My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Bitting up for hunting can mean the difference between a fun ride and a continuous tug of war. Whenever someone says you should be able to ride every horse in a snaffle, I chuckle and think, “you’ve never been foxhunting.” That’s not to say you can’t hunt a horse in a snaffle. My Trakehner was […]
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Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to jump downed trees in a single bound. Look! Running after the hounds! It’s Zelda! For sure, Zelda had the locomotive part down pat. Riding her was a bit like being on a runaway train. Without brakes that worked well. Zelda and I had […]
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Much of the time in the winter I ride Zelda in a bitless bridle. It seems cruel to put a cold piece of metal in her mouth. Today? I could tell that she had some mischief in her. Something about the look in her eye. So I chose a bit that gives me a bit […]
Read MoreBitted or bitless is idle chatter if there is no horse in the conversation. via Bit or Bitless? You Won’t Like the Answer. — Relaxed I love this posting by Anna Blake, probably because it reinforces my own experiences in the Bit vs. Bitless debate. Which is better? It depends! I’ve had horses that loved going […]
Read MoreZelda is an enthusiastic foxhunter. I am grateful to have a horse that so obviously loves her job! Up until this year, I’ve hunted her in her “every day” bit, which is a mullen mouth snaffle (Pee Wee Snaffle). However, this year, she started to get strong. And, even worse, she started to root. Rooting […]
Read MoreThere’s been a lot of debate over whether a baucher bit exerts pressure on a horse’s poll. I’ve written about it before. But I still hear people claim that they like the bit because of the poll pressure. Now, the bit company Neue Schule had done a study that shows something surprising: Not only does […]
Read MoreSometimes those big jumper courses can get confusing . . . at least that was probably the excuse of the jump crew when they ended up standing IN FRONT of a jump that Susie Hutchinson and Samsung Woodstock were trying to jump in the 1993 Volvo FEI World Cup Final. I’m not sure what’s more […]
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