Snaffle sucess!

[Sarah]

hello!

Well, i just can't believe it! I have tried switiching Tango back to her rubber snaffle from the pelham for a bit of an experiment. It was about 2 years ago that Heather suggested the pelham to us and it made a WORLD of difference. It stopped a very unhappy, nappy, rearing horse from being so unhappy and scaring me so much!

As my memories of Tango in a snaffle go back to her being a scary (or shouldn't that be scared) horse, I have always been very scared of riding in a snaffle again- I have used it for dressage, but still in a fearful way!

Anyway, over the Christmas break I decided to give it a go again and have been very pleased about how softly she has gone in it. In my lesson with Mike Aylmore earlier this week I tried her in the snaffle and he agreed that if and when i feel brave enough, I should ride her in the snaffle, keeping to the pelham for jumping/hacking/scary days, etc and whenever i feel like it.

It looks like it may have taken a long time, but finally Tango has learnt how to soften to the bit, whatever bit that may be. Clever Tango. This means i may be able to do some dressage this year that i am actually prepared for!

bye!

[Heather]

Congratulations Sarah and Tango!

Tango is a very talented little mare and it just sometimes takes longer with some than others.

My yard manager Debbie's homebred horse Fly has been a case in point. He has crap conformation, despite both parents being well made, but he has three excellent paces. Because of his conformation, I think that perhaps we backed off him too much and should have asked for more, as the more we now ask the better his attention span, which previously was shorter than that of a gnat, has imporved beyond all recognition.

Mike A did a lot of work on him the last year that he was here, but although Fly produced some nice work you always still got the feeling that he was doing it under suffrance, even though Mike would never use any force.

Debbie is convinced that Fly has been visited by aliens, such is the change in his personality! We have him in the Pelham as he goes better still in it than the snaffle especially given that he is now working towards advanced medium, learning his changes with ease. He is a very talented horse, but only now at rising 14 is he really showing what he can do!!

I wil take some more stills off the video and put them up of him as soon as I get a moment, to give those with funny shaped horses some hope!!


Heather

[Kerry's Partner]

To hear the stories of Tango and Fly is very encouraging and the pics will be good to see too.

Kerry has a bit of extra length in her back I think as well as other little oddities I supppose but I can't think of her as being anything other than perfect - can't help it. She's also rising 14. Since her "mad mare" behaviour again quite a few weeks ago and help from Sue at that time she is now an angel again. We're going to try her in her snaffle again next Sunday - but I'm interested to hear about the rubber snaffle that Tango likes - I think I'd like to try it but would love to hear the views of Sue, Sarah and Heather first.

[galadriel]

Congratulations :) Sounds like a fantastic breakthrough.

[Sarah]

hello!

The rubber snaffle that we use is a hard rubber loose ring mullen mouth snaffle - in English a straight piece of metal covered in boingy rubber with the bit rings going through the metal bar.

I really can't remember where i got it from, I think I got it from Eileen Douglas' which is just to the south of Wokingham on Easthamstead Road - hopefully that shouldn't be too far from you if Sue and Heather think it might work for you Sandra (Kerry's Partner).

Thanks for the complimetns about Tangers Heather!

Debbie's Fly may well be a slightly different conformation, but he is still a lovely looking horse. It will be great to see some pics of him if you can do it Heather.

bye!

[Kerry's Partner]

Oh many thanks Sarah - at least if Sue and Heather think I could try it I'll know where to go.

HNY, Sandra

[Heather]

HI Sandra,

The hard rubber mullen mouth loose ring snaffle is often the one we go to from the Pelham- it is the same mouthpiece and therefore the horse doesn't feel much difference. We find they work very well and they are only about a tenner, so won't break the bank either!!


Heather

[Kerry's Partner]

Very many thanks Heather. I'll get one asap.

Sandra

[Marie-ann]

Great news!

I too managed to get Crunchie back into a snaffle after riding him for about 4 years in a pelham (after reading articles by Heather). We are now successfully going around with a waterford snaffle (think that is what it is called - it is like a chain) and he is as soft as anything.

Not doing a huge amount of riding at the moment with him though because I am retraining his riding aids with Clicker training and +ve reinforcement.

Mx

[Sarah]

Marie-Ann,

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who needed to ride in a pelham for some years before the penny dropped!

bye!