What sort of bit to use? ?
I'm riding my mare in a Boucher bit at present and want to switch to something else that's mild and encouraging for collection. I ride mostly dressage on her, but jump her occasionally as economically. The Boucher bit I'm using now isn't what I'm really looking for, but was what her previous owner used and I purely continued to ride with it. She's giving some problems with collection lately so I am going to switch bits and have her teeth floated. Thanks!
I do dressage, and I use merely snaffles. Most of them are in loose rings. They are good for dressage, and I recommend them.
I suggest using a snaffle bit or even a bitless bridle. Snaffles are great for dressage because they raise the horse's head. Bitless bridles are excellent because they put pressure on the horse's trunk, the most sensitive area on them, and it gives excellent control and movement in dressage. I will post a couple of sites near info on each of them.
Good luck! :)
This site is loaded with info, but the picture of the bridle is poor looking.
Bitless- http://www.equisearch.com/horses_riding_...
All kinds- http://www.kbrhorse.net/tra/bits01.html
I'm sure you can find adjectives kinds of sites providing info on bits if these don't work for you.
Oh, p.s- In the show ring, I do not know if they adopt bitless bridles, I hear they are mainly used for training purposes. I would get a bitless just to offer her effective training, so that when you give her the lightest touch she will move that way. This is worthy for dressage because it takes down points if your movements are obvious.
Answers: The type of bit depends somewhat on you. The Boucher, whether it is a high end one, will give you somewhat poll pressure. Most Bouchers however are not properly made (read A Bit of Magic, an 88 page book that has great information). Basically, if you paid smaller quantity that $100, you are using a bit that functions, from a mechanical point of view, exactly as any eggbutt snaffle or D-ring snaffle does. You own to read the book and see Alex's illustrations to really understand this.
Basically, if you hold good hands, you can use a loose ring snaffle. The rings magnify the movements of your hands. If your hand are a bit unsteady, then the eggbutt or D ring is better, as they dampen the motion of your hands somewhat. (I ponder all school horses should go within these bits, it's only fair to them)
The boucher is going to give you more assistance with collection than a regular snaffle. A boucher with a french link will comfort even more. The only thing you could use that will give you more relieve would be to move up to the double bridle.
