Snaffles - Not just a starting point

First off, I spent several years chasing bits, trying to find the right bit that would bring about the change I was looking for in my horses. Until I was humbled enough to realize that the change had to come from me and not a piece of metal. I have apologized to my horses for my past approaches, much like I apologized to my daughter for taking her into town for one of those nasty McDonalds Happy Meal once a week when she was growing up. It's amazing that as we get older some things get clearer. It's just too bad that some people, and I'm in that group, won't live long enough and learn enough to make right decisions the first time, but sometimes, maybe everytime, on how learning takes place.

When riding a living, breathing animal four to six times our size and who can instantly move too quickly for us, or dump us on the ground, it is human nature to try and gain control and that most often leads us to more and more severe bits and headgear. But, it really is logical that in our and the horses development in the progression of training you would think we should tend to get softer, not only in our approach and how we use our hands (and legs) but in the bits/head gear we make our horses wear. Put in another way, as we and our horses get better we should be able to get by with less effort and harshness.

In the clinics I see all sorts of bits and headgear. Gag bits, mechanical hackamores, shanked bits connected to nose bands and tie downs. I've seen mechanical hackamores with really soft nose bands but with curb chains are pretty tight before the shanks are activated. And in the annual Arena Challenges I run, such as in this year's event, out of 27 competitors and horses, there were only two ridden in bosals and only two ridden in snaffles. To be sure, some competitors rode really soft in other bits, one rider in particular with a spade bit and several in leverage bits (having shanks). I was pleased to see more riders this year riding in a soft manner, with quiet hands and good communication with thier respective horses, however I had hoped to see less of the contraptions that try to control a horse through pain and not signal.

Over the years I am now in a place where I haven't used anything other than snaffle bits or bosals on my horses. On all my snaffle bit bridles I use slobber straps and have graviated to the longer slobber straps as I think they give a clearer pre-signal and quicker release. The two snaffles I use the most are the ones shown in the photo above. One regular snaffle with copper bars that really get the horse salivating and the other with a copper roller in the center.

The past week I had a gent come over wanting to see how I suggest he progress with a two year old colt he was going to pick up soon. The colt should have a dozen rides on him before this guy brings him home. This gent is no novice but it had been a long time since he has ridden green broke horses. I pulled one of my horses and rode him a snaffle showing him what things I would work on. Towards the end of the demo he asked at what point would I go to a shanked bit. He just thought that going to a leverage bit is the natural progression. While many of the best horseman (and women) in the country progress from a snaffle, to a hackamore (bosal) then to the two rein - riding with a bosal and a spade bit each with it's own reins, then eventually just in the spade bit, but there are many of us as well who can't get along well enough with our horses riding in a snaffle and being able to ride one handed, neck reining, controlling the front and back ends independantly from each other and getting horizontal and vertical softness....hence the draw of a leverage bit.

With the bosals and snaffle bit bridles, I can't remember using anything other than mecates as reins in the past 10-12 years. I think if more riders would give a snaffle bit a chance, riding several times a week on a particular horse, they'll come to find that they can not only get on just fine on a snaffle but actually see a better response in their horse. And the mecate reins, while seemingly may be complicated at first, is really a great tool. The photo above shows the snaffle bits with slobber straps and mecate reins. Maybe this will spark alitle interest in the snaffle bit as opposed to leverage bits. Safe riding everyone an Happy Thanksgiving.