Tracy Meisenbach- A Good Bit of Knowledge

A good bit of knowledge and knowledge of a good bit are both needed to become an excellent horseman.

We talk about a lot of bad bits, because, well because there is so MUCH material to work with. There is just a never ending line of bad bits being created all the time to solve every problem that doesn't exist until someone's butt hits the saddle.

Some of these bits are just touted as being down right miraculous and able to do things a horse can't physically. Most of us can see at a glance when a bit is horrible. But what makes a good bit? Where do we look first and what do we look for?

A) Look at the mouthpiece. Doesn't matter what you intend for the bit to do, where it comes in contact with the horse's soft membranes needs to be the absolute priority. The tongue and lips are very sensitive. You're talking about something that can pick up a single oat and can feel the slightest touch. Doubt me? Try to poke your finger into the lips and run it along the bar edge. Most horses will immediately raise their head, even if you aren't pressing down. Look at the anatomy of the horse's mouth. It's all soft curves (tongue and palate) and hard edges (bars and teeth) Anything you use is going to pull, vibrate, rub, drag or poke all of these things at some point. A horse will tolerate a lot if whatever is moving in his mouth is SMOOTH. Smooth and able to glide across the tongue and lips. Saliva can lubricate, but if there are ridges, twists or gaps in the bit guess where the saliva goes? Yep, so then the bit rides down on the tongue and lips. Start smooth, stay smooth. No green horse should ever be in anything but a smooth mouthpiece bits. You are starting his lifelong perception of being handled and compelling obedience with a sharp mouth is not a good way to build trust.

1) Thin closed twist, very sharp, can cut the tongue, lip and bars.

2) Open twist, square stock. Square stock is different from regular round twisted wire as it retains the edges of the square. These sharp edges can cut and dig into the tongue. See saw action can literally saw into the tissue.

3) Wide twist thin square stock. All those thin sharp edges move back and forth across the tongue and lips.

4) Open twist round wire, abrasive, grooves are wide enough to grab the pebbled surface of the tongue, also the edges of the lip. Any action on the tissue of the bars will be abrasive.

5) Wide twist thick square stock. This is a slow twist bit that people seem to think is kinder than a regular twisted wire. It's not. This big sharp edges create pressure points as they move across the tongue.

6) Waterford. Pretty much goes standing link, flat link, ball, flat link, standing link, ball, standing link, flat link, ball, flat link etc. Every one of those balls is a pressure point on the tongue. Yes the bit does form to the horse's mouth, yes the edges are rounded, however this mouth also creates pinch points between each standing and flat link. When it moves side to side it will grab the edges of the tongue and the lips.

7) Big link flat chain, Mikmar. This bit has GRAB. The flat joint in the middle allows the tongue to get caught and the wide spaces in the links also let in tongue tissue. The side joints at the lips are narrow and when the bit moves side to side they grab the lips and pull them out with the bit. (I own this one and know how it works)

8) Thin bike chain. Forms to the mouth, rolls over the tongue like a series of thin edged tissue grabbers. Extremely rough on the edges of the lips and over any tissue that sits over bone.

9) Open work flat chain. Most flat chain bits are fairly mild, but when they are like this with open links that don't "stack" over the next link they are abrasive and particularly nasty at the edges of the lips and over the bars.

10) Standing link wide chain. Every other link is a hard pressure point into the tongue, pulling through the lips they create spread and then allow the lip to close over the next link, until pulled back through, catching the edges as the bit moves back and forth.

B) Look at the joints and joinings. Joints should have smooth movement without pinch. Roller joints that stick below the cannons create pressure points. Any welds should be ground smooth. Connection to the shanks should be tight so no pinching occurs. Look at the length and shape of the joint. Single joints break over the tongue, the best ones are on slightly curved cannons and have nicely rounded edges. How curved? If it's a single joint you should be able to fold the bit flat. That's the right amount of curve. If you can't fold it flat the cannons are too straight. If you fold it flat and there is a huge gap between the middle of the cannons that is too much curve and it's going to work your cheeks into the jaw and around the bars hard. Double joints need to be long enough to break out over the bars, so that the tongue remains flat beneath the center joint and the ends don't ride down on the bars. Barrel joints that are smooth and fluid are acceptable, donuts and lifesavers are not. Chains are quite popular, whether linked or ball and link, but they are not all equal. None of them should be used with direct rein as they drag the lips up and out and dig hard into the tongue.

