Having fun with a musical ride at PHH

2 years in a row PHH has made a fun musical ride. In 2013 it was during the advanced teen week of summer camp, and this year it was a few keen students with Lindsey that showcased their ride during the season finale horse show at PHH.

Different this year we incorporated ground games into our musical routine. It was an interesting mix of horses and riders. 

Let me introduce you to the team on the 2014 musical ride:

• -        Lindsey & Balius: Lindsey (me) is the owner of PHH and experienced horse professional, paired with the least experienced horse in the group Balius. Balius is an all-around goof ball. He loves to play and definitely has a cheeky streak. I’ve had him since he was 4mths old and now he is 4 years old…. But he is barely started under saddle as I was always putting miles on other people’s horses instead of him. Being part of the musical ride team with Balius was one of my ways to help start putting regular play time with my baby guy every week. He developed a lot over weeks of practice J
• -        Christina & Thetis: Christina came to us through our summer camp program and during her 2^nd year with us partnered with Thetis. Thetis is probably the best trained horse on the farm and can do some high level Parelli tasks… but she is also challenging in her own way with a high energy level, sensitivity and sass towards other horses. Thetis is the off the track TB of the group that shows us that a race horse can learn new tricks J
• -        Caileigh & Arrowyn: Caileigh often nick names herself the clown of the group. She is an experienced hunter competitor but new to natural horsemanship and ground games when she started with us earlier this year. She’s still getting used to the ropes and ground games, but it all came together for the final ride. Arrowyn is the story of a neglected horse, she was a pasture ornament that didn’t do much until she came to us. She then went out on trial and mysteriously came back with a rearing problem. Caileigh spent the summer rehabilitating her and developed a strong connection with her. They showcase their skills beautifully together.
• -        Maya & Rose: Maya also found PHH through our kids summer camp. She has a need for speed and loves the jumper ring. Rose and Maya competed with success in the bronze jumper shows and also diversified their talents with ground games and bareback riding. Maya does the whole pattern with no saddle J
• -        Danica & Dreamer: Danica has been a coach with PHH for 2 years now and really has developed her skills with natural horsemanship. She now has the perfect partner in Dreamer, our QH gelding with the sweetest personality and  sensitive buttons. They do a great job of rounding out the team with some finesse to their movements J

Thanks for watching our musical ride highlights of 2014!

Just Another day as a Corgi Grandma

Caring for puppies is such an adorable and sometimes messy job.... but the adorable cuteness factor definitely outweighs the work!

Today Lona's pups are 22 days old. Their eyes are open and they are getting a lot more mobile. We hear adorable squeaks and noises as they play and wrestle with each other.

Check out this incredibly cute video:

Currently we have sold King and Neeta. That means we have 2 males and 2 females still available - let us know if you are interested.

Schooling Show at RCRA - check out why I'm so proud :)

Today we had a lot of fun at the RCRA schooling show - jumpers! The PHH team each gained some valuable learning experience. Whenever we go to a show we always feel like the odd men out. We are the only bitless riders and we also don't have crops or spurs... and yet our horses and riders are getting better and better.

First up in the 2ft division was Franny, Christina and Maya. Franny had her first time being offsite at a show and her first time showing in 2ft jumpers. - Shania is the perfect calm teacher to do that with It was a very exciting day for her. She started off with a few refusals and a fall in the schooling round. Not the start to the day she was hoping for, but the lesson of keeping your leg on and riding to the base of each and every fence was becoming clear. Her 1st round went much better than schooling but still had 1 refusal. As she headed into her 2nd round the pace and rhythm where starting to show and she picked up a 7th. Then in the 3rd round it all clicked together and you could see her start to fly with Shania. They were clear into the jump off and 4th in the class.

What was fantastic about watching Franny was her happy and positive attitude. Even though she was starting with some refusals and not the clear rounds she hoped for, she kept smiling and trying her best. She was truly a great example to all riders how to keep a good energy about yourself. The other great thing is that Franny didn't blame her horse or take any frustration out on her horse. A lot of riders would just smack their horse when they stop or spur them, but instead Franny focused on her skill and ability to ride the course and jumps. She accepted her role as Shania's partner and leader, and strove to do better... and she did. See Franny's transformation here. 

