Time for Change

So after getting feedback on my latest video, I decided to change Olly's bit. First, let me start off with telling you what he was in and the problems we were having. He wore a french link loose ring since I have owned him. Lately, the more open field riding we encounter, he has been evading the bit by dropping his head and curling at the pole making it hard to control his speed. I have tried using a lighter seat and making sure I am not shifting my weight. In the end it might be time to move on, so I go into this new "adventure" with light hands and an open mind.
On to the bit of choice. i am not sure if I stated in the last post, but I had a kimberwicke hanging right next to Olly's bridle in the tack room. I ALMOST grabbed it the other day instead of the loose ring. Today, I grabbed the kimberwicke. Now, I am not sure what bits Olly has been ridden in before me. He has a very light mouth and is very sensitive to anything, legs, bits, seat etc. So making this decision was very difficult for me. A kimberwicke is a leverage bit, that being said, new pressure points are about to be used. Before I headed out I thought to myself best not to go hopping on so I looked for my vienna reins. To my demise, moving two times in 5 months really doesn't do well for the organization. No Vienna reins today.
When I put the bit up to his mouth he, of course, opened. Then the realization hit. WTF is in my mouth??!! Alot of licking and chewing occured. I grabbed my lunge line and Olly and walked to our "arena." Just to give him time to feel it out with out any pressure being applied to the bit. I had my camera ready and sighted in to record the short lunging, but I forgot to replace my SD card from downloading the video yeaterday, so the video was 12 seconds long. I have chosen to forego the uploading.
after the lunging, which went well, I got on and walked a bit collecting ever so lightly. The last thing I want to do is grab hold of his mouth and make it a bad experience. 10 minutes of walking (with no sturrips)and taking in the area and it was on to trotting and picking up the sturrips. This is where I saw the difference. His pace and his down transitions were steadier and his head was lower. Not to mention he fell in on his circles less. On the down side, I felt his lateral movements were decreased. I also used this time to work on myself. Knees pointing to the ground, heels and hands down (I even opened my pinky's to check)and post to the pommel. This also may have been a factor in his area too. If I sit and ride better, he will perform better. After using the kimberwicke for a while I am going to drop the loose ring back in and check to see if this was a traing issue, a Pru issue, or a bit issue. For now the kimberwicke is a good move. Next on the schedule...transitions. Up and down transitions walk and trot. I talked about how Olly was having the issue walking. All I would get is this jog instead of a walk. So we practiced. This was another time I used to work on myself with both sturrips and no sturrips. As much as I hate riding without sturrips, it is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Another 30 minutes down and he was responding well. This time around we picked up a canter. At first he was a bit fast, so we down transitioned to a trot. Everytime his pace increased we trotted. It took three times in the cricle and then the light switch turn n. "OHHHHHHH! you want me to go slower!! I get it." FINALLY! I tell ya nothing feels better than for something to click. Even though it is the slightest little movement, it gives you the encouragement to continue on. Olly was quite happy too. At times it seems like he is just trying to piss me off, but I look into his eyes as I talk to him and I can see he that he just wants to do what I want. He really wants to please me and make me happy, it's just that sometimes he has no CLUE as to what I am saying! And when we find the way to communicate it reminds me why we are together. Feeling confident about the cantering I put out some ground poles. 36ft apart. This should help keep the tempo even when we aren't in a circle. First try he thought he was to jump them...fair enough. I reminded myself to relax my leg, sit up tall and keep my hands low and still. And the second try, it was exponientally better! Funny...when the rider makes themselves better, the horse becomes better. I guess I should remind myself more often. We ended our day doing steady transitions. Today was one of the most enjoyable days with my big red horse since I have been here. What a wonderful ending to an already great birthday!



Sporting his new bit