[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Question for you guys.

I was reading a thread over on the horse forum. The question was slowing a WP horses lope down. Someone answered, “collect with the reins, and drive with your legs”. Ok, I’ve heard this before, and I believe English/dressage riders do it more. Doesn’t this mean to keep contact on the horses mouth?? It should be done with a snaffle? doing this with a bit with a curb chain would engage the chain???

My question. When does the horse get relief? Do you release when the horse is doing right?

In my experience, and it may be because I have a curb chain, keeping contact, even seesaw contact, tends to always piss the horse off after a while. I’ve always wondered about this type of advise for English or Western. Am I misunderstanding something.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Yes, it should probably be started in a snaffle. In a western curb, you still collect with the reins, but you teach a lighter contact, the horse should stay just inside what you’ve asked. It’s ‘controlled slack’.

[Duchess47]

Becky, the curb bit is used on finished WP horses, they are trained in snaffles so it's possible to rate them just like you would an English horse.

We went to a show today - Kelly's daughters were riding and she hauled Tuffy to ride around and to work him with other horses. He behaved like a 20yr old gelding :) Did fine with the other horses coming up behind and/or passing him, etc.

Oh, she put a fake tail on him to see what he'd do - he didn't care (I still don't like fake tails)

A friend of ours is the President of the Pony Express here in Nevada. He's been working for years to get something up to mark the trail and recognize the Pony Express Riders. It's finally up and horse and rider decided to not wait for the unveiling - they've thrown off the tarp coving them :)