Maya and Nillina rode into the 2fts and did very well - no refusals. Nillina likes to start with some sass and takes a few jumps to relax and find her groove. In her first round she had 1 rail down, and it was a good lesson in remembering to ride clear in the first round and leave the gutsy turns to the jump off. Despite not getting into the jump off, she still managed a 5th. Maya's next 2 rounds she got the pace going and rode cleanly with 2nd place finishes in both the 2nd and 3rd rounds!

Maya was a great example of 'keep calm and carry on.' Her horse was protesting about starting the rounds but Maya just focused ahead and everything smoothed out and she got going. She didn't resort to smacking or spurring and the result was that Nillina could focus on jumping, leaving the rails in the cups and she made it a positive experience so she's more likely to get going next time. Watch Nillina and Maya here. 

Christina brought Quartz to her first offsite show after only being with us for a couple months and having severe confidence issues and rarely jumping for over a year. We went with the hope to get over all the jumps. Quartz started with a lot of fear and anxiety, she didn't even want to ride the rail and 'squeeze' between the jumps and the rail. Christina did an amazing job keeping Quartz in control and she survived some pretty big pops over fences. We decided it would probably be safer and better for me to take Quartz around and put her only in schooling. We did a fair bit of schooling and the results of patience were amazing.

Quartz went from being incredibly spooky, refusing multiple times, not being able to hold a canter, and startling at pretty much everything to holding a canter, riding the rail, and jumping everything in the ring with ease. It was an incredible transformation to watch the confidence in the horse grow, and grow, and grow.

It was an excellent example of how we need to put our horse's needs first and do what is best for them even when under pressure at a show. It was also a great example of how to handle refusals without causing more fear in your horse - instead of whacking Quartz and getting angry with her... we used patient persistence. The result is a horse that could start jumping smoothly and with an even pace rather than scooting, bolting, rushing, bucking, or rearing which so many horses do if you get too rough with them... especially Quarta'z Right brain introvert horsenality.  Check out some video of Quartz here.

Lastly I rode the 3ft division with Thetis. We had a lot of fun and our 1st round went smoothly and effortlessly placing 1st. Our 2nd round I didn't quite set up Thetis to a box jump and we had a refusal! It was a good reminder that you can't take for granted that your horse is usually awesome and has already done one round - you still need to ride every jump properly. We ended up 3rd in our 2nd round, and then we got back on our game for the 3rd round for another 1st place , taking the champion ribbon in the end.  Check out Thetis & I in video here. 

I was super proud of all of our team at the show. The horses were fantastic partners; our riders were amazing with their horsemanship skills showing us how to put our horses first and use skill & horsemanship to improve our rounds rather than spurs & scary bits with leverage; and last but not least our helpers Tracey & Morgan were fantastic at helping us with the whole day making it so much easier and relaxing!

I'm excited to take the team to the next show in January... and you can bet we'll be there bitless, barefoot (the horses), with no crop and no spurs...putting the focus on getting better with our horsemanship and riding not bullying or manipulating.

Survey Results and Priorities for 2015

It’s important to get feedback from clients, and at PHH we take that seriously. Maybe it’s the nurse in me that wants to continuously evaluate, assess, plan, and strive for improvement, but whatever the reason I know it’s important to me and our farm.

Now I can’t work miracles, and I’m not millionaire (big bummer right?) – so the next best thing is to get everyone’s feedback and input to prioritize the things we can change. That’s what we had in mind when we launched our 2014 feedback survey in early November.

We have the results back – and I want to say a big thank you to the many people who responded. We had a variety of responses from lesson students, summer camp clients and boarders. It’s great to have the variety of people responding so that we know each area of our clients are represented.

I want to share with you some of the key themes that came from the survey, and what we’re going to do about it:

The biggest thing that most people agreed on is that

•       You want bigger paddocks & less mud

We want to thank you for your patience on this. We know it’s an issue. We did a lot of scraping this year…. And the paddocks looked beautiful for all of a day or two, and then it rained and we were back to mud. Scraping regularly didn’t work and we know we have to do more than that. We didn’t do more than that this year because we didn’t know where the arena was going and what will be destroyed and levelled with the construction.

Now we know where the arena is going and what is happening to the paddocks.

We’re going to do what we can. We have drawn up plans to drastically change the farm. Literally not one paddock or arena is staying the same.