C) Mechanics. How does the bit work? Always look at the order of actions, because some of the bits marketed today do not work as advertised, especially combo bits. Anything with a shank is going to hit the mouth first. Always. Even those nasty lifter bits hit the mouth first. So your first cue is directly to the mouth, is it abrasive or communicative? Are you cuing or compelling? Pick up one rein and what happens? A lot of bits are advertised as having independent action, but is it really? Pick up one rein on a wonder bit and you move the opposite shank forward as the curbstrap tightens across the jaw. Use a high barrel joint port and you torque the bit as one side drops forward and the other remains up. So too much independent action can be bad, especially on a horse that doesn't have a good head and neck carriage. The trend is now for three piece mouthpieces and loose shanks but ask yourself what those busy mouthpieces create. To me they create temptation. It's like handing a child a stick, or a slinky. He may play with the stick, flip it around a bit, but in the end there isn't much entertainment value so he ignores it and gets bored with flipping it around. Hand him a slinky and suddenly you've got this swooshing, vibrating, entrancing thing to play with and twist around for HOURS! It's like a fidget enhancer. So start quiet, as quiet with as little movement as you can and only go up by increments. Do NOT make huge leaps in bitting. Don't go from a single joint snaffle to a correction port curb. Don't leap from mullen to waterford. It's better to go down a notch and address a problem then to leap up several levels in severity.

D) Physics. What does the bit do? When you pull what is the end result? For a direct rein 1:1 ratio bit the pressure you put on the reins becomes the pressure applied to the mouth. If your horse is running through it then you can choose to use draw reins, martingales etc to give you a momentary advantage. Or you can up the severity of the mouth, which usually only works a short time, or you can go back to ground level and re confirm your stopping cues. Your seat and leg MUST play a part in how your bit works. If you're just riding on the reins then you're numbing the horse's sensitivity to your rein cues and creating the run away. With a curb you need to assess total shank ratio. How long is the bit? Whether it has an equal purchase (1:1) or a shorter or longer one doesn't change the fact that your pressure ratio is still determine by the total shank length. What the purchase determines is how much pressure goes onto the chin and poll as well as the mouth. The sweep of the purchase also determines chin and poll pressure, as well as how hard the mouth gets hit, as the more sweep the more mouth pressure without a brake on it

E) Does your bit communicate or does it compel? If you put the bit on the horse and tug the rein does he pay attention and respond in a relaxed manner? Or does he immediately tense and either become evasive or hair trigger? If it's the second one then your bit is a problem, drop down a level and get some relaxation and communication going. Test the bit against your skin, is it smooth, balanced, has pre signal? Does it pinch, have abrupt movement, slow release? What are you saying to your horse when you pull the reins? Are you whispering or shouting?

Give you horse a chance so that even while working his bit is NOT always ON. Give him a break. He cannot stay on edge and waiting for the next painful cue and perform at his peak. Your bit has to have an off switch. This means when you loosen the reins the mouthpiece does not still cause him worry. It means his headstalls loosens a little, his curbstrap hangs loose and his tongue and lips can reseat the bit without feeling like they are being scored by sandpaper or pinched by pliers.

Look at each component and the closer they are to smooth, close joints, fluid action, good pre signal and vibration and immediate off switch the better your horse will be.


Tracy Meisenbach
Copyright 6-9-2015
Do not repost or publish without written permission

Tracy Meisenbach: Layered Leverage

Layering Leverage

There’s an old, and highly accurate saying: When you combine ignorance and leverage, you get some pretty interesting results.

Sometimes you get a horse flipping over, sometimes you get a horse panicking and bolting off and sometimes you get a really nasty fall as a horse struggles to keep upright, but can’t because his head is leveraged down.

So let's talk about layered leverage. Leverage is the basis for all bits, even snaffles. It's based on weight, gravity and resistance. With a snaffle the leverage is 1:1. You pull at one end, with your arms/body and at the other end the same amount of weight is applied to the bit. Lean your body back to augment the pull of your hand and your horse is holding up your torso weight with his mouth. Ugly to think about, but a reality.

Curb bits have leverage because of their shape. They are simple levers. Pull one end and the bit pivots around a fulcrum and places pressure on the mouth. The force is determined by the length of the shank combined with the amount of the pull. Most curbs of standard show legal length fall under a 1:4 ratio, meaning the purchase is 1/4 of the shank length. 5 pounds on the reins translates to 20 pounds in the mouth.

Gag bits are simple pulleys, whether draw gags or curb action gags. They work off of a 1:2 ratio. Whatever pressure you put on the reins is doubled in the mouth. It's the same principle as lifting a heavy object; a pulley allows us to lift double the weight. Put five pounds on the reins of the average shanked gag and when the cannons invert the purchase to shank ratio you've got 40 pounds in the mouth because the bit increases the leverage action and rachets it harder. The curbstrap doesn't stop the cannons from moving up, it just stops the purchase from rolling forward.

