The "Broken Mouthpiece" Myth
Many people think that any bit with a broken mouthpiece is a snaffle. The difference between a snaffle bit and a curb bit with a broken mouthpiece is in the shanks. A true snaffle bit does not use leverage, so it will not have any kind of shank. Snaffle bits also do not have any means of putting pressure on a horse's poll, like a gag bit does.
When bit shopping, don't be fooled into thinking that a curb bit with a broken mouthpiece will give you the benefits of a snaffle bit. Remember, shanks mean leverage and leverage increases the strength of the pull, regardless of the type of mouthpiece.
Basic Concepts
John's techniques for training a horse to respond to the bridle have been covered in many Perfect Horse articles. We won't try to explain his entire program in this article, but here are a few basics about how to make the transition from riding with a curb to riding with a snaffle.
Apply pressure to one rein until the horse gives you the change you desire. When the horse responds correctly, release the pressure.
Be specific in your mind about what you are asking for, and be sure you are not asking for too much at once.
First teach your horse to move his hindquarters to the right when you pick up on the left rein and vice versa. (This is also the foundation for teaching the one-rein stop.)
The one-rein stop is your emergency brake. It allows you to get the horse under control by bending him around to a stop. This movement keeps you safe when you are using a non-leverage bit.
Next, teach your horse to lower his head when you put pressure on the bit. Apply pressure and release it immediately when he complies; reapply if he raises his head and again release immediately when he lowers it.
Use circles and serpentines at first to help control your horse's speed. Over time, you will use your body position (not your reins) to control your horse's foot speed.
Getting your horse to lower his head on request is the key to teaching your horse to walk calmly down the trail on a loose rein. To teach it, apply pressure with one rein and hold it until the horse lowers his head. Then give him an immediate release. As soon as the horse starts to raise his head, take up pressure and hold until he lowers his head. Once your horse understands this concept, you can ask him to lower his head anytime to help him relax.
Although it may seem alien at first, controlling the speed of your gaited horse is no longer going to be done by pulling on the reins as you may have been doing when riding in a curb bit. Your horse will learn to respond to your body position as requests to speed up or slow down.
When you first begin, your horse won't know this, so use lateral bending to slow him down if he is gaiting too fast. Riding in circles works well, but riding serpentines works best. A serpentine consists of riding in a straight line, then asking the horse to turn in a half-circle in one direction. Continue riding straight, and then ask the horse to turn a half-circle in the opposite direction. Continue this pattern until the horse slows his feet.
The faster the horse is gaiting, the more frequently you should ask him to turn. Remember to only use one rein when you ask the horse to turn in a half-circle.
Further improvements
Once you have made the transition from a control device (curb bit) to a training device (snaffle bit), you can begin to eliminate some of those behavior problems we commonly see in our gaited horses.
One common problem we see in gaited horses is their inability to stand still for the rider to mount. I actually saw a gaited-horse trainer tell a rider to tie the horse to a wall, mount, and then untie the horse while mounted. I thought this was a bad idea, with great potential to get someone hurt. But it does illustrate just how desperate people are to solve this problem.
John offers a better, and far safer, solution. His approach to teaching a horse to stand still begins with groundwork. You teach the horse to lower his head and move his feet in response to cues with the reins. Once the horse understands about moving his feet on cue, you can begin teaching the horse to stand still. (That sounds backwards, but all training begins with movement, even standing still.)
The basic idea is that you cannot make the horse stand still. You can, however, give him options. You offer him a chance to stand still. If he begins to move around, you begin directing his feet to move - forward, backward, shoulders left, hips left, shoulders right, hips right. Any combination will do as long as you keep asking the horse for movement and you control the direction of the movement.
Next, offer him another chance to stand still. He may be glad to stand or he may start to move again. If he moves, just go back to practicing moving his body parts with the reins. It may take several iterations of practicing, then offering him a chance to stand, but eventually, he will be glad to stand when you give him the chance. Over time, as you keep practicing this, the horse will stand still every time without the need to do the groundwork first.
To prevent your horse from anticipating the fact that you will be moving as soon as you are in the saddle, you should make a practice of having the horse stand still for a minute before you move away from the spot where you mounted. You will be amazed at how big an improvement you will see in your horse by just making that small change in your riding habits.
Another problem you might have is a horse who won't stand still while you are mounted. To fix this problem, ask the horse to stand and then release the rein. If the horse moves away, pick up one rein and make the horse do a one-rein stop. As soon as the horse's feet have stopped, release the rein. Repeat the one-rein stop every time the horse moves, and he will quickly decide that it is far easier to stand still than it is to move around going nowhere.
If your gaited horse wants to rear, you can do several things to help break this habit. First, teach him to lower his head on cue. A horse cannot rear if his head is lower than his withers. Once his head is lowered, keep him moving forward, but keep his neck bent to one side. A horse can't rear if he can't get his head out in front of him. Work constantly on having the horse walk calmly on a loose rein. A calm, relaxed horse is unlikely to rear.
If your gaited horse is tense and nervous when you ride, you should spend time teaching him to lower his head and walk on a loose rein. Working on serpentines, circles and half circles will help your horse relax and realize that all his excess energy isn't necessary. It may take many sessions, but your horse will change his attitude if you are consistent and show him that he has nothing to fear.
These are just some examples of ways you can use John's training techniques to improve your gaited horse's performance. Consider the possibility of freeing your gaited horse from the potential harshness of a curb bit and venture into a new partnership based on willingness and trust. You'll find that the snaffle bit is the cornerstone for building this new partnership.
