If you’ve studied dressage in the past, you may have learned the training scale, a six-level pyramid of increasingly advanced concepts. The first three levels are the building blocks to connection, or getting your horse on the bit.RHYTHM: The...
Before you can get a true connection and ride your horse on the bit, he needs to be supple. The following exercises can be used to loosen or "unlock” your horse:POLL: Alternate flexing your horse’s poll 1 inch...
Getting your horse on the bit is considered the Holy Grail of dressage. It may seem mysterious and hard to grasp, but the good news is anyone can learn what to do, and then do it!You have probably...
High Port Curb: The height of the port helps to determine the severity of a leverage bit. While a low to medium port provides comfortable room for a horse’s tongue and is therefore relatively mild, a high port bit...
Western Tom Thumb: This bit combines the simple, single-jointed mouthpiece of a snaffle with the shanks and chin strap of a curb bit. The idea is to maintain the basic nutcracker action of a snaffle, yet introduce the leverage...
Your trail riding partners think it’d be a fabulous idea to gallop to that big oak tree in the distance. But you get a sinking feeling in your stomach. You’re certain that you’ll still be flying at a dead...
Rubber Snaffle: The effect of a snaffle bit’s action is made milder when the mouthpiece is encased in rubber. The thick rubber material can be either pliable or hard. Some rubber snaffles include a faint taste that’s pleasant to...
D-ring: This bit gets its name from the shape of the bit ring, which is shaped like the capital letter “D.” The design fixes the bit in the horse’s mouth, preventing it from rotating and also from being pulled...
Dr. Bristol: A double-jointed mouthpiece, similar to the French link, yet more severe. That’s because the centerpiece of the Dr. Bristol design is rectangular, thinner, and includes angular edges.The centerpiece is slightly offset from the other sections of...
