From: Jenny
Dear Jessica ~ Your recent article about the Bitless Bridle could not have been timed more perfectly for us! and I have what I believe to be a highly pertinent follow-up question about the bitless bridle and how it might relate to a young horse in training :o)
We were wondering what the negatives/positives might be of introducing bitless riding at an early stage in a horse's riding life, before he's really had a chance to get used to a bit?
Also, we have hit a stumbling block in our training and would really love your advice..... It's long.....
We have been training a young percheron-cross for approximately a year and a half. We adopted him as a never-been-handled coming-3 year old, and moved him into our trainer's backyard barn. My mother, our trainer and I all worked like a team and spent the better part of a year on ground work. We felt honored to have a horse come our way who did not have training or experiences which we needed to 'un-do', and working with him has been pure pleasure for all of us and a wonderful experience all the way around. He became quite soft and responsive, and willing to do anything asked of him... We 'de-spooked' him, took him for long walks in-hand, exposed him to as much as possible, and then began his under-saddle training. He was very accepting and we were very patient :o) ....and then....
he went through one week where he was overcooked, and he hasn't quite come back around. I'm sorry to be so long-winded, but I'd like you to have thorough information! A very capable 12-y.o. rider (also a student of our trainer) asked to ride Olie in the last schooling show of the season....she is nearly 6' tall, and Olie is nearly 18hh, and she had ridden him a few times before and they got along quite well. We all talked about it, and decided that it would be fine for him to show walk/trot, providing that she took some lessons on him prior to the show.
During the week leading up to the show, she took long lessons on him (approx. 1 hr each...he usually works in 20-30 min. sessions) on four consecutive days (also new to him...we alternate riding/groundwork/trail walks, etc. and do not ride him on consecutive days)...the last two of which were group "show-prep" lessons with 4 other riders (Olie's first time riding in a group). At first, Olie seemed to really enjoy his new role as a riding horse, and worked right alongside the other horses, looking quite proud. He went over his first cross-rail (we had previously done lots of ground pole work with him, but had not planned to do any jumping for another year or so - Age 5). He didn't skip a beat, and trotted the crossrail nicely. However, I believe that was a turning point.... One would have been fine with me, just to see how he did; but he continued taking rails right along with the other older and more experienced horses, even though he was not going to show over fences. As the week progressed, he became visably more resistent, and I was terribly worried and upset but didn't want to second-guess his trainer, whom I had the utmost respect for (this incident has changed that). They kept pushing Olie to do more in each lesson, which culminated in him refusing jumps, running out, and ultimately bolting out of the arena rather than be forced over one more jump. I don't blame him one bit...I'm sure that aside from being mentally pushed, he had to have been physically sore... He is large and heavy and still uncoordinated and a bit gangly, and I would not have jumped him with the weight of a rider....nor cantered him in the ring (we did minimal cantering, and it was always in the field so that he could go straight for several acres, and not yet have to bend at the canter)....and I certainly wouldn't have allowed him to *either* trot or canter over rails as he saw fit.... Meaning, if I was asking him to trot over two crossrails, that is what he would do...had he broken into a canter after the first, I would have brought him back to a trot and set the pace myself.
Olie went to the show, and did beautifully... he looked and acted magnificently and took home the blues. He showed walk/trot...walk/trot/individual canter...walk/trot/canter....and ground poles. Many people approached me (including the judge) and asked about his breeding, training, background, etc.
After the show and that *horrible* week, Olie was a different horse. Much more full of himself, and 4 times more he bolted out of the arena (twice with riders, once while longing, once while long-lining). Our trainer has, very uncharacteristically, said that the solution is a stronger bit (she requested a mullen-mouth pelham - Olie usually rides in a simple snaffle) and a pair of spurs.
This really threw my mother and I. We have not ridden Olie since, but have instead returned to his familiar ground work, which he always seems to love. We would like to resume his saddle training, but absolutely need some second (and third!) opinions. First off, the arena does not have a gate and we are hesitant to ride Olie in there where he's had his bad experiences, as we don't want to reinforce his bolting behavior. We are thinking of riding him under completely different, unfamiliar circumstances so that we don't somehow 'trigger' his bolting memory/patterns. Perhaps out in one of the lesser-used pastures (It's fenced), perhaps in his rope halter (which he associates with the groundwork that he likes so), and just walk around and not ask for too much...just relaxed walking. And then we started talking again about the Bitless Bridle, and if it might be a good solution (Olie is now noticeably agitated when his riding tack is introduced). We would like to give him some pleasant, positive riding experiences before he takes the winter off, and we were thinking that perhaps if we changed enough elements and somehow made it an entirely different experience, that would be a way to start overcoming his "riding is bad" association?
I called my former riding coach, in tears, to tell her about what had happened to Olie. She came and spent an afternoon with us, and her feeling was that Olie was definitely not too far gone, and that he could come back from his four days of trauma, but that he should not be ridden for quite some time....perhaps not until next Spring. And in the meantime, that he should return to ground work, long lining, etc. Given that his ground work and long lining are still excellent, and that he does not seem the least bit hesitant or upset by these familiar activities, I guess I don't understand how that will help his *riding* unease?
