# Today's Lesson: putting the horse on the bit, confused!



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

I am getting the hang of this too... but never ever ever ever ever ever brace your seat! EVER!

If you brace, your horse cannot move forward in a free manner. It becomes harder. You need to be loose, but not throw your hands away (which may be why your instructor said to brace??)

Instead of bracing your seat, engage your core (those ab muscles) When you contract them, you keep your reins. If you sit up and engage them, your seat stop swinging along with your horse and that tells them to slow down or stop. But that's not helpful for putting them on the bit.. lol you want forward not slow or stop 

This is how I'm doing it (figuring it out on my own since my instructor put me in a contraption.... grr)

1. Forward rhythmic walk
2. My elbows open and close, following the horse's rhythm. _The way I think about it is "the bit belongs to the horse, my hands follow the bit" So we kind of do this see-saw motion of back and fourth. When my horse's head bobs upward, I close my elbows, when the horse bob's down, I open them. We are always connected. At least that's the plan!
_3. I apply leg, using my outside leg to hold the hind end door shut (so the horse doesn't swing out) and my inside leg on to ask for more forward.
4. A split second after I apply leg, I hold the outside rein and gently play/vibrate/sponge the inside rein with my fingers (not pulling back!) encouraging the horse to soften. Sometimes I don't always do it this way.. I kind of get a feel for it, what my horse needs.

If I do it correctly, we're connected, his back is up, and his neck is soft and reaching for the bit. Now, the reins aren't TIGHT, they aren't super loose at the buckle either. They're long enough for him to move freely with me staying with him. 

Tinyliny explained it to me really well once. You kind of "hold" the bit out infront of them, and push them towards it. Then you soften your hands and encourage them to reach for it. 

You'll get it, for me it's hard to keep it once I have it since I'm still all over the place being a beginner myself.. but you'll get it!


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## DingDong (Feb 20, 2012)

That's interesting Sky, yeah I did think, if I brace my seat, aren't I telling her to slow down or stop? Using the abs makes more sense.
Same with locking the elbows. It didn't make sense that my elbows stay rigidly in a 90 degree fixed position.
Thanks for your advice. Heh heh so I'm not the only one finding it daunting! 

My instructor said to never practice without her. I have a half-lease. She said I could get into trouble if I practice by myself. So I have to wait for my next lesson to practice...it seemed strange that she said that. I have a feeling she meant I'll get into trouble with the barn owner more than "get into trouble by getting hurt".


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Yeah I don't see how asking a horse on the bit is going to be dangerous.. maybe if you ask at the canter and the horse has no clue what you're doing... then maybe that could be a little dangerous. 

Well I hope you get it  it'll just take some time. And I wish others would contribute so you have different ways of thinking about it. My way isn't the only way haha



DingDong said:


> That's interesting Sky, yeah I did think, if I brace my seat, aren't I telling her to slow down or stop? Using the abs makes more sense.
> Same with locking the elbows. It didn't make sense that my elbows stay rigidly in a 90 degree fixed position.
> Thanks for your advice. Heh heh so I'm not the only one finding it daunting!
> 
> My instructor said to never practice without her. I have a half-lease. She said I could get into trouble if I practice by myself. So I have to wait for my next lesson to practice...it seemed strange that she said that. I have a feeling she meant I'll get into trouble with the barn owner more than "get into trouble by getting hurt".


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

It might be easier to understand if you took a few ballroom dance lessons. One place locally offers an initial 6 intro lessons, and I suggest you do a search to see if you have a place close by that does this, too.
It doesn't matter if you are a man or woman--*it the connection between who leads and who follows that is important.* Your body must be supple, but not loose and floppy. When a woman's arms are too loose they call that "noodle arms" and you cannot take the cue.
With the horse the connection is similar. You have to follow the head by soft contact with the reins going through to the bit. In order to halt or half halt you stop following. Your arms work independant of your torso and they both work independant of your legs.
As a novice rider you are not ready for subtle cues. When I taught English I had many students who had started somewhere else and had hard, uneducated hands. They could not follow softly. I gave them a 2nd set of reins, attached at the bit and run around the pinkies, made of baling twine. It would dig in every time they didn't give to the bit.
PERHAPS, you could benefit from working on a lunge, or a substitute, for awhile and learning to work your legs and weight BEFORE you add the reining.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Corporal, not all beginners are the same.

