A three-second solution for putting the bridle on a horse

Introduction: Why should we put the horse in the bit?

Putting a horse in the bit is one of those things that is worth a thousand words for a horse.

This feature makes riding more enjoyable; because the horse appears more orderly, more comfortable, more connected, and more controllable.

Every movement the horse makes becomes smoother and more coordinated, and it even seems more eager and willing to cooperate.

In nature, when a horse is frightened, it lifts its head, its neck stiffens, its back hollows, and its only goal is to survive.

But when it is calm and content, its head is carried lower, its neck lengthens, and its back takes on a rounded, soft shape.

This is the image we see in a horse being in the bit; a state that indicates mental calm, balance, and readiness to cooperate.

A horse that is not in the bit is usually not fully mentally with the rider.

Its attention is easily distracted, it reacts instinctively to sounds or frightening factors, and it resists.

Its body also lacks the necessary coordination; it does not move like a well-oiled machine, but rather like a collection of separate parts.

Guiding, turning, and even sitting on it becomes more difficult.

What is the main goal of putting the horse in the bit?

Even the simplest horses in nature can move in a rhythmic and balanced way.

But when a saddle is placed on their back and the rider’s weight is added, their natural balance changes.

The goal of training is to bring back, under saddle, the beauty, coordination, and ease of movement that the horse has in nature.

This happens better when the horse can carry more of its weight with the muscles of the top line of the body, namely the croup, back, and neck.

When the horse is in the bit: its body is placed in a curved, rounded frame.

Its hind legs come more under the body.

The top-line muscles are built correctly.

Flexibility, softness, and the beginning of collection increase.

Training a horse in the bit is like an investment that increases the horse’s value; because every correct exercise improves its ability, balance, and cooperation.

Start with the basics before attempting to put the horse in the bit, four basic features must be present: forward movement, straightness, rhythm, contact without these four features, you will not achieve the desired result.

First make sure your horse moves with free, long, and relaxed strides and is also mentally forward.

That is, it responds quickly and eagerly to the lightest leg aid.

If you close your leg lightly and the horse immediately goes forward, it is ready.

But if it remains indifferent or moves reluctantly, do not increase the leg pressure; because it will only make the horse dull.

Instead, repeat the same gentle aid.

If it still does not respond, use a small warning with the whip so it understands that it should respond to the leg aid.

The goal is for the horse to understand: “A small aid means a small, quick response.”

Rhythm; the basis of balance and coordination after forward movement, the next stage is rhythm.

Every horse’s rhythm is unique, but one principle is the same in all horses: regular rhythm keeps the horse in balance.

Not too fast and not too slow; but with equal intervals between the strides.

To check your horse’s rhythm, count its steps.

At the walk you should hear four even beats: one, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

If the rhythm is irregular, correct it by slowing the movement or adjusting the stride length.

At the trot, the movement is in two beats.

Two diagonal legs hit the ground at the same time, and there is a moment of suspension when all four legs are off the ground.

In canter, usually three beats are heard: one, two, three.

Of course, some horses have a four-beat canter.

Contact; the connection between rider and horse contact is the last part of the warm-up, because a horse that is in the bridle must accept the rider’s hands and move with them.

A good contact means a straight line from the bit, through your hands to your elbows.

This connection allows the energy of movement to pass through the horse’s hind end, through the neck and spine, and helps it carry its own weight better.

The bit establishes the connection between the horse’s engine, namely the hind legs, and the rider’s hands.

The feel in the hands should be steady and soft; about half to one pound of pressure.

Not so firm that it stops the horse, and not so loose that the connection is lost.

Imagine holding a baby bird in your hand: not so much pressure that it gets hurt, and not so little that it escapes.

Consistency in the contact contact must be steady.

The forehands should not keep becoming loose, then tight, then loose again, and tight again.

Steady contact gives the horse a sense of security, because it always receives the same message.

Sometimes a slightly firmer contact is better than one that is constantly being broken and reestablished.

Every time you loosen and tighten your hand with the horse’s steps, it is like a contradictory message to it.

Elasticity of the elbows the elbows should be soft and flexible.

The elbow joints must be able to follow the horse’s head and neck movement.

In walk, canter and trot, your hands should follow the horse’s natural movement.

When the horse moves its neck, your hand should allow that movement.

In a free trot, the rider’s body moves up and down, so the elbows must absorb this movement to keep the hands steady.

If the elbows lock: the contact is lost.

The hands bounce up and down.

The horse cannot have a calm connection with your hand.

Even contact in both hands in both hands you should feel similar weight.

