Think Twice

I did something silly today. Well, daring-- borderline stupid.

I’ve been intrigued by the use of bitless bridles I’ve been reading about. I have two good reasons to give bitless a chance: our horses.

My Dream gets melancholy when it is time to bit up. And he does not open his mouth or accept the bit. His mouth has been seen by the vet and an equine dentist.

Ebony has a wonderful mouth. I trained her, and hands are one of my better riding traits. She has students on her now, and I have been worried from the start about her sweet mouth.

So bitless could help both problems..?

Dream has herd-bound issues. He scoots sideways and has been known to get me off, twice: the first time he bucked (2007) and the first time he reared (2008).

So this morning I decided to try riding Dream with our Western saddle and two lead ropes. It’s raining, but my riding clothes can stand up to that, and so can the Wintec saddle. A halter and two lead ropes is nothing like the proper bitless bridle, but I just wanted an initial reaction.

Dream was a little wet (the horses have in-and-out stalls). I got him ready while he munched some hay.

He got sad when he thought the bridle was coming, just like he always does. He put his head in my chest. He always does this. (I used to joke that he’s saying, “I am sorry for what I’m about to do to you.”)

I cheerfully told him there’s no bit today! I did cheat, and put the chain of the right hand lead rope over his nose, crossing it over the top of his halter nosepiece so that it’s not completely rubbing him. I ran it under the halter and snapped it alongside his left jowl.

He went to graze as soon as we stepped out of doors (it had stopped raining). I had the right lead tied loosely around the saddle horn, and it prevented him from grazing. I don’t know if I would have let him graze for a few minutes if he’d succeeded..?

As soon as I was ready to mount he turned into what I call my ‘angry, dark red horse.’ Ears go back, faces are made, he tries to bite me, etc. I spoke to him for a while and let him do walking laps around me. When I stopped him, he took a long breath. I praised him (to which he tried to bite my hand as I stroked his neck) and I got on.

All of this behavior was physically checked by a vet, a horse chiropractor and a horse massage therapist (both of whom gave him treatments), and saddle fits have been checked, etc.

After I mounted, he walked away from the barn so I let him go as far as he wanted. I let him stop and look around and then I asked for a walk. We went further out to the front rise of the lawn. We tooled around the gardens up top and the bonfire it and looked at the cars in the driveway next to the house. He gave me some scooting near the gardens, his furthest spot from the barn. I used my voice and he stopped. I went close to the barn and had him do some tight circles in both directions. Then we left again.

I have been putting the pony in her stall lately when I ride because, after living alone for 7 years, she has taken to calling him when we are out, galloping around the pasture, etc. He almost unseated me this past summer over her antics.

(He does the same things when I ride her, but she’s much better about it all.)

But I didn’t lock the pony in today, so she was cantering and calling, but she eventually stopped.

We were now in the “soccer field” in front of the barn, which sometimes doubles as a smaller riding arena. We did some riding there, turns, and stops.

The guys from the electric company were out sooner than I thought they’d be, down the easement maybe 500 feet away, to our right: the sound of big saws clearing the electric lines of trees in the woods. You know, that high pitched “WWRRRrrrrr, WWrrrr, WWRRRRrrrr…”

Fortunately they were out there yesterday, too, so Dream at least did not have to be that surprised by the sound.

I headed into the back yard behind the house. There is an upper barn between our house and the animals’ barn. We tooled around there for a bit. I asked him to go between the grill and the picnic table and not to hit my head on the basketball hoop.

I could feel him interested: his mind was off the pony. That’s good.

We kept up the riding for a while. I noticed his breaks weren’t as good without the bit.

He scooted on me once again in the back yard but I just used my voice. He got tense again when we left the backyard toward the barn but I thought “relax” and he dropped his head. I praised him. I gave him some opportunities to just stand and rest for reward but he really didn’t want to. I praised him whenever appropriate.

We went back to the top of the soccer field and after a bit I dismounted. My good boy just stood there wondering what was going to happen next. He took a relaxation breath when I got off. He was standing there in a halter and lead ropes in a western saddle and didn’t even think about grazing.

I took a handful of grass and fed it to him and told him to eat. I loosened the girth and told him that today his is my cow pony after a ride, grazing his breakfast.

Scott met me outside and was disappointed to have missed our ride. He was impressed at the “no bit” effort and I explained to him what I’d been learning about bitless riding lately. He thought it sounded good and made sense.

After Scott checked on the electric company tree cutters we took Dream inside and did the morning chores together. Dream was relaxed, quiet, HAPPY. Scott carried the saddle inside to dry. It was slung over behind his shoulder, and with his cowboy hat on, I have an image of my husband to last me the rest of the day.

And I have a ride to think about. Next time we will take Ebony out, and try her bitless, too.

Since we’re talking Western--

Aislinn and her cat Beatrice

Aislinn was born 4 years before we adopted Dream; 

she was born the Year of the Horse and her name is Gaelic for "dream!"

Think Twice, 2002.