Page 59 - ST November 2013

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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