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Aug. 20th, 2006 10:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
which_chickI went to the function today and the pie went over well. I didn't have any leftover pie to get rid of, which is how I judge success. Following the function, I went over to La's so that we could get on Thyme and Phantom and go for a short ride. That went pretty well -- Thyme acted like a total loon, but Phantom did a pretty tolerable job. He's got some brakes but needs more work on bending. I can do that in the yard, I think. He backs up pretty well. He is all over the going forward part of riding.
I neglected to tell all ya'll about Phantom's Adventure with the Bridle the other day. Horses who have never worn a bridle before spend the first probably twenty minutes they wear a bridle trying to spit the bit out... and about the first three or four minutes of each bridle-wearing adventure after that engaged in the same (futile) agenda until the lifetime total for wearing a bridle is about ten discrete instances. The bit is the metal part that goes in the horse's mouth, attached to reins and the headstall.
The rider steers with the reins, so it's important that the horse pays attention to what the rider is doing with the reins. If the horse is too busy trying to spit the bit out, he won't be paying very much attention to the rider's cues on the reins. One of the things with breaking a horse to bridle is that the person doing the work has to allow ample time for the horse to twink around with the bit and decide that, since he can't spit it out, it's easiest to let it sit quietly in his mouth. (For those of you having trouble with why a young horse can't leave the bit alone, I strongly suggest looking at people with tongue piercings or teenagers with removable retainers.) The rider can't teach a whole lot about reins until the horse lets the bit sit quietly.
So, if you are ever faced with a young horse who has never worn a bridle before, here's how it goes. Your horse has worn a halter and is reasonably easy to handle about the head and ears. (If he's not, you have to do that stuff first, as prep work.) You take the bridle and arrange it in your hands so that it's ready to put on. For me, I use the headstall in my right hand and the bit in my left, supported by my fingers. I stand on the left side of the horse, drape my right hand between the ears, stuff the bit (gently) in the horse's mouth with my left hand, and ease the headstall over the ears with my right hand. You remain standing on the ground for all of this and the reins should be loose and in your hand. Persons without experience bridling a horse should practice the moves on broke, trained horses until they are good at it. The motions should be smooth and workmanlike.
Once the bridle is on the horse (Don't rush it. Take your time.), adjust the straps so that there are like two teeny wrinkles at the corners of his mouth. Now, your job is to let the horse stand there and mouth the bit until he's done playing with it for a while. Once the horse's mouth is quiet for like twenty seconds, you take the bridle off -- gently and with care so that he doesn't bang his teeth on the bit. If you hold it without yanking, he will spit it out in his own time. Pet him and tell him he's a good boy.
Wait a while (five or ten minutes -- you can do other stuff or just let the horse stand quietly in the shade) and then rebridle the horse. It *will* be harder the second time because he will know what's coming. Still, do not fight or get rough with him. Take your time. Again, let him mouth the bit until he stops. Remove the bridle as soon as he lets the bit sit quietly in his mouth. Pet him, tell him he's a good boy, you know the drill. Repeat about three or four times. This is a lot faster than just leaving the bridle on the horse -- he *learns* to look for what you want him to do, which is a skill you're trying to teach above-and-beyond "Don't chew on the bit all the time.".
Once your young horse is not chewing the hell out of your eighty dollar bit anymore, you can start on what the reins mean. This is another little chore that you'd like to have underway *before* you get on the horse. Mostly, you want the horse to bend his nose toward the rein you're pulling on when you're pullng (gently) on one of the reins. I start out doing this on the ground. This is the 'bending' thing that Phantom needs more work on, the thing that we'll be working on this week.
And now, for some crazy reason, I'm whipped dead tired and I hereby decree bedtime.
I neglected to tell all ya'll about Phantom's Adventure with the Bridle the other day. Horses who have never worn a bridle before spend the first probably twenty minutes they wear a bridle trying to spit the bit out... and about the first three or four minutes of each bridle-wearing adventure after that engaged in the same (futile) agenda until the lifetime total for wearing a bridle is about ten discrete instances. The bit is the metal part that goes in the horse's mouth, attached to reins and the headstall.
The rider steers with the reins, so it's important that the horse pays attention to what the rider is doing with the reins. If the horse is too busy trying to spit the bit out, he won't be paying very much attention to the rider's cues on the reins. One of the things with breaking a horse to bridle is that the person doing the work has to allow ample time for the horse to twink around with the bit and decide that, since he can't spit it out, it's easiest to let it sit quietly in his mouth. (For those of you having trouble with why a young horse can't leave the bit alone, I strongly suggest looking at people with tongue piercings or teenagers with removable retainers.) The rider can't teach a whole lot about reins until the horse lets the bit sit quietly.
So, if you are ever faced with a young horse who has never worn a bridle before, here's how it goes. Your horse has worn a halter and is reasonably easy to handle about the head and ears. (If he's not, you have to do that stuff first, as prep work.) You take the bridle and arrange it in your hands so that it's ready to put on. For me, I use the headstall in my right hand and the bit in my left, supported by my fingers. I stand on the left side of the horse, drape my right hand between the ears, stuff the bit (gently) in the horse's mouth with my left hand, and ease the headstall over the ears with my right hand. You remain standing on the ground for all of this and the reins should be loose and in your hand. Persons without experience bridling a horse should practice the moves on broke, trained horses until they are good at it. The motions should be smooth and workmanlike.
Once the bridle is on the horse (Don't rush it. Take your time.), adjust the straps so that there are like two teeny wrinkles at the corners of his mouth. Now, your job is to let the horse stand there and mouth the bit until he's done playing with it for a while. Once the horse's mouth is quiet for like twenty seconds, you take the bridle off -- gently and with care so that he doesn't bang his teeth on the bit. If you hold it without yanking, he will spit it out in his own time. Pet him and tell him he's a good boy.
Wait a while (five or ten minutes -- you can do other stuff or just let the horse stand quietly in the shade) and then rebridle the horse. It *will* be harder the second time because he will know what's coming. Still, do not fight or get rough with him. Take your time. Again, let him mouth the bit until he stops. Remove the bridle as soon as he lets the bit sit quietly in his mouth. Pet him, tell him he's a good boy, you know the drill. Repeat about three or four times. This is a lot faster than just leaving the bridle on the horse -- he *learns* to look for what you want him to do, which is a skill you're trying to teach above-and-beyond "Don't chew on the bit all the time.".
Once your young horse is not chewing the hell out of your eighty dollar bit anymore, you can start on what the reins mean. This is another little chore that you'd like to have underway *before* you get on the horse. Mostly, you want the horse to bend his nose toward the rein you're pulling on when you're pullng (gently) on one of the reins. I start out doing this on the ground. This is the 'bending' thing that Phantom needs more work on, the thing that we'll be working on this week.
And now, for some crazy reason, I'm whipped dead tired and I hereby decree bedtime.
