The biggest challenge I faced with Cherry was her bit issues. She hated the bit with a fiery passion, yet nobody would believe me when I told them that.
At first my trainer thought it was simply a lack of training, and while this was indeed true, it wasn't the only reason. Then we thought that is was perhaps due to an issue with her teeth. I called the equine dentist out and got Cherry a full power float. Though there were several sharp points as well as ulcers in her mouth, the bit issues didn't totally go away after the dentistry.
I tried several different bits, from the copper snaffle Cherry came with to a kimberiwck curb to the fancy-shmancy loose ring sweet metal french link snaffle. The curb and the french link were the ones she tolerated best.
I say "tolerate" for a reason. The closest we came to acceptance of the bit was this transitory, grudging allowance of contact, only occasionally being actually on the bit.
In my lessons, we worked on keeping my hands as quiet as possible, using only seat, leg and voice cues (no rein cues) and driving from behind to push Cherry into the bit. It kinda worked, and it was frustrating as hell.
It seemed like we were making zero progress, and my little mare appeared as untrained and resistant as ever.
When I moved to college I had no more money for lessons, so I had to deal with the head tossing and neck bracing on my own. Of course I also had less time to ride, which didn't make things any easier. Cherry was still rather difficult to control and very easy to upset when we rode in the arena.
Then I made an astonishing discovery.
A friend introduced me to bitless bridles. Of course I already knew about them, but the only one I had ever used was a great bit mechanical hackamore that wasn't suitable for English riding. Maia had a Dr. Cook's bridle, which she used on her very forward TWH cross.
This bridle did not have shanks, instead it looked much like a regular bridle, except the reins attatched to peices that crossed under the jaw and met over the pole. When rein was applied, pressure from the cross-under piece "pushed" the horse's head over, and when the halt cue was given, the whole bridle tightened around the head.
I was intrigued, as Maia told me that her horse worked better in that bridle than any other, and that it also had plenty of "whoa power" out on the trail.
So I borrowed it and tried it out. Instantly it was like riding a whole new horse. The head came down, the tossing was far more infrequent, and it felt like all the resistance had melted away. The well trained horse I'd been molding over the past 6 years suddenly shown through. Wow, there really was something to this bitless shtick!
Of course I rushed right out and bought my own.
The DC bridle has been on several trail rides, one campout and been used in countless lessons. I do not believe (as some claim) that the bridle causes pain, as Cherry is a huge weenie, yet didn't mind my beginner students' clumsy steering and stopping attempts when using it.
Lately I've been experimenting with other styles of bitless bridle, such as the side pull and mechanical hack. It's fun for me, and as long as there's no metal in her mouth, Cherry goes well in pretty much anything.
But why?
Up until a few months ago, I didn't really care much *why* Cherry went better bitless. After a few arguements of "she'll accept the bit, just make her deal with it, all horses can go in a bit, etc." vs. my opinion that "she doesn't like the bit", I got curious.
Am I just being anthropomorphic? Or is there something I've overlooked? On the advice of a friend, I looked in her mouth to see the actual physical space a bit would occupy. I finally had my answer. I was right, she didn't like bits, and for a very good reason.
Where a normal horse's palate is convex, Cherry's is concave. Couple with a nice thick tongue, there's literally no room for a bit in there. Nearly every bit I used was banging on the roof of her mouth with every tiny twitch of the rein.
No wonder she was so fussy and resistant, it hurt!
I'm sure if I kept looking, I could find an acceptable bit, but I just don't care anymore. I myself prefer riding bitless, and will slap my DC bridle on any willing horse, and at age 19, I just don't care about fixing what ain't broke.
We don't show and I'm not selling her, so it hardly matters what she goes in as long as she's happy.
I'm also convinced that the bit problems are not due to a hole in her training, as some would argue. She goes very well in all the bitless rigs I've placed on her. She'll move into the contact and be "on the bit" in the non-leverage bridles and will neck rein and carry her head like a western horse when ridden in the mechanical hackamore.
I cannibalized my old English bridle to make a sidepull, which despite the Franken-bridle appearnce is one of my favorites to use.
This fabulous thing is my new mechanical hack, of course pruchased on ebay. I'm not sold on the blue nylon, but it fits and it was cheap, so I'm happy. I'm on the hunt for a leather headstall for it, but the nylon one will do for now.
Bitless bridles, especially the "nontraditional" styles like the DC bridle, are a bit on the fringes in the horse world. Most people want their horses to go in a bit, and bitless riders tend to be looked down upon. (Ask me how I know)
That's alright though, as long as it works for me and my horse, I don't care too much how ridiculous others find me.
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