Hey Gail, I found some information for your friends on their bit/bridle choices. Hopefully it will help?
http://www.ehow.com/how_2169314_fit-horses-bit.html I found this link with more info on bits, Gail, especially the bit Levi is using, which appears to be a Tom Thumb? http://www.todayshorse.com/Articles/TroublewithTomThumb.htm
Apache's former owner used a Tom Thumb bit on her, which is what helped cause her rearing problems (along with her dental issues). And direct reining is near impossible using a Tomb Thumb and shouldn't be used on young horses either.
Looks like he's got the reins attached to the end of the shanks, but they don't seem to be hanging down like they are supposed to. Is there something else in the horse's mouth, attached to them? Also, in the 5th photo down, I can't even tell where the right rein is attached at all. Where is the shank on that side?
Here is a link to a photo of a horse wearing a bit with shanks: http://www.todayshorse.com/Images/Training/TomThumb3.jpg
"Hackamores are not more humane because there is no bit in the horse's mouth. In fact, hackamores can be very harsh, causing severe pain to the horse's sensitive face. The shanks on some hackamores can be over 8 inches long (20cm). With the force of leverage it is possible to damage a horse's face. It is important to adjust the nose piece of a hackamore high enough that it sits above the cartilage of the nose.
A mechanical hackamore is not recommended for training a horse. The action is too severe, inaccurate and the horse must understand how to neck rein and halt on a loose rein with a light touch. It is very difficult to teach a horse to bend or flex because it is not possible to direct rein with a mechanical hackamore. Nor is it a good idea for a new rider with unsteady hands to ride with a mechanical hackamore.
The main benefit of using a mechanical hackamore is that through leverage, a hard to stop horse can be stopped with minimal contact on the reins.. Although these aids might look appealing as a quick answer to teaching a horse to 'whoa', they can also cause problems like head tossing, high head carriage or over bending, and potential facial damage."
Here's a link to a picture of correctly fitting hackamore http://www.crossedsabers.com/images/Hackamore.jpg
Another of my blog friends, Merri, uses a Mechanical Hackamore for Endurance riding and she has information on how to use them, along with photos on this site: http://www.endurance.net/merri/stories/2010/02/hackamore.html
Oh hey, and Gail, you may want to encourage Levi to wrap his Latigo more than once around the buckle of his cinch and back up again. I noticed that he's only got it around there what appears to be once and by wrapping it at least twice, h'll take up the extra slack of the latigo so there'll be less to tuck into the keeper or possibly get a leg stuck in. But most importantly wrapping it around more than once gives more strength to the connection between saddle and cinch. Safety first, right?
9 comments:
The horses look so gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful!!
love,
~Silver
Don't listen to Silver, she's feeding your temptation.
They are beautiful!
Hey Gail,
I found some information for your friends on their bit/bridle choices. Hopefully it will help?
http://www.ehow.com/how_2169314_fit-horses-bit.html
I found this link with more info on bits, Gail, especially the bit Levi is using, which appears to be a Tom Thumb?
http://www.todayshorse.com/Articles/TroublewithTomThumb.htm
Apache's former owner used a Tom Thumb bit on her, which is what helped cause her rearing problems (along with her dental issues). And direct reining is near impossible using a Tomb Thumb and shouldn't be used on young horses either.
Looks like he's got the reins attached to the end of the shanks, but they don't seem to be hanging down like they are supposed to. Is there something else in the horse's mouth, attached to them?
Also, in the 5th photo down, I can't even tell where the right rein is attached at all. Where is the shank on that side?
Here is a link to a photo of a horse wearing a bit with shanks:
http://www.todayshorse.com/Images/Training/TomThumb3.jpg
~Lisa
Hey Gail,
Lastly some helpful info for your friends on the Mechanical Hackamore. Hopefully it will help them...and their horses.
http://horses.about.com/od/bitsexplained/a/mhackamores.htm
"Hackamores are not more humane because there is no bit in the horse's mouth. In fact, hackamores can be very harsh, causing severe pain to the horse's sensitive face. The shanks on some hackamores can be over 8 inches long (20cm). With the force of leverage it is possible to damage a horse's face. It is important to adjust the nose piece of a hackamore high enough that it sits above the cartilage of the nose.
A mechanical hackamore is not recommended for training a horse. The action is too severe, inaccurate and the horse must understand how to neck rein and halt on a loose rein with a light touch. It is very difficult to teach a horse to bend or flex because it is not possible to direct rein with a mechanical hackamore. Nor is it a good idea for a new rider with unsteady hands to ride with a mechanical hackamore.
The main benefit of using a mechanical hackamore is that through leverage, a hard to stop horse can be stopped with minimal contact on the reins.. Although these aids might look appealing as a quick answer to teaching a horse to 'whoa', they can also cause problems like head tossing, high head carriage or over bending, and potential facial damage."
Here's a link to a picture of correctly fitting hackamore
http://www.crossedsabers.com/images/Hackamore.jpg
Another of my blog friends, Merri, uses a Mechanical Hackamore for Endurance riding and she has information on how to use them, along with photos on this site:
http://www.endurance.net/merri/stories/2010/02/hackamore.html
~Lisa
Oh hey, and Gail, you may want to encourage Levi to wrap his Latigo more than once around the buckle of his cinch and back up again. I noticed that he's only got it around there what appears to be once and by wrapping it at least twice, h'll take up the extra slack of the latigo so there'll be less to tuck into the keeper or possibly get a leg stuck in. But most importantly wrapping it around more than once gives more strength to the connection between saddle and cinch.
Safety first, right?
~Lisa
They're beautiful horses. I can see why you'd be tempted!
Lots of horsing around goin' on At the Farm today!!! They are both beautiful animals. Good luck Gail.
You have the best day!!!
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