Draw reins are a 1:2 ratio leverage addition. Put them on a snaffle bit and they change a 5 pound pull to a 10 pound pull. Put them on a gag action curb bit and they change a 5 pound pull to an 80 pound pull. Why? Because each layer of pulley you add reduces the amount of pressure you apply and increases the amount of force at the end of where the energy is dispersed. The force has to go somewhere and in this case it's the horse's tongue.

Does your horse deserve layered leverage? No. It’s a sign of being a poor trainer without a modicum of scientific knowledge about how bits and training equipment work. It puts you at a truly unfair advantage that the horse can only equalize by freaking out. And when that happens you both lose. I have never seen a horse made better by it, but I have seen many horse ruined by the ignorant used of layered leverage.

So don't layer leverage. You're applying more force to your horse's mouth than you think.

Tracy Meisenbach
Copyright 2-2014
Do not repost or publish without written permission

Tracy Meisenbach: Proper leg wrapping. Why is something so easy, so hard?

Leg wrapping is one of the most common forms of leg protection and one of the most misunderstood. The leg from the knee down has no fat, no heavy muscle layer and no articulated bone structure. It moves front to back and cannot safely extend forward unless the elbow and humerus are completely engaged.

The front legs are prone to damage from the rear legs and hoofs. A hard hit by a rear hoof to the pastern, cannon or quarters can permanently injure a horse and remove him from competition. Wraps and boots can help protect from the strikes and also help your horse not hyperextend his tendons past their limit.

A standard leg wrap is made of felted fleece, 4.5 inches wide and 9 feet long. In the old days they had thin ties to keep them on, now they have wide Velcro straps, a vast improvement. To  understand how wrapping affects the leg you first have to look at the anatomy of the leg.

 The deep flexor tendon (red) and the superficial flexor tendon (blue) as well as the sesamoid bone are what the wrap protects. As you can see the deep flexor tendon goes down into the hoof. Injury to this important tendon can completely remove your horse from competition.

The tendons need to be able to move up and down smoothly within the tendon sheaths and to not encounter anything that hinders this smooth movement. If the wrap has one layer tighter than another it can cause the tendon to “hitch” on the edge of the tighter layer and create a bow. This can easily be avoided by making sure the first layer of the wrap against the horse’s skin is one solid smooth piece.

How to create a smooth inner surface? Turn the wrap so the inside of the wrap is facing the leg. The roll should be under the tail. Place the top of the tail against the mid point of the knee and unroll down. It does take some practice to be able to do this smoothly and easily, and a fidgety horse can make it a chore. However, once you are used to it you can do it as fast, or faster, than the old fashioned style. I used to wrap 8 polo ponies all the way around in about 35 minutes.

 Once the tail length is set move your hand down the wrap, keeping it smooth. Bring the roll to just under the curve of the pastern. This smooth layer of wrap will mean that there is no uneven tension down the back of the leg and no ridges that the tendons can hang on. It is imperative to allow free and fluid movement of the leg. So why not do this in the opposite direction, go from the bottom to the top and wrap down? Because the tendon is already stretched just by the leg being straight, like a big rubber band.  When a horse is just standing around his leg is at the mid point of its flexion. When he lifts the leg in it retracts the tendons to their shortest length and when he extends out in full stride the tendons are at their longest length. So you don’t want to push DOWN on an already stretched tendon. This is why wrapping from the top down is such a bad idea, because you are pushing down on a tendon that is already stretched. You want to support the tendon, so the first layer is smooth, then wrap UP, so the tendon is NOT hyperextended before the horse even starts running.

  


Now flip the wrap over so it’s going to unroll the correct way and unroll toward the front of the leg. Always wrap counter clockwise on the left legs and clockwise on the right. This keeps the tendons toward the inside of the leg and aligned within the sheath. Flipping the wrap also creates a triangle of extra padding right at the inside pastern, which is where most of the hard strikes occur

 Wrap around the front and then to the back, putting tension on the wrap as you encircle the leg. Wrap UP, making sure the inner layer stays smooth all the way up the leg.

 Raise the wrap level each time you circle the leg and keep the tension even and smooth.

   




Your last wrap up the leg should be right under the knee capsule, with about two inches of tail sticking up.