We’ve already started some of this fencing work… if you were up last week you would have seen some changes and if you come this weekend you’ll see even more work is being done. Until it’s all frozen and we can’t do anything, we’ll keep making improvements!

We will continue to have ‘sacrifice’ paddocks to preserve grass during vulnerable times otherwise the grass doesn’t get a chance to grow. What we are changing is making fewer paddocks so that they will be larger grass sections, and we plan to better utilize the back field, dividing it into two so the paddocks become very long and have a lot more space. We are going to look at a paddock paradise system to create more ‘tracks’ that force horses to have to travel longer distances to get to their grass or hay so they have to move more. We are going to go from 4 fields sharing the back pasture to only 2 paddocks sharing that space so you can imagine they will have a lot more. The grass ring will become a paddock, and part of the front lawn will become some pasture. It’s going to be a lot more fun for the horses.   

We will look at mud solutions for the sacrifice paddocks including grading. These things cost mega $ (like upwards of $30,000 to do 4 paddocks), so we will focus on fencing and more space for 2015 and may not get to installing tiles or concrete slabs until 2016 (we want to research it and do it right the first time… not cheap & wrong). I am very excited to reveal our paddock redesign in spring and this should be completed by the summer or soon after the arena building.

• ·        You want a heated viewing room – you’re going to get it. Once the arena goes up we will look at building a heated viewing room before the next winter. This will likely not be central heating, but will have some form of easy to use heat for the winter.
•      You want more obstacles: Yes! We are completely redesigning our obstacle ring and are moving it to the sand ring and surrounding area with a hill so we can build ‘stairs’, we’ve already built a new balance beam, bridge, and teeter and already have wood purchased to build a water splash box, brush box, and a turn around. If you have any ideas for obstacles please pass along  - or if you want to build any obstacles for us, please let us know and we’ll happily supply all materials!
•      You want the barnyard/barn to be kept tidy and all students to respect the equipment: we really appreciate that you want to help keep the farm tidy… it is seemingly a constant battle to keep garbage picked up, feed bins put back, etc. We have already posted a reminder checklist in the barn, requested our daily helpers to help with keeping things tidy and will do our best to keep reminding all clients and visitors to do their part to help keeps things tidy. I also recently went through the barn back to front and completely tidied it all up and we installed new blanket hooks and saddle racks to help keep it tidy while tacking up. We encourage you to work together to help keep the farm tidy, or let us know if you notice anyone not understanding how to keep it all organized.
•      You still want an outdoor round pen: We’ve looked at the design and we’re going to keep the round pen in the general area where it is, but it will be redone and shifted a little. The fencing will be installed professionally, and we will plan for this space to be used as part of the neighbouring paddock when not in use. We will also add sand to improve the footing in the pen once it has been rebuilt in its slightly different location.
•      You want the shelter in paddock 2 to become a hay & storage shelter: okay! We will plan to move it nearby for that purpose, it will also help to keep the barn area tidier because the wheelbarrow, etc can be stored in there.
•      You want.... lessons, trails, summer camp, horse shows, more cowboy events, trailering services to our clinics/events, the Halloween poker run, and horse agility – you got it! Look for dates being posted in the new year. Summer camp is already available and lessons and trails are continuing.
•      You want even bigger lockers – okay! These will be among the first things to go in the new indoor arena once built (after footing and lights).
•      You want an online webcam to watch the horses in their paddocks from home – we already have cameras that watch the horses (but they also watch the barn, entrances, etc) and we will look into either making this footage available to you, or installing more cameras that are dedicated to just the paddocks for watching.
• ·        Some of you want more professional looking jumps: We’re going to start with getting a better paint job on the jumps we have now and hope you like it. Look for this to happen in spring/summer.
• ·        Some of you want a 'real' washroom: We’re going to investigate costs and look at options. No promises here yet J

You also gave us a lot of valuable comments and suggestions – we are looking at them all. Some of the feedback included that we need to remember to be on time, have clear goals in lessons, and maintain tidiness in the farm. You also gave us many more positive comments about how much you enjoyed our services, our coaches, the variety, and general comments about loving our farm – thank you so much for both the positive & constructive criticism.

Even though the survey is now complete, please don’t hesitate to give us feedback or share your suggestions. We want to continually do better and your ideas matter.