Please help, Jessica.... I'm guilt-ridden, heartbroken, and willing to do whatever it takes to get my horse back to where he was before that horrible week.
Incidentally, we are in the process of purchasing a small farm of our own...this winter, Olie will have a fully-enclosed riding arena that he cannot exit at will!
Jenny
Second, please notice that I changed the subject line of your message! You thought that your question was about the Bitless Bridle, but it's only peripherally about that - it's primarily, and very sensibly, about how to "re-start" your young horse and restore his good opinion of humans and riding.
I'm sure that you've already figured out that this "trainer" is neither caring nor competent, and that your horse should not be the victim of his (her?) personal ambition and desire to show off. I'm sure that you'll be much more careful when you choose your next instructor/trainer - and I'm sure that you will participate in, or at least supervise, the training, and that you will not allow your horse to be mishandled or pushed beyond his capacity. And you will doubtless run away VERY fast if anyone suggests that a sore and overfaced young horse should be "fixed" with a harsher bit and spurs. That single notion should tell you that the speaker is entirely unfamiliar with the proper use of bit and spurs - and that in itself should cause you to run! That said...
You can't be perfect, but you can work at being BETTER. Horses are very kind and forgiving animals, and that's why we CAN make mistakes, correct them, and move on. Your young horse has been traumatized by being pushed far beyond his physical, mental, and emotional limits - fine, you're aware of it now, and you will never again allow this or any other trainer to overwork or overface a young horse. "Cowgirl up" and move on!
You may also want to consider the fact that it's very rare for ANY twelve-year-old child to be sufficiently strong and mature, emotionally speaking, to remember that s/he is merely there to give the horse some pleasant exposure to the concept of shows and showing. A normal twelve-year-old is going to get to the show and think about DOING WELL, not about RIDING WELL, and certainly not about making the experience pleasant for the horse even if the ribbons must be sacrificed. Those are adult thoughts, and you won't find them running through the head of a child who wants to get some ribbons - especially if the child is being coached by someone who desperately wants the child and horse to get ribbons, and who is willing to sacrifice the horsemanship education of the child, and the well-being of the horse, to achieve those ends.
Parenthetically, if you want to introduce a young horse to show grounds and a show atmosphere, just take the horse to the show. Let him ride on the trailer, then when you're there, hand-walk him around the place, petting and grooming him and giving him treats. Let him get the idea that there are good things at the end of the trailer ride, and that this busy place with microphones rattling and other horses everywhere is a friendly sort of place to be. It's an excellent idea to take youngsters to several shows and just walk and eventually hack them around the grounds before you ask them to participate in competition.
Now, back to your question about changing Olie's expectations.
I teach horse-owners and riders that from the first minute they begin to handle a particular animal, they begin to establish a "confidence account" with that horse. Every interaction they have with the horse will either add to ("make a deposit in") or subtract from ("make a withdrawal from") that account. Your ambition should be to have so many confidence-building interactions with your horse that you have a large "confidence account" to draw on when you need to ask the horse to do something frightening or unfamiliar. That same "confidence account" is also what will let you make mistakes with your horse, because you WILL make mistakes - we all do - but if your horse has enormous confidence in you, he will forgive and you will both get through the problem.
I agree with your ideas about changing tack and giving Olie a different set of associations. The idea of spending time with him, then going for short, pleasant, non-demanding rides is a good one. You could certainly use the Bitless Bridle for this! It's an excellent bridle for youngsters, even those that have not been traumatized, and even if you have every intention of putting them into a conventional bridle with a bit when they are older and their education has progressed a little more.
I've always thought that it was very unfortunate for our horses that so many of them are started under saddle so early, long before they are even halfway to physical maturity. It's even more unfortunate that so many of them are also introduced to the bit at precisely the time in their lives when their mouths and teeth are changing rapidly and dramatically. So many people complain that their horses chomp the bit aggressively, "play with it constantly", hang their tongues out, etc. etc. Although these problems can often be overcome by a combination of good dental work and patient re-training, I find it interesting to note that these problems rarely develop in horses that are started correctly, at age 4 or 5, when they are much more able, physically, mentally, and emotionally, to handle under-saddle training - and when (coincidentally? I don't think so...) many of their "teething" problems are over.
