This post is a bit of a photo dump, but I also need bitting advice. I sorta stole this from
L. Williams over at Viva Carlos, because it looks freakishly like Limerick! My horse is an Hermes model... NBD :)
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| The horsey model |
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| Proof #1 |
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| Proof #2: He even likes to stare at himself in mirrors |
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| Proof #3 |
Other than the facial markings and the sock on the left (not right) front leg, it's totally him!! *UPDATE: thank you Hillary for being picky and reminding me to add the part about the sock ;)
Now, an interesting comparison of how Limerick used to jump (normal) vs. crazy weird reindeer jump that he recently developed:
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| Being a normal pony, complete with bascule and head down... |
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REINDEER! I mean really, he looks like he belongs on the front of Santa's sleigh
Finally, the three bits I'm considering after I decided that the loose ring snaffle just doesn't give me enough steering power... ideas? Does anyone use either a full cheek, eggbutt, or dee ring snaffle? What are the differences between them and what are they useful for? Any advice would be most appreciated :)
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Haha, if its on my blog unless I come outright and say "I made this" it means I stole it from Tumblr or pinterest.
ReplyDeletehaha good to know! Then I guess I should say thank you for finding it, it's perfect :)
DeleteI use a full cheek bit on 99% of the horses I ride. It's kind, but it gives you lateral leverage in case of an emergency, which can also be useful for enforcing bend, etc. It also doesn't slide through the mouth like a loose ring or turn 'upside down' like a d-ring.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Do you use bit keepers? I read that full cheeks should always be used with them, but I know of some people who don't..
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'd say the full cheek would be your best bet if your having steering issues. Especially if your using it with a figure eight noseband, be sure to use the bit keepers, attached to the cheek pieces.
ReplyDeletethanks :) I'm going to try one this weekend!
DeleteFull cheek if you need help steering. On the flat I ride in a loose ring KK ultra but I don't have quite enough brakes/steering for XC with that bit so I ride Charlie in either a full cheek French link or a full cheek plain snaffle. Both are just enough without going overboard. ;)
ReplyDeletethanks!
DeleteIf you're having steering troubles, the full cheek is your best bet. The eggbutt gives the horse a steadier contact and less movement, but doesn't change the steering. Ds are pretty, but they tend to flip around and get the reins caught funny, which is inconvenient on XC.
ReplyDeleteThat said... Lim's new jump isn't really the biggest difference in the picture. It looks more like you're gunning him at the jumps, then grabbing him and clinging like a monkey. I only say this because it's totally what I do when I'm nervous, too.
You might consider bitting up from the KK to a Dr Bristol or slow twist to give yourself some brakes, then doing lots of gymnastics to get your butt out of the saddle and your hands off his face. I bet he'd go 80% better after that.
/unsolicited training advice
Good luck!
I shouldn't have said steering troubles, it's more like I need to maintain steadier contact that the loose ring isn't providing. Thanks for the help :)
DeleteI'm actually not the one riding him in the picture of his new jumping form... that's Gail, a woman who rode him that day for me. He causes himself to get hit in the mouth by the very act of throwing his head up midair, so that's also not where the problem came from. I'm not really sure why her butt is already back in the saddle that early in the jump, but I think it had something to do with how weirdly he jumped it because she's normally fine!