Monday, September 07, 2009
Bits and hand position advice?
"Ask Tina" Question:
My horse Nash, is a really hard runner so my Dad, who's a team roper, bought me a bit to help me get control. It's a reining bit (which I might add he uses the exact bit on his heel horse) and it is made for pure stopping. Its a correction bit and it swivels on the sides barely...it works really really well but lately it tends to make my horse slow down WAY too much during a run. I now have control over him but I can't get the action I want out of that bit, I love the control but I want to be able to lift and pick up. Nash likes to drop his shoulder so I really really put effort into getting it up which with this bit is making me pull up therefore stopping him. I found two other similar bits that are made for barrel racing and I know they'll work because they're broken and won't encourage so much stop but I don't know what size shank and mouth would be better. Could you please help me figure out which one would be the best bet for a hard running horse who is hard to pick his shoulder up and keep him under control and postitioned in a turn. I have the photos below. Also..I have a really hard time getting nash to stay in position, his first run he'll be perfect but if you run him again he'll be awful. I don't know what to do with my hands to pick him up off of it..I know you're not supposed to cross the mane so what if I twisted my wrist and picked him up? I have had some people tell me to look up at the first part of my turn as well..I just wanted to confirm if your opinion was the same. I think that you should look where you are going..I look where my horse is going..in the turn I look to ahead of his position in the turn and then when I get to the backside I look up at my next barrel. Is that correct or incorrect theory?
"Ask Tina" Answer:
Great question a push horse or one that knows it's job to Run, Rate & Turn can be run in the pattern in an 0-ring or side pull and you may never move your hand from the "reins to the ears position"! But a free runner or shoulder dropper brings a whole new process of bit choice, hand position, rate and positioning concerns.
The bit your Dad suggested is a great bit for rate and shoulder control. It's a long shank for leverage which gives you whoa, it's a high port mouthpiece which allows you to use pinky light cues to pick up a horse's shoulder, it swivels at side for lateral control but does not slide so you have a quicker reaction time. You may have to have two bits. One you do your slow and correction work during the week and the other slightly milder to run in so you don't lose your run but can maintain control for position and rate. Use your Dad's bit for during the week and mainly walk or trot the pattern with only 1 or 2 lope throughs, a couple times a week, only 15 minutes after a nice pasture warm up. Let him know in your slow work that there is always a certain pocket size for him, the free runner usually, 5 or 6 feet, a rate spot where the tracks cross, and a turn spot on the back of barrel. This way when you go faster you can rely on muscle memory from your slow repetition work to take place for you.
The concern you had with where to look in the turn, you are correct to look a 1/4 turn ahead of you in slow work, but on a horse that is free running sometimes it's better to look around quicker to stay ahead of them and help them snap the barrel quicker at high speeds. Often when a horse makes a mistake we look where they are going thinking OH NO, but we should be ahead of them thinking GO HERE! Riding in time with your horse is the proper way, only being slightly ahead of them, such as from alley looking at your arc, then spot 1 the entrance of the turn, then spot 2 the backside, then spot 3 the exit. As you know when you go slow easy to do, but as you go fast you must learn to be quicker in your reaction time. You may only have time to look at spot 1 of each turn on the free runner, then like you mentioned on backside look up to next barrel pocket.
I wouldn't make two runs on him in a weekend for awhile until, you have control or make control runs only! He needs more mental control then bit changes. He needs mental control and that is rarely fixed with a bit change. A bit more training and knowledge is best. I would be smarter in your training ideas. Make one run, one day for pretty and control and then make one run trusting him the next weekend that he will go to his pocket, rate and turn with light cues from you. The pretty run, you can send him, rate him with a two hand check, then bump him with inside aids for the turn, where you might use them to move him out and pick him up, like an in and out manuveur at the barrel's rate spot.
As far as hand position goes on a free runner, you want to come back vertically with your hands for rate, then with your inside hand in the turn, it's best to come back an inch more then outside hand and up or twist your wrist, this way you have vertical and lateral control and body collection.
Exercises I would work on with him would be lots of rate work, like stopping and backing, roll backs in circles. I would do a lot of extended to collected body collection work. I would do a lot of counter arc, nose in/nose out figure eights to maintain control of nose and shoulder! Spend more time on your basics and body control then on the pattern and it will get better on the pattern I promise.
Lastly, a free running horse usually needs more slow and quiet work, mainly walking and trotting, keep that in mind in your weekly training. Good luck and thanks for the question. I liked the Molly Powell bit for competition you sent me and your Dad's suggestion for training. Of course I have never ridden him, so you will have to decide what you think he likes and what you feel most comfortable in.
A chain mouthpiece may be a better choice for a nervous horse then the port for competition and use the port only as a correction slow work tool. I often ask people to feel the bit's mouthpiece on their own hand and see what feel best with 1 rein or 2 rein pressure. I find the 2 piece snaffle hurts most with 2 rein pressure and better with 1 rein pressure. The chain and the 3 piece dog bone are my favorite for comfort 1 or 2 rein. The high port is an important tool for correction and lighter and quicker reponse time, but you must have good timing in your hands to use it correctly!
Thanks, Tina Spangler
www.tlcbarrelhorsetraining.com
