Silver1
22nd Jan 2006, 01:03 AM
When I first started riding horses, I could not imagine the possibility of riding a horse with out a bit. The concept of riding bareback on its own was pretty alien. The idea of doing ground-work to gain respect a foreign thought that never quite floated through, and I struggled to do everything on a youthful mare who knew almost as little as I did about riding, our highlight was when I managed to get her to do a shoulder in with out breaking gait, running out into the middle of the arena or refusing to do it all together. Natural horsemanship? That was riding with out a whip of course.
Now, after three years of partnership with my horse, even more with everyone on NR putting crazy ideas in my head, and various courses I've taken, things are a lot easier in some ways, a lot harder then others, and radically different from when I first started with horses.
Mear has officially become a barefoot horse now, and so far hasn't had so much as a trace of lameness. When I first got her, I had her shod all the way around, regardless of whether she was being used or not. This was actually not a good idea with Mears hooves, because they're hard as rock, pretty well perfect as hooves go, and the shoes were actually doing more damage then good. (Her back leg conformation shifted from perfect to cowhocks do to the shoes and a mistake by a farrier. Now that she's barefoot her legs are slowly changing back to straight)
Mear is also very, very intimidated by bits, no matter how mild they are, and when I rode her in her lungeing caveson just out of curiousity once, I found purely by accident that everyone on NR touting bitless bridles was right after all. (You win guys! :o ) She accepted it right away, was twice as responsive and positively relieved about the whole riding thing. I didn't even know she was tense until I rode her 'relaxed'
Finally...a saddle fitted to Mear, instead of flopping any old one on her back. (Ok, I never had a saddle till this point but...) This one has plenty of room for her withers, plenty of width for her back, and its actually more comfortable for her if I ride her in the saddle then out!
It just seems so odd that by doing less you get more. Take the bit off the bridle, Mear is more relaxed, take the shoes off the hooves, her legs become strong and never suffer break downs. Offer less grain, more hay, happier horse.
Does anyone else have that with their horses?
Now, after three years of partnership with my horse, even more with everyone on NR putting crazy ideas in my head, and various courses I've taken, things are a lot easier in some ways, a lot harder then others, and radically different from when I first started with horses.
Mear has officially become a barefoot horse now, and so far hasn't had so much as a trace of lameness. When I first got her, I had her shod all the way around, regardless of whether she was being used or not. This was actually not a good idea with Mears hooves, because they're hard as rock, pretty well perfect as hooves go, and the shoes were actually doing more damage then good. (Her back leg conformation shifted from perfect to cowhocks do to the shoes and a mistake by a farrier. Now that she's barefoot her legs are slowly changing back to straight)
Mear is also very, very intimidated by bits, no matter how mild they are, and when I rode her in her lungeing caveson just out of curiousity once, I found purely by accident that everyone on NR touting bitless bridles was right after all. (You win guys! :o ) She accepted it right away, was twice as responsive and positively relieved about the whole riding thing. I didn't even know she was tense until I rode her 'relaxed'
Finally...a saddle fitted to Mear, instead of flopping any old one on her back. (Ok, I never had a saddle till this point but...) This one has plenty of room for her withers, plenty of width for her back, and its actually more comfortable for her if I ride her in the saddle then out!
It just seems so odd that by doing less you get more. Take the bit off the bridle, Mear is more relaxed, take the shoes off the hooves, her legs become strong and never suffer break downs. Offer less grain, more hay, happier horse.
Does anyone else have that with their horses?