And horses are very forgiving. She's gotta learn some day. In fact being on the bit and having the horse round (through their spine) is better in the long run than having a horse hollow or flat.

But I do like your analogy with ballroom dancing.


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## dressagegirl77 (Apr 9, 2012)

I don't think there is a special formula to get your horse working on the bit. some horses are much willing to do it than others. you have good concepts, like making sure your horse is forward and pushing and moving off your leg (i think this is the most important key) only after you get the forward from your horse, then you try to get them working of a steady outside rein and inside leg, and then start to 'play' with the inside rein...but make sure you always have your horse working off your leg, i think the legs are more important, i tend to start to block my horse with my hands too much, always remember your legs, it is very important that the horse is steping underneath themselves...im not a pro, i still have a lot to improve, but thats the way i have been taught... have fun!


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## DingDong (Feb 20, 2012)

Thanks guys for the support. My instructor emailed me today and said she will give me extra lessons to help me out. I will re-read this thread before my next lesson!


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## DingDong (Feb 20, 2012)

Hi guys, so I had my lesson today and yesterday. 
I did better. Yesterday was actually a great lesson. Most of the time the horse was on the bit and I even trotted in that position. I was on cloud nine all day .
Today was harder, for some reason. Maybe because there were other riders in the arena.
I found out why the instructor doesn't want me practicing alone. She said I could pick up bad habits and teach the horse to rear inadvertently, which made sense.

Also, yesterday and today my instructor rode her own mount next to me. She said it helped her see what I was doing and I could hear her better. To my surprise it worked out pretty well even though her horse is a young, green one. 

The other riders in the arena (they had their own lessons) had training forks or side reins. My instructor said she would never let me use those because they're not allowed in dressage and I would have to learn anyway without them.

The toughest thing is bracing with my abdominals. I kept telling myself, brace with the abdominals! Abdominals! At the same time my instructor would be saying, brace with your back! Your back! So I kept getting mixed up and trying to brace correctly. It IS true, if I brace with my back the horse just slows down and stops. Then I tap her with the whip to make her move forward and I just feel bad because she's getting mixed signals.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

DingDong said:


> The other riders in the arena (they had their own lessons) had training forks or side reins. My instructor said she would never let me use those because they're not allowed in dressage and I would have to learn anyway without them.
> 
> The toughest thing is bracing with my abdominals. I kept telling myself, brace with the abdominals! Abdominals! At the same time my instructor would be saying, brace with your back! Your back! So I kept getting mixed up and trying to brace correctly. It IS true, if I brace with my back the horse just slows down and stops. Then I tap her with the whip to make her move forward and I just feel bad because she's getting mixed signals.


Smart lady.. training fork is a TERRIBLE idea. And side reins, well I use those and they've helped so I can't say much there. She doesn't like gadgets which makes sense. 

Practice off of the horse until you can do it on the horse. It takes practice!


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## OuttatheBlue (Dec 8, 2011)

DingDong said:


> The toughest thing is bracing with my abdominals. I kept telling myself, brace with the abdominals! Abdominals! At the same time my instructor would be saying, brace with your back! Your back! So I kept getting mixed up and trying to brace correctly. It IS true, if I brace with my back the horse just slows down and stops. Then I tap her with the whip to make her move forward and I just feel bad because she's getting mixed signals.


Listen to your instructor. If you have concerns about what she's asking you to do, talk to her about it. She may be able to explain why it's beneficial even though it doesn't appear like it to you. With the 'bracing' the back maybe she's trying to get you to stay a little more put together and not flip flop around, or stay more centered in the saddle, or some reasons none of us would know because we haven't seen you ride.