We also want to encourage clients to keep communicating their goals and learning needs to staff to make sure you are learning what matters most to you. Please also tell your instructor if you enjoy a lesson or activity, and on the flip side also let them know if you don’t enjoy something. We are experts at reading horses, but not necessarily people… please leave the guess work out of it and tell us what you’re thinking!

We’re posting this so you can see how we plan to put your suggestions into practice. It’s part of our commitment to you. We think what we’ve planned is realistic and we can accomplish in 2015, but please keep in mind sometimes things can change and may shift our timelines or priorities…. Or who knows, maybe we’ll end up buying a bigger farm :)

Thank you again for all of your input, we hope you like what we’ve got planned for 2015!

New Pembroke Welsh Corgi Pups at PHH!

What an exciting time at PHH, we have new puppies! There is just something special to watch the special bond between mom and pups and the love they instantly feel for each other.

James & I began Corgi breeding because of our love of the Corgi breed. We think these dogs are absolutely perfect. They have the agility and ability to do big dog things like fetch, swim, be hardy around the farm, run fast, and keep up but they still have the convenience of being a small dog – you can pick them up, they fit in your lap for cuddles, they don’t take up a lot of space on the bed, and on road trips they fit compactly into the car so they can join on family vacations. Best of all they are so incredibly adorable, sweet, smart, friendly, and beautiful.

Our breeding journey began with several trips to the states – it is nearly impossible to get Corgi’s with breeding rights in Ontario so it was actually easier to drive to the states to purchase dogs with breeding rights down there. Quigley came from Michigan and our females came from Pennsylvania. Then came the paperwork – we had to register our dogs with the American Kennel Club, and then get them registered with the Canadian Kennel Club… each with their own paper hoops to jump through.

Now we are very excited to have Lona’s first litter of pups. She gave birth on Monday November 24^th between 7am – 1pm. We knew her labour was coming because we regularly were checking her temperature morning and night, and her temperature had dropped to 98.6 the night before which can mean labour will start soon.

Lona had other signs too – she was becoming more restless, nesting in her bed, not wanting to go outside, itching at herself, her belly and nipples were getting very full, she was becoming aggressive towards Molly (her sister), and the night before her labour she actually turned down some scraps of salmon… Lona never ever turns down food so we knew something was up!

That night she was also restless and she woke us up a few times with gentle ‘woofs’ asking to be let out and at around 2am she came over to James and just wanted cuddles.

That morning I called my mom and asked her to come over and watch Lona. Her temperature wasn’t as low as typically it would be before birth so I wasn’t sure I should stay home, but I knew she should be watched. My mom, Annette was on her way to the rescue and as she arrived Lona had 3 pups and had another 3 pups in the following few hours. It can be normal for them to take a break between pups and can go as long as 4hrs between pups without concern.

Lona is an excellent mother and is very affectionate to her pups – but definitely not towards Molly. Typically she loves her sister but she has become aggressive towards Molly for now and is only happy to be around Molly if they are outside in the backyard. For now we have them separated when in the house.

For safety we have Lona’s pups in a swimming pool (no water of course!) and it keeps the pups contained but allows Lona to jump out if she wants to.

The pups have all been nicknamed so that we remember who is who. Their markings are all distinct enough we can tell them apart. They are all going to be red & white corgis. They have some black hairs in places, but the interesting thing about their colour is that it will change as they grow up and eventually will be the same colour as Lona/Quigley except for their unique white markings.

If you are interested in a Corgi, or want to see pictures, please check out our Pembroke Welsh Corgi Puppy page on our website at:

http://partridgehorsehill.com/Corgis.html

#PHH #Corgi #puppies

Fun at the Royal

On Friday November 9 a bunch of us from PHH headed into the big city for the tradition of the Royal Winter Fair. There were many changes and a lot to see and do.

There was also a lot of the same... my annual favourites of the Rossti potato food booth, pumpkin pie fudge from the Nutty Chocolatier, leather cleaner from the bees, Bucas blankets from Picovs, belt buckles, and fun horsey jewellery from Wellingtons.

This year I also picked up a reflective quarter sheer from Pleasant Ridge for safer trail riding, new turquoise gear (polos and boots) and a new fully adjustable Genesis saddle from Wellingtons! Among some other cute things like horsey pajamas and socks.