You're also right to think that you can do ground-work and long-lining for years, without him making any connection between those activities and ridden work - unless YOU make the connection for him. That means doing something you can't do in competition: USE YOUR VOICE. Talk to him, teach him to respond to verbal commands, teach him to understand and relax when he hears words of approval spoken in an approving tone of voice. The progression from ground work to long-lining to riding is a logical one: first, on the ground, the horse learns to respond to your voice as well as your body language. Then, on the long lines, the horse learns to respond to your voice even when he can't see you as well, and when he can't see you at all. Then, when he is thoroughly confirmed in his responses to your voice, you can use your voice from the saddle (where you are invisible to the horse), and slowly teach him to associate leg pressure, shifts of weight, changes in breathing and position, and rein actions with the verbal commands he already knows well. Eventually, the focus (his and yours) will move away from the verbal commands, and you'll be able to develop and refine the language of the aids. But never forget that your voice can be very calming and soothing to your horse - and don't hesitate to use it. If you're in a ring with other horses, you'll want to use it as infrequently and as softly as possible, so as not to interfere with other horses and riders. If you're at a dressage competition, you'll be able to test your ability to communicate with the horse through your position and movements ONLY, since "use of voice" is penalized. But apart from those two eventualities, go right ahead and use your voice as needed. ;-)
Your horse was certainly sore, at least in his back and mouth, and probably in his legs as well. A sore horse is not a happy horse; a sore young horse that is doing its best and being pushed and punished is going to be an extremely unhappy horse. At his age and with his (lack of) experience, he isn't able to realize that this was how ONE specific bad trainer operated, and that this is not necessarily how all riding will be. Think of him as a child who goes to kindergarten and finds an aggressive and abusive teacher there - with no previous school experience and no other teachers, past or present, with whom to compare the bad teacher, the child will simply become very unhappy, either "shut down" or become uncontrollable, and convince himself that he "hates school" and that "teachers are horrible." OTOH, if a child has kind and encouraging teachers for the first five or six years of school, he is far more likely to react to his first BAD teacher by thinking that there is something wrong with THIS teacher - and that's quite different from thinking that ALL teachers, and school in general, should be feared and avoided.
So DO give him some good experiences under saddle if you can. Let him have enough time off (doing other things) to let his sore back and legs and mouth become less sore. Then, IF his saddle fits really well, so that he can be comfortable in it, let him wear it whilst you do your ground work and long-lining. At that point, you'll be able to put someone on his back, but it will need to be someone he likes, someone he trusts, and/or someone who will listen to YOU and be utterly undemanding.
Once you have saddle and rider (and the bridle of your choice, whatever makes him comfortable) on your horse, treat him as if he had never had a rider on board before. Have the rider get on (use a mounting block - always a good plan, but especially vital with this horse, so that you can avoid twisting his spine and reminding him of previous back pain associated with a rider) - sit quietly, praise the horse, and get off again. Walk him around, talk to him, do it all again. It's time well spent - at the end of twenty or so of these "minute rides", he'll remember that on many occasions, someone got on him and got off him, and nothing horrid happened to him while the person sat on him.
Once he's utterly relaxed about this, let the rider walk him around the arena, or take him in large circles or figure-eights, on soft contact on a long rein, keeping the focus where it belongs: on relaxation. Then have the rider get off. Repeat several times, then do it all again the next day. If you do this for a week and it all goes wonderfully well, you may want to add a brief, calm trot to the walking-and-turning activities. The rider should ALWAYS praise the horse for effort - not just for perfect performance. The rider should also concentrate on asking clearly, WAITING for a response from the horse, and then staying out of the horse's way so that it can effect the response. If, for instance, the horse is trotting, the rider asks for a walk, and the horse takes fifteen steps to make the transition, FINE. Remember that he's young, growing, unbalanced - and that his balance is changing practically from day to day. Remember also that he is not terribly fit, and that he has been very sore, and above all, remember that the whole point of this is to teach him that riding is not painful, frightening, or an onerous chore for the horse. If he is allowed to do his best, he will.
The last thing I'll say is that no matter how well each ride goes, the ride should end BEFORE the rider notices that the horse is "losing interest" or "getting tired" or (heaven forbid) "getting cranky". Stop while it's still pleasant and fun - even if that means stopping after five minutes. Keep your horse listening to you, trusting you, and responding to everything you ask by thinking "I can do that!". Then, when you put him out for the winter, you won't have to worry about starting work again in the spring (or summer, or whatever you have in mind). He'll have pleasant, positive associations with the saddle, bridle, and rider, and eventually, if the rest of his life is good, he'll write off the whole unpleasant incident as the horse equivalent of a bad dream. ;-)
As for the Bitless Bridle, yes, I like it, and I think it might well be helpful in your case, but why not start by using his familiar rope halter and lead? If you're in an enclosed area, he'll be more relaxed with the equipment he knows best. If you need more subtle and precise control, then the Bitless Bridle would be a good choice. And at some point, if you're planning to ride him with a bit in future, it would be helpful to use a bradoon carrier or a one-strap Western headstall (with the ear-loop removed) to hang a bit in his mouth while the rider walks him around. Don't put pressure on the bit, just let it be there, so that he can remember what it's like to be ridden AND carry a bit - but without experiencing the pulling and jerking that hurt and frightened him.
Above all, don't be in a hurry. He's HAD that. Take your time, ask for very little, praise him, and repeat. You'll get him back - and you'll make yourself a much better horseman in the process. ;-)
Jessica
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