FAST RIDE SUPPLY - FOR ALL YOUR BARREL RACING NEEDS

BITS DEMYSTIFIED – August 2007

I have a tendency to get long-winded when I start talking bits. However, I am going to attempt to offer my two cents worth and I promise to try and stick to the condensed version!

First of all, bits are not nearly as complicated as people make them out to be. If you remember a few basic guidelines you can use good 'ol common sense to figure out the mechanics of any bit.

One thing to look for is each bit's "control points" (some have more than others). Examples of control points include: the mouthpiece, curb chain, curb set back (offers quicker response from curb pressure), gag vs. fixed mouth, noseband, shank, and loose rings for headstall attachment vs. fixed rings.

The more control points you add the more control the bit has to offer (and many times in the wrong hands- severity).

Once you have made note of the number of control points a bit has you can further assess the bit in question by looking to see how severe each individual control point is. For example the noseband- a rope noseband is milder than a piggin' string nose, steel, or steel wrapped nose. A leather curb strap is milder than a soft rope curb, and a rope curb is milder than a chain curb.

As for the mouthpiece your smooth mouthpieces are milder than your twisted or squared mouthpieces. Mouthpieces that are larger in diameter are milder than more narrow pieces (however, it has been my experience that most horses "pack" the smaller pieces better as long as the rider is light-handed). The more "breaks" a mouthpiece has the better it "lays" in the horses mouth and the more bend or flex it has to offer (think mullen… to snaffle… to dogbone… to simple chain).

On that same note, the length of a bit's shanks also greatly influence the amount of bend or flex a bit has to offer. The shorter the shanks (or even lack of as with a ring bit) the greater the amount of bend and flex. The longer the shanks, the more "whoa" a bit has to offer. The key here is to find a happy medium, finding a bit that has enough brakes for your horse, yet still offers an acceptable amount of flex.

The angle of the shanks is important as well. Shanks that angle back towards the rider provide "lift" to help elevate a horse's inside shoulder. The more they angle back, the more lift they provide, and the longer the shank associated with that degree of lift, the more leverage you will have.

The amount of gag (sliding action of the mouthpiece) that a bit has is also important. Fixed mouthpieces offer direct contact from your hands on the reins to your horse's mouth, and therefore an instant (and often abrupt) reaction to your cues. Gag action offers a type of "insulation" between your hands and your horse's mouth. This helps you to create a more gradual response from your horse... more of an even "flow".

A curb setback engages your curb strap sooner for a quicker response than a normal curb setting.

Loose rings for attachment of the headstall offer more "bite" from the noseband of a combination bit, where fixed rings provide a softer level of control.

I am a certified bit junkie so I could go on forever, but like I said before if you break each individual bit down by its number of control points and by each control point's level of severity you can usually sum up just about any bit you want- deducing each control point's function and level of control in order to reveal each bit's purpose.

- Ivey Pope

CHOOSING A SADDLE - May 2006

When selecting a saddle for your horse, there are several factors to keep in mind and sorry but you should be #2 in the equation! Your horse has no choice but to accept whatever you put on him so let's start trying to make him comfortable.

First of all, you should only shop where they allow you to either bring your horse to their store for fitting or allow you to take it home to check it out on your horse. There isn't any good way to do it otherwise. Coat hangers are too easily spread to fit the saddle gullet and besides there is more than one point of fit.

A few important facts about saddles should be known before you head to the store. The first biggest misconception is about semi, full or quarter horse bars. That is a measurement each saddle maker uses to know how wide to make the gullet. It has very little to do with fitting your horse. Each manufacturer has their own designations and they will vary from company to company. The gullet measurement is taken at the base of the gullet where the bars tie in. Fit comes into play wherever the bars come into contact with the horse. The shape of the bars will dictate how well the rest of the saddle will fit your horse.

One little known fact about a horse, is that they do not have a collarbone to connect their shoulders to their skeleton. The shoulders are actually "free floating". They are only connected by tissue and muscle. When you have a saddle that is too restrictive over the shoulders, it will squeeze the shoulders in and as you can imagine be very uncomfortable for a horse. The pressure increases on the ribs and you will generally notice, besides other things, the horse's trot will be very stiff.

The first couple of points of interest in fitting are of course, the withers and the gullet. Placing the saddle on your horse without a pad and not cinched, let's start checking the fit. You should have a minimum of 2 fingers (placed one on top of the other) between the top of the gullet and the horse. Next you should be able to comfortably "sweep" the entire shoulder area starting at about the latigo holder down to your rigging. If it is too tight to get a flat hand underneath the skirts at that point, once you add padding and cinch down, it will be too tight on your horse.

Next, with a flat hand, you need to locate the bars of your saddle. They are at the base of the swells and the cantle. Following throughout the bars, you should have even pressure. Your hand should glide thru fairly easily without gaps of pressure or extremes in changes. If you have to force your hand, it is too tight. If you have gaps in pressure, your saddle is bridging and will create pressure points wherever it is in contact. Generally the front is the worse. Digging down into the front of your horse is very common and will cause a great deal of discomfort for your horse. The general appearance of your saddle on the horse's back should be level front to back.

Let's just say, your saddle has passed the above tests. Now it's time to saddle up and go for a ride. I allow people to try my saddles at least 3 times before making a judgment call on keeping a saddle. If the saddle is fitting well, don't take away from that great fit by adding too much padding. Only ½" of padding is needed if the saddle fits well. Too much padding and it takes away from fit. I prefer wool next to the horse in padding and cinches to help dissipate heat. Neoprene creates heat and although easier to clean, creates many problems of discomfort to your horse.

A rear flank strap is a necessity, not a luxury. It should be snugged up with no daylight showing. This also will allow you to loosen the front cinch when done properly. The less movement in your saddle, the more comfortable your horse will be regardless of the speed you are going. If you leave it hang a couple of inches, it will do no good. Make sure you have a connector strap from the front to the rear cinch to keep it from moving back into the flanks. After riding for a few minutes, you may notice the rear flank will become loose. You should stop and readjust it up. This is a good sign your horse has raised his back into the saddle to carry you better.

All the above is a good start to checking your current saddle or when shopping for new or used. There are many variables that go into saddle fitting and can be much more complicated than the article suggests. There are many things that will change over the lifetime of your horse that can cause a saddle to not fit as well as it did at first. I will try to cover some of the problem areas in the articles to follow. If you have any questions regarding fit, please submit them to the paper and I will try and answer as many as possible.

I have worked with saddle fitting for over 12 years now and feel very passionate about what I have learned. I don't pretend to know the answer to all the questions. I have found that just when you start feeling pretty confident a new problem arrises. Kind of like working with horses! I want to help give you some of the basics when choosing a saddle or just trying to figure out if yours is working for or against you. Many people change bits, pads and even horses because they think their horse is crazy, not wanting to perform, etc. when many times the issues are coming from poor saddle fit.

This article will change every month covering problem solving, additional equipment and reasons to try or not try some things. I hope you find the information useful to you. If you have additional questions you would like to see covered, please email me with your suggestions.

- Meleta Brown