7/8/14

Blog Hop | Kick the Bit

What is 1 unpopular horsey opinion you have?


Okay, so, thinking of an opinion was really hard for me. I have a few, granted, but I couldn't think of one that y'all haven't heard me talk and talk about nonstop. You all know that I'm a natural horsemanship kind of person, I don't have anything against people who don't do it, but it's what works for me and my horse, and to me, there's just something about it that I love. It's helped me achieve a bond with my horse and I love almost everything about it. I've mixed lot of horsemanship styles together and I don't really follow a specific person because people are fallible and I disagree with certain things that certain popular trainers teach and believe in.

So, what's one of my unpopular horsey opinions? Let's go with bits. I could've gone with a variety of things like breaking a horse a certain way (I hate the word "break") or tricks or even George Morris but yeah, let's go with bits.

Y'all know that I ride in a hackamore, obviously. I could count the times I've used a bit on two hands, and I don't plan on starting to use one personally anytime soon after the whole trainer fiasco which I'm not going to get into here but let's just say...it got ugly and I had nothing to do with it/I developed a creepy stalker.

Anyways, moving on.

I'm in no way saying that I think bits are evil tools of pain, or that every horse should go bitless, or that any person who uses a bit must love torturing their horses because, A. Bits, as long as they are used correctly, can be WAY easier on a horse than a hackamore, and B. Some horses really do need bits, end of story. Hackamores can be just as mean as a bit if used incorrectly, which is why any person who hops on a horse, no matter what kind of tack is being used, should know what they are doing. I do think that bits are overused, and I am completely against bitting up in 99% of circumstances. Chances are, your horse does not need a severe bit to be tamer, it needs to be trained, gentled and be ridden with a better hand. I'm not even defending hackamores in this post, honestly.

My opinion is unpopular because bits are the popular thing to use and most people will probably get mad at me when I tell them why I don't like bits. Some horses are being bitted up when, if their rider would simply listen, they would see that what they need is to go bitless or be worked in a milder bit. Would we want a piece of metal in our mouths while someone who doesn't know what they are doing yanks and pulls?

Moral of the story, if you are going to use a bit, MAKE SURE IT FITS. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO USE IT. And lastly, make sure your horse actually needs it.

And before I go, I'll say this to make everyone happy - don't use a hackamore if you don't know how to use it. Seriously. You are going to literally torture your horse in that horribly fitted hackamore. They can prevent the horse from being able to breathe if they don't fit well, among other things. Always, always, have a soft hand, no matter what type of hardware you choose for your horse. Even a halter and leadrope has the potential to hurt the horse if you are a maniac with it.

Happy Red with his hackamore that fits properly and is used properly.


Happy Spirit in his Wonder Bit, that fits properly and is used properly.


So, I guess my opinion is unpopular because I really am super strict with bits AND hacks. Don't just throw something random on your horse's head and "hope it fits" because no.

11 comments:

  1. Interesting perspective. I have seen opposite cases though where a horse couldn't tolerate the pressure on their nose from a bitless bridle or hackamore. To each his/ her own :) I do typically think that less is more but I have no problem using certain tools in certain situations. I typically find that it is the hands at the end of the reins that are abusive or harsh and not just the bit itself.

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    1. I definitely agree that a lot of horses absolutely hate the pressure, haha, and that's okay! If they don't like it, there's no reason for someone to force it. :) Certain tools for certain horses are perfectly fine as long as, like you said, the hand at the end of the rein is soft and gentle. We have to use a few different things on Spirit, our once-crazy Appaloosa, when he gets to feeling crazy again. It's all a matter of the rider and horse!

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  2. I am not much of a "bitter" myself, glad to know I'm not the only one! I'm kind of the weirdo at my barn haha

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    1. Haha ditto!!!! My barn thinks I'm crazy, lol!

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  3. I think a lot more people would be willing to go bitless or at least try it if bits weren't required in so many disciplines. I honestly don't know that I would trust Loki without a bit at this point, though.

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    1. I completely agree. The only reason I put a bit in Red's mouth originally was so I could eventually show him. It wasn't worth his comfort, in the long run. :))

      I thought the same thing with a lot of different horses for awhile but lots of bitless bridles (like Dr. Cook and etc) offer more control than a bit does, if your horse likes them. :)

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  4. I like your approach. Personally, I haven't used a bitless bridle (unless galloping around in a halter and lead counts). In a situation where I have a horse in a mild bit and find myself pulling on him to get him to do anything, I'll actually put him in a harsher bit so that I can use a softer hand, the reasoning behind this being that a harsh bit with a soft hand is better than a mild bit with a harsh hand. But again, as you said, any piece of equipment is only as cruel as the hand that holds it - from spurs to whips to bits and back again.

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    1. I agree with your point about a mild bit not being mild if you have to tug and pull! :) There for awhile, my horse was very barn sour (my fault, honestly.) and I had to pull on his hack a lot so I put a halter under his bridle, clasped the lead onto the halter and had the lead in my hand as well so I could use the halter to tug instead of just the hack so it was more of a warning instead of inflicting pain on him. I used it once and didn't have to do it again because he's smart and remembered that I had an extra tool, haha!

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  5. I agree with you 100%!! I don't think your opinion is unpopular in the horse blogging world at least lol. :D

    At the top where you mentioned things you could have talked about and said tricks... does that mean shortcuts or actual tricks like how I taught Chrome to smile? Chrome loves learning new tricks so I don't really understand what's bad about them. Obviously if someone is training a horse to bow by putting a lead rope through his/her legs and manhandling them to the ground I think it's bad, but when taught kindly and positively I don't see anything wrong with tricks. Anyway I'm not arguing, just curious. :D

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    1. Sorry for the confusion!! For tricks, I meant the dangerous ones like rearing on command, bucking on command and etc. I have absolutely NOTHING wrong with teaching tricks like smiling, bowing, etc. :) Red actually knows how to smile, follow, sidestep, back, say "yes and no" and more on command and he loves learning tricks. :) By tricks I meant more of the new fad going around on social media where young people teach their horses how to rear and then get hurt when their horse rears and thinks it's okay to do it. :) Tricks are great for horses, helps stimulate their minds and keep them active!

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    2. Oh yes I agree with that!!!! Thanks for explaining. I didn't think you were against teaching tricks so I was really confused lol. I will NEVER teach Chrome to rear... ugh. I haven't even taught him any of the leg tricks like shake, pawing, counting, Spanish walk, etc. because I'm afraid it will teach him to paw or he'll accidentally hit me with his leg when he gets excited lol. Maybe someday when he's older and has more self control, but not right now. :)

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