Page 59 - ST November 2013
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You are too tentative.
contact and to ride your horse actively forward 

• Many riders act diferently when riding with so he doesn’t feel blocked. For more guidance 
a bit compared to a hackamore; they become on riding horses with contact, please refer to 

tentative and a bit wishy-washy in their leader- our DVD course, The Game of Contact. 
ST
ship. Act as if you are riding in the hackamore 
but never forget you have a bit. and when 

riding in a hackamore, act as if you are riding 

with a bit. In this way you will become more 
consistent with your ‘feel’. Not using a bit is 

no excuse for being rougher or quicker with 

your hands. Rein handling should always be 
graceful and smooth.



The horse chomps on the bit and continually fusses 
with his mouth.

• Contrary to popular opinion, this is usually 

more relective of a horse’s emotional reaction 
to handling or treatment than about the bit 

itself, much like seeing a person idget with a 

pen in his hands. It is an indication of tension 
and can arise due to anxiety from being held 

back and restricted, or feeling bored because 

the training is not interesting enough. 
Remember that horses are claustrophobic, so 

the more you hold a horse back, the more emo- 

tional he’ll get. Direct the energy rather than 
stopping or suppressing it.



The horse tries to pull the reins out of your hands.
• This usually happens when the horse feels 

trapped. Make sure your ingers aren’t tight 

and that your hands aren’t ixed in place and 
jammed down. If your horse pulls, let the 

reins slide through your ingers without any 

resistance and then pick them up again, as 
often as necessary. This will help him calm 

down, whereas grabbing the reins and trying 

to prevent it will upset him more. The idea is to 
help the horse feel safe and responsive in your 

hands, and this does take skill.


The horse puts his tongue over the bit or outside 

his mouth.
• Wait until your horse stops this behavior before 

you release the reins. If you release when he 

has trouble you will reinforce the behavior 
rather than correct it. Left-brained horses 

are more likely to do this if they feel blocked. 

It’s important to learn how to hold an elastic




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