You're paying her to teach you to ride, and so far she's the only one out of everyone 'here' who's seen you ride, so I would take her advise first  She seems like a good instructor, I like her already for avoiding training 'aids' like forks or side reins with a new rider.

Never be afraid to ask questions with your instructor, that's the fastest way to learn.


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## DingDong (Feb 20, 2012)

OuttatheBlue: That was good advice. I emailed her asking my question and she answered well. I think I get it now. I know it's obvious that I should have asked her first, but I feel shy and awkward sometimes. 
And thank you for saying she seems like a good instructor. As a newbie, it's hard to tell the good ones from the bad ones and niggling doubts arise everytime I watch another lesson.


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## kartmom67 (Jan 25, 2012)

It should be more of a feeling. Don't over think it. Relax your heels down into your stirrups, get the horse in front of you. It should feel like she is carrying you and you are not having to push her, keep your hands one on each side of the wither, outside rein contact at all times. If she raises above the bit, encourage her by squeezing with the outside rein. Remember that your horse has to be honestly forward for her to be on the bit. Many people think it has something to do with the hands. It does not. Hands play a very small role. But you should ride quietly, hands and seat need to remain still to let the horse find the bit through your seat and legs.


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## Yoshi (Feb 6, 2011)

Has your instructor spoken to you about outside and inside rein?
Getting the horse on the bit is not just about using the hands and reins, as you know. Keep the contact on the outside rein, sponge the inside rein and keep your legs on. As you say, the horse must be moving forward with impulsion, but don,t be afraid to keep your leg on!!


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## Yoshi (Feb 6, 2011)

Ooops... just seenn Kartmom67's post, which I have more or less paraphrased...!


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## DingDong (Feb 20, 2012)

Yeah she told me about outside rein and inside rein. Thanks Yoshi (I love that dinosaur from Super Mario).
This horse that I'm half-leasing is leaving at the end of the month. I'll be half-leasing a different horse in June (whichever my instructor picks from the school horses).
I discovered today by looking at my lease papers that the horse is only 7 years old! I was shocked. Previously I have ridden only those older than 20 years.


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## DingDong (Feb 20, 2012)

This week's two lessons were totally awesome. During my second lesson at last I began to finally "feel" the horse on the bit. I was so surprised. Kartmom I had read your post and it didn't make sense before but now it does. It's such a good feeling . 

My instructor said my horse isn't trained to be on the bit so that's why it's been taking me a while.
She said other instructors use side-reins until their students have been taking lessons for a long time. There's another instructor at the barn who uses side-reins on her student's horse even though her student has been attending longer than I have. My instructor said she has a different teaching philosophy and she believes learning how to put the horse on the bit should come before mastering the canter.

I thought that was very interesting. My instructor has taught many students before so I am glad she's not experimenting on me.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

DingDong said:


> This week's two lessons were totally awesome. During my second lesson at last I began to finally "feel" the horse on the bit. I was so surprised. Kartmom I had read your post and it didn't make sense before but now it does. It's such a good feeling .
> 
> My instructor said my horse isn't trained to be on the bit so that's why it's been taking me a while.
> She said other instructors use side-reins until their students have been taking lessons for a long time. There's another instructor at the barn who uses side-reins on her student's horse even though her student has been attending longer than I have. My instructor said she has a different teaching philosophy *and she believes learning how to put the horse on the bit should come before mastering the canter.*
> ...


Good trainer, that is a really noble thing to employ. Mine told me in her words "he's not getting rounded fast enough" and slapped a training fork on him. Terrible thought coming from someone I entrusted my horse and my care to. 

You have a great trainer, who makes a lot of sense  Well done!


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## DingDong (Feb 20, 2012)

I got lucky with my trainer. I mean really lucky. I know other posts on the forum say to watch instructors give classes beforehand, but I didn't. I just showed up, shook hands and said let's schedule for this Wednesday. I'm that kind of person. I didn't ask anyone about her or talk to anyone who knew her since I am new in the horse world.

I hope she stays my instructor for a long time to come.


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