There is always so much shopping but also a lot to watch and learn. We enjoyed the evening horse show which had some demos for trick riding and Guy McLean which was fun and wet our appetite for more. They also had 2 jumper competitions, indoor eventing and Shetland pony steeple chase!

The event was entertaining but also a bit scary....2 kids fell off in the pony steeple chase and one horse flipped over in the indoor eventing.  This begs the question. ...is fun and entertainment worth the risk that speed and jumping can mean?

Although unfortunate for the event rider, it was my first time seeing an inflatable safety vest in action. It was very interesting and looked like a very worthwhile piece of safety equipment since you never know what may happen...her horse willingly jumped the table drop fence but the horse's leg didnt quite clear the top rail so the horse did a somersault. It also is an example that if the jump was made for the top rail to drop, the incident would likely have been averted.

What continues to upset me the most at the Royal is the display of hackney horses/ponies in carts...it in my opinion is so focused on manipulating horses and making them something they aren't rather than a sport like jumping or dressage that emphasizes a skill the horse naturally does... the hackneys are kept with heavy shoes to make them lift their legs high and because of the shoes they cant have turn out so they are mostly stalled and secluded, they crank their heads unnaturally high to the point of straining their backs and they put contraptions on them to lift their tails so they become deformed. I dont understand it and it seems very much like an awful life to live. Can anyone shed something positive on this discipline?  Am I misunderstanding something?

Sorry thats my rant....

We didnt have much time to look at the other displays or the animal theatre. ...it just goes to show you that the Royal is a big place where you need lots of time because there is so mich to see!

At the end of the day all people and horses were okay and it was a good late night!

I hope you have a chance to go check out the fun.
#rawf
#rawf2014

The Spice of Life

I just wanted to give you all an update on Spice. Spice left for retirement to a family home in early fall.

Spice has been a well loved horse by PHH. He has been a favourite of many students and taught many students to canter because of his smooth gaits, willingness to please, and good work ethic.

It was very unfortunate that one winter he slipped in the paddock and fell hard onto his hock causing a bone chip. His one hind leg will forever be weaker. We gave him an entire year to rest and then the following 2 summers he did light riding work for smaller kids. He loved having a job and purpose but he was limited to what he could do.

In 2014 we decided it would be better for Spice if he went to a home where he could be loved and have someone who was 'his', rather than at PHH where although students loved him, they didn't want to stick with Spice because his leg prevented him from being a good horse to progress with since he couldn't do the hilly trails, jump, or do intense riding.

We found him the perfect match - he is the absolute love of a little girl that enjoy going for walks with him. Spice is teaching her to trot and canter and she is loving him every bit. They have their own farm, so if or when she outgrows him, he will continue to be loved at their farm.

They sent me a photo of him doing and I've shared that with you here.

Spice is a fantastic and loving horse and I am so happy that he has found someone that can be 'his'. They are the perfect match for each other :)

An amazing 2014 and it's a big year ahead!

We're wrapping up 2014 and are so thankful for all the support and interest in PHH, it's been just crazy how much we've grown!

We do want to get your feedback on what you want us to do in 2015, so please tell us your thoughts at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FXXKGSK

I wanted to take some time to fill you in with some of the things we've experienced and where we are heading into 2015.

This year we had our foals Sola & Symba who share the excellent bloodlines of Balius, as well we are delighted that Jesse is the owner or the other foal, Gaia. We look forward to seeing great things from these foals in the future. We don't foresee anymore horse breeding for us in the near future (or maybe ever), that was enough stress for me!

Molly also had her first litter of pups, a litter of 5. Everything went well and we love playing with the little balls of fluff. Lona is currently pregnant and expecting her first litter of pups. We plan to continue breeding Corgis, and will alternate our girls so they only have 1 litter per year. Stay tuned for when the next litter of cuteness arrives!

Our flock of chickens seems to have grown out of control.... we went from about 5 chickens to now about 50 - and they hatched themselves with no help from us. We enjoy letting our chickens live a very natural life and we plan to continue letting them hatch some chicks, but now we are limiting them so they don't hatch quite so many. We'll likely be selling eggs next year. Currently we use the eggs and chickens for ourselves.

We now have ducks on the farm - Lady and Elvis have graced us with their presence... we don't really know what their purpose is, but they sure are cute to look at and they mingle with the chickens nicely.