   




Fold the tail over and continue wrapping around the leg. This will be where you start to wrap downward

 Wrap over the tail. This keeps the wrap from sliding and provides another layer of protection at the top of the tendons, which is also a common strike zone. Be sure you are pulling the wrap consistently tight, loose wraps can cause more problems than tight wraps as they can slide and wad up at the top of the pastern, or come loose and cause a horse to trip over them

Wrap down, evenly spaced layers.

Go under the pastern and then back up. This creates a nice support layer and prevents a hard grab on the pastern.

Wrap back up the leg. So now we have a smooth layer down the back, a wrapped layer up, a wrapped layer down and now for our last wrapped layer back up.

A good, smooth, evenly spaced wrap job, tail tucked in securely, all the hard hit areas with an extra layer, nothing preventing the tendons from moving freely up and down.

When you end up here you've done the job correctly. The tapes should be flat along the side of the leg, not across the back. The front triangle is in place right under the knee. It takes a lot of practice, but it keeps your horse safe and can prevent a hard hit from damaging your horse’s legs. Practice makes perfect, so practice, practice, practice!









Copyright June 2014
Tracy Meisenbach
Article and photos cannot be used, shared or published in any form, printed or electronic without author's written permission.

Tracy Meisenbach: Riding to Compete or Competing to Ride

            Riding is a lot of fun. It’s a physically active sport and also requires a lot of mental engagement. When coupled with the fact that it brings us closer to those great hairy beasts we are obsessed with, it’s often the best form of therapy against the stresses of daily life. As more and more people discover the joys of riding and horse ownership I see a definite reduction in the quality of riding and training, vs the quantity of riders and horses. It’s not a good trend.
            When I started out in horses good equitation was drilled into us from the moment we got on a horse. Classes like western pleasure and hunter under saddle REQUIRED a good, well presented rider. It wasn't about the bling, it was about your seat and hands. Now judges don’t even look at equitation in these classes, as is evident by the leaning back and pumping heels you see at World and National shows.
            Back in the day you learned to ride and then when you finally got good enough to be in tune with your horse you started competing, first at a local level, then regionally and finally, if you were good enough, nationally. It was a big deal. A National championship meant a lot because it was the result of years of work and dedication. Horses that showed in halter also showed under saddle, proving that their conformation was truly form to function. Now, except in very rare cases, those days are gone. Poor riding has become the norm and it’s a disgraceful trend. I see top level trainers that have less riding ability and ring etiquette than local 4 H riders. I see leaning back, horrible bouncing, legs pumping with every post, constant hand movement, and constant spurring. It’s almost like the show ring has become a puppet show full of poorly guided marionettes.
            In the speed events it’s become even worse. The riding I see at rodeos and jumping competitions is downright scary and embarrassing. Whoever invented the super extended, kicking every stride, barrel racing method was an idiot. It looks bad, actually slows down the horse as he braces for each kick, and creates a non-existent seat as your butt flies up a foot out of the saddle before slamming down onto the horse’s back. And the jumping with the exaggerated two point, super short stirrups, death grips on the reins and constant see sawing around the ends is just deplorable. WHERE HAVE ALL THE RIDERS GONE?

            In the here and now a trainer can win big money and still ride really bad.  Why? Because most of the trainers are being judged by people, who are also trainers, and they ride bad too. When you look at the stock horse industry the hunter section has become a travesty. There are judges hired to assess English classes that have NEVER ridden in that event. They've never been to USEF shows. Their exposure to English classes has been watching the other stock horse boys ride. Well that’s like learning to be a mechanic from someone that has no idea how to work on a car. Their ignorance is reflected in the horrible trending down of equitation. Let’s face it, proper form while riding is a thing of the past. Even in the Olympics someone that leans back and has a leg that swings like a pendulum can get a gold medal, the Beijing games were proof of that.

            So let’s step back a moment and look at why proper riding has gone away. Riding is a discipline, like ballet or gymnastics, which requires “form” in order to create the correct “function”. Of course you can muddle through, but in doing so you risk injury to yourself and your horse. And you waste a lot of time and money before you get good results. We need to remember the horse should NOT be used as a guinea pig while we try not to kill ourselves while learning to ride. Think about it, you’d never go hop in an airplane and just fly off into the blue. You’d never reach the end of the runway before killing yourself. A horse needs the same mindset. He’s a set of earthbound wings and to guide him safely and to take advantage of his power and flight you NEED to know how to handle him correctly. Here’s a list of things you should know before you EVER ride into the competition arena (barring leadline class!)

