioning. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | I used to warm my boy up in his correction bit and run him in a little S then somebody on here suggested the Stiver hack and now I warm up and run in that and it's fabulous. It's the perfect combination of everything for him.
Funny thing about him is he is an ex reining horse and light as a feather, just likes his correction and stiver, I rarely touch him with either |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| During the week, I like to ride in a snaffle bit or a simple myler bit. At races I typically warm up and run in a Jr. Cow Horse bit. There have been a few times Ive had to break out the myler bit when warming up. |
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