This year I've spent a lot of investment in my own learning and development - there is always so much to learn! I participated in clinics with Don Halladay, a jumping workshop with Kathy Baar, a ground workshop with Maureen Owens, Centred Riding Workshop with Peggy, and Centred Riding lessons with Esther Johnson.

I plan to continue with centered riding and may even pursue my instructors license n this field. I am also continuing with Parelli Natural Horsemanship and still have my eye on doing my official levels assessment.

It was another great year of both summer camp for kids, and summer weekend camp for adults! There is always such a variety of learning, and we were thankful to this year's coaches Alexandra, Anastasia, Danica, Marcie, Caileigh Anne, and Paige at camp!

We were back in the show ring this year in the bronze series at Blue Star Farm - boy did that feel good! Thetis and I were reserve champion at the last show and year end champion, along with student Alexandra who were year end champion in their division. Maya, Morgan, Christina, Paige, Alexandra, Cailey, and myself all competed and brought back many smiles and ribbons - we'll plan to do it again next year.

We also hosted our own show series which went very well and we will try this again, along with our first extreme cowboy competition - super fun!! So we will definitely be doing that again.

If you look around the farm from beginning to end of the year you see many changes - new fencing, shelters, new arrangements in the tack room, new obstacles, etc.

Next year is going to be massive changes - you won't even recognize our place by the end of 2015.... among the biggest changes is a massive 270ft x 80ft indoor arena... which means a lot of renovations of fencing, shelters, paddocks and rings.... and yes thats bigger than the Ricoh where they host the Royal Winter Fair :)

We're also partnering with other equestrian centres in the Natural Horsemanship Association to host a new series of shows and horse agility which will be brand new for 2015! We hope you can take part in these exciting new events.

As I sit here and write all this, I am in the waiting room just about to get lasik eye surgery done, so I think it's safe to say everything is going to look a whole lot different!

Going Bitless?

Going Bitless?

By Lindsey Partridge, President of the Natural Horsemanship Association and owner of Partridge Horse Hill, www.PartridgeHorseHill.com

I was asked recently about my opinion on using bits versus going bitless – the person was wondering if I thought using a bit was cruel and if I thought everyone should be working towards going bitless. I imagine a lot of other people are wondering the same thing – there seems to be an uprising in the number of people that are choosing to go bitless, as well as a larger number of people going bridleless – do some searches on youtube and you can find some spectacular displays of bridleless jumping, reining, mountain trail, cow cutting, dressage, and more!

At our farm, Partridge Horse Hill, you might think I was against the use of bits because if you come watch some of our lessons you would quickly notice that most of our horses are riding bitless – even a quick browse in our tack room and you’ll see that none of our school horses have a bridle with a bit on their hook.

The reason for this is not at all that I think bits are cruel. To me, any tool can be cruel or soft depending on the hands that are using it. 

There are two main reasons why we rarely use bits at Partridge Horse Hill:

1)      Rider’s need to prove they are ready for finesse: A tool is only as soft as the hands that use it. Even a bit with a chain can be super soft and subtle if the hands using it are very soft and subtle. Even a plain snaffle bit can be wickedly painful if the hands using it are harsh and out of balance.

At our farm we teach having solid basics comes before riding with finesse or collection. Before we give anyone a bit to ride with, they must first show they can ride with a soft and consistent contact through all of the skills that they would be doing with a bit. This is because to have true collection the horse needs to be willing to take hold of the bit – being accidentally bumped with the reins can cause the horse to be fearful of taking contact. Many riders today force a horse into a frame, without having true collection of the horse stretching over their topline and taking on more weight from the hind end. They do this by riding too much from their hand. It can take a very long time to gain a horse’s trust to accept collection and contact if they’ve had someone be harsh on their mouth. 

  This is one reason we keep our horses bitless – so that if student’s accidently bounce their hands, or take too much contact it won’t matter as much and won’t damage the ability to ride with a bit later when they are ready. If both the student and horse are ready for a bit and wanting to learn with one, then we do have bridles with bits that we can use for those lessons.

Having students begin bitless also means that they learn proper technique and balance and don't rely on making pain in the horse's mouth to cause the horse to stop. 