1)      Proper equitation. This means the automatic alignment of ear, shoulder, hip and heel. Your back should be straight, no duck butt or leaning over the cantle. Your shoulders soft but square, knees slightly bent, just barely able to see your boot toe if you look down. Your upper arm should be in line with your body NOT extended out with your hands wide open like the western pleasure riders do today. Arm down, hand closed, wrists flexible. Heels should be DOWN. Mot level, not pumping with every stride, DOWN. You should be able to snap back to good position within seconds and YES you maintain it through speed events, over fences and doing any patterns. If you CAN’T then don’t punish your horse with competitions until you can. It’s not your horse the judge doesn't like, it’s your riding.

2)      Know all the gaits, while maintaining proper equitation. This means that at a walk, jog, lope or walk, trot, canter your butt is in the saddle, it doesn't bounce. You don’t sway like a drunken camel rider, you don’t crouch like a monkey on a stick. You RIDE the horse at all times.

3)      You can stop the horse without raising your hand to your chin, jerking on the reins, throwing yourself backwards, leaning back over the cantle or sticking a spur in your horse’s side. A stop is subtle, it is graceful and it is gentle. You want to know why horses dread stopping? Because poor riders have made it a sequence of torture that starts with jerking the reins and ends with back pain that even the average chiropractor can’t fix. Learn to stop and don’t move on until you do.

4)      Know how to move both ends of your horse and the middle. If you can’t do a slow turn on the haunches, forehand or basic sidepass, and correct flying lead changes you have no business running barrels, jumping or even going down the trail. Your horse has a keyboard down his side and each button tells him what you want to do. If you randomly whop the buttons like a cat walking across a laptop you create confusion and resentment. Learn the cues before trying to learn the event. And if your horse hasn't mastered these skills he has no business being worked on a pattern or over a jump course. Don't create problems because you are in a hurry to get in the show ring.

5)      It is ONLY after you master the above 4 that you can even consider moving on to pattern work and speed events. Do NOT try to learn patterns and speed while learning equitation. You will create more bad habits in yourself and frustration with your horse than you can ever undo. Learn to ride FIRST. Don’t play tough, don’t “cowgirl up”, don’t go all “redneck fever”. LEARN TO RIDE.

6)      Once you know how to ride, and are working in unity with your horse, then you can add speed, turns, harder stops and obstacles. And after you add these things your equitation is STILL important. It’s important for your safety and for your horse’s physical health. I see comments all the time about lameness, sore backs ( both people and horses) being ring sour, dangerous behavior and once I investigate the common denominator is usually the rider. The rider bounces, jerks, flops, doesn't balance or take into consideration the physical structure of their horse. So LEARN to ride. Take lessons from someone that KNOWS how to ride and that does not mean the local Natural Horsemanship trainer that thinks standing on the horse’s back or laying it down is a demonstration of ability. You want to know what it means to ride with your butt in the saddle and your horse upright.

New Rider Common mistakes        

1)      Thinking a new bit will fix YOUR problem. If your riding is causing your horse pain or confusion a newer harsher bit is NOT going to fix anything, it’s going to make it worse. More pain added to more frustration usually means a showdown at some point and people always lose.

2)      Make sure your tack and clothing fit the job. Don’t ride in tight boots, slippery pants, really baggy clothing. The barn is a place to work, not show off the latest fashion trends. Make sure your horse’s equipment fits him too. I realize the big belt bridles and bling buckles are all the rage, but they fit poorly and rub and annoy the horse. Use common sense. When you “bling” out and then fail to turn in a good ride you look ridiculous.

3)      Learn correct terminology. LISTEN to other horsemen at competitions. Look at what they use and KNOW the difference between good training and flashy training. Don’t mimic the jerk and spur crowd.

4)      When you have a problem with your horse the first thing to assess is YOU. Once you’ve eliminated all issues that could be rider error THEN examine what could be causing the horse to react. Is it pain, fear, frustration, illness etc? LOOK at the situation and assess it from the horse’s point of view. Don’t think that spurs, harsher bits or “getting tough” are going to fix it.

5)      Don’t go beyond your abilities. Your ego is NOT the deciding factor here. There are two lives at stake and the other one deserves your consideration. Your lack of riding ability and ignorance can condemn your horse to the canners if he becomes unmanageable through your poor handling. Take the time to learn correct methods to get solid long term results.

Riding should be enjoyable, for both you and the horse. Proper riding makes it easier on both of you. Don’t stack the deck against yourself and try to learn too many things at once. Instead learn slowly, learn completely and learn safely. Wear a helmet, it’s your life at stake. Don’t follow dangerous trends and don’t let your ego rule over common sense.

Don’t compete in order to have a reason ride, instead ride well so you have a reason to compete.

Tracy Meisenbach

Copyright 2014

             All rights reserved foreign and domestic
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