Moving from Pelham back to Snaffle

[AlisonC]

Heather, love your book. It is very popular right now in Australia. I have had phenomenal success using your methods on a lazy, leaning horse. With only 3 rides in the Pelham he has got the message loud and clear and is now soft, light, genuinely forward/round and even appears to be enjoying himself. I'm certainly enjoying myself more.

My question is:
Now that he has the message and is continuing in his new soft round outline, I have been tying up the curb rein so it is not in use, riding with the snaffle rein only. Is this a bad thing to do? Should I move back to a snaffle rather than doing this? If I move back to a snaffle should I choose a mullen mouth or go back to my jointed snaffle?

Alison

[Heather]

HI Alison,

So glad to hear that the Pelham is helping. Tying up the curb rein is exactly what I do! When you are eally sure that your horse is a yielding on the snaffle rein as when ridden using the curb, by all means try the snaffle again. Have to say that we generally put them in a mullen mouth hard rubber snaffler (loose ring) so that it feels hardly any different. This usually works very well, but try the jointed anyway, and see if it is OK, save you spending out on a new one if so! You may find thatit is then beneficial to put him back in the Pelham for a couple of days a week for a while to remind him of the lightness, and perhaps just once in a while after that.

Glad to hear theat the Aussies are so open-minded!


Heather