2)      Some horses just don’t like bits: not all horses are the same. Some horses have really sensitive mouths or have had such harsh riders that they don’t like bits – you can spot these horses as the ones that stick their tongue out the side of their mouth, they run through the bit, or people feel the need to put flash nosebands or other contraptions to tie their mouth shut. 

Some horses get more anxious and flighty with bits because their mouth is a sensitive place, and if they aren’t ready for a bit it will get them feeling nervous and more in the ‘fight or flight’ frame of mind. A lot of horses that tend to be flighty and too quick tend to ride better when they go bitless because being bitless can help horses feel less anxious. At our farm we have a couple horses that I just don’t feel the need to ever introduce them to a bit – one is an off the track Thoroughbred that gets really stressed when she has a bit and even with light contact she will sometimes take her tongue out to the side of her mouth, and another is an older mustang that only got started under saddle as a 16 year old – they both ride beautifully bitless and I just don’t feel the need try and make them ride with a bit. It’s not to say it can’t be done – but why fix it if it works?

There are other reasons someone might not want to use a bit – injury in a horse’s mouth, an older horse with bad teeth (might hurt to put the bit in and take the bit out), if you like to graze your horse during the ride or use treats during training (easier to eat without a bit), or even just that you may like the idea of staying out of your horse’s mouth.  

I do have some students who choose to ride with bits because they and their horse are ready for learning collection with a bit – but if they aren’t learning that, then we typically stay bitless. I find learning collection is easier with a bit – a bit in the right hands can be the ideal tool to help master collection and skills of finesse, however, it’s not needed and most of our students ride with no bit, even the ones competing in jumpers or practising upper level movements like canter half pass. 

It is important to remember not all bitless bridles are created equal. I actually had an article that came out in Horse Power magazine that talks more about that (the spring issue) – but it’s important to know that there are many types and just because one type doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean another wouldn’t (the same goes for bits).

I have come across some bitless bridles that really don’t work well for me or the horses I train (the ones that cross under the chin). I prefer a basic side pull design for a bitless bridle. Some people might think bitless bridles give you less control – this isn’t true providing you’re using the right kind of bitless bridle. I actually start all of my horses bitless, and only introduce a bit once I’m working on collection. Even horses previously trained with a bit I find can transition to a bitless bridle in one session very easily.

All in all, I think what matters more than the bit or bitless bridle someone chooses are the techniques they use. I would encourage all horse sport associations to allow bitless bridles and for all coaches to be open to using them – as it’s probably the best choice for many horse and rider combinations, especially at the schooling levels where there are green horses and riders that could really benefit from staying out of the horse’s mouth until solid skills are developed.

Being the odd man out.

Yesterday I competed at Blue Star Farm in the 0.9m jumpers for the first time in a long while.  I've been going to shows as a coach and spending most of my riding time at home developing new horses that it'd been way too long since I've zipped around a jumper course.

It was great fun to be back in the show ring and also a wake up call that both me and my jumper, Thetis, are a bit out of shape! We had 2 rails down from being a bit tired and off our take off spot.

The big thing that struck me was what an odd man out I felt like. I felt seriously under tacked as I rode with no bit, crop, spur, martingale or tight nose band. I was a partner with my horse and we moved swift and quick without head tossing or pulling on the reins.

My favourite moment happened right before we entered the ring for the speed class and someone said to another competitor "no one can make that turn its too tight from the jump" and moments later Thetis and I easily made the turn and rode to a 1st place finish.

Several people commented their amazement how effortlessly I could steer my horse and make turns no one else could.....and I had way less equipment. 

Another great moment was in the 0.6m jumpers when student Alexandra and I rode the stake class and smoked everyone else....both of us bit less without the crop and spurs. (I rode one class in the baby jumpers unjudged)

It's a fantastic feeling to show everyone that bit less can be as effective or better and that focusing on building an understanding and partnership with horses works.

Alexandra was 1st in all her classes and champion. I was 1st, 3rd and 7th and I couldn't be happier :-)  I expect that if I practice more regularly before next show that with better fitness we can get even better results.....or at least I'm looking forward to try!

I hope as more time goes by we see more people losing the extra equipment....so the horse can spend less time fighting the rider and more time focusing on the rider which we saw some of today.

I dont hate bits etc but I do think many people use them incorrectly and would benefit from getting out of their horse's mouth.

Wish us well next time!