The horse should not lean on one of the forehands.

To create even contact: the hands should be soft but closed.

The thumbs should be the highest point.

The two hands should be placed alike.

The distance of both hands from the body should be equal.

The angle and position of the hands should be coordinated.

Any difference between the two hands will change your message to the horse.

How do we know the horse is warmed up?

A horse is ready for the main work when it: moves forward; both physically and mentally.

The hind legs follow the tracks of the front legs.

It has a steady rhythm.

It accepts the contact.

The hands, elbows and bit create a soft, direct connection.

When these features are present, putting it in the bridle becomes much easier.

If any of these qualities disappear, first correct that and then continue again.

The three-second technique for putting it in the bridle to put it in the bridle, we use a combination of three aids: the legs to create energy.

The outside forehand to control and collect the energy.

The inside forehand only if needed, to keep the neck straight.

In walk: both legs act gently at the horse’s sides.

This is the aid we use for moving forward.

But this time we do not let the energy escape only forward; with the outside forehand we hold it.

Imagine squeezing the last drops of water out of a sponge.

Hold this state for about three seconds.

The horse may initially bend its neck to the outside.

In this case, gently straighten it with the help of the outside rein.

The amount of neck bend shows how much you should use the outside rein.

After three seconds, release the outside rein.

Releasing is the horse’s reward.

Just as applying the aid is important, so is stopping the aid.

What should you feel when the horse comes onto the bit?

When the horse truly comes onto the bit, it feels as if a set of separate parts suddenly turns into a harmonious, integrated whole.

The horse’s back begins to swing, the steps become softer and more fluid, and at the same time it becomes easier to sit, while more energy and power can also be felt.

If you are doing this in sitting trot, you feel that each time you rise from the ground, your movement has become more rhythmic and smoother, and you spend more time in the air.

In your hands, you should feel a comfortable, intimate contact with the horse’s mouth.

Not a dry, stiff contact, and not the horse hanging on one of the reins.

The hands should be soft, accepting, and elastic.

The horse’s strides also become longer, because the hind legs come farther underneath the body and the horse covers more ground with each stride.

Of course, do not expect the horse to come onto the bit completely on the first attempt.

If you notice even a small change in the body frame, the feel of the hands, or the quality of the strides, praise him at that moment.

A “good boy” and a neck pat will show him that he has found the right path.

With each repetition, the horse’s cooperation, understanding, and ability to carry the rider in a round frame increase.

What problems may occur?

Sometimes when you close the outside rein, the horse may: slow down.

Stop.

Raise its head.

Resist.

The reason is that the horse has previously learned: leg means go.

Hand means stop.

Now you are using leg and hand at the same time, and the horse still does not know the meaning of this combination.

You must teach him that the outside rein is a wall, but not a wall that cannot be crossed; rather, it is a wall that directs energy onto the right path.

One method is to first ask the horse to lengthen its stride, and then close the outside rein.

The extra energy of the movement carries him through your hand.

Repeat this exercise several times.

When you see that the horse’s neck has become a little longer and rounder, even by a small amount, praise him.

Then try the same effect without lengthening the stride and see whether he has learned to go through the contact and move forward instead of resisting.

Big mistake: sawing at the reins One common mistake is something called “sawing at the reins.”

That means the rider keeps pulling the right and left reins alternately, as if trying to saw through the horse’s mouth.

To an untrained eye, the horse may appear to be coming onto the bit, but in fact the only thing being controlled is the horse’s jaw.

The horse’s body is still not under your real control.

When you ask for movement or transitions, you realize that a large part of the horse’s body is outside your influence.

If the horse maintains the contact but shortens its neck, the problem is probably that you are pulling your arms back instead of using the outside rein.

To correct this habit, imagine there is an invisible wall in front of your hands.

The hands must not go past this wall and be pulled back.

Send the horse forward with your legs, and when the energy reaches the outside rein, close it into a fist.

Recognizing when a horse is behind the bit: if the horse’s muzzle has come close to a vertical position, but its neck has shortened, you do not feel true weight in the hands, you only have a loop of the front end, and the steps have become short and small, the horse is probably behind the bit.

That means you have only collected its jaw, without energy being created from the hindquarters.

True acceptance of the bit must be accompanied by movement, energy, and the horse’s body engagement.

Other problems and how to correct them: if the horse turns its croup to one side, your leg pressure is probably not even.

If the horse speeds up or slows down, or loses its rhythm, the connection between the legs and the outside rein is probably not coordinated.

Practice until you can use the legs and the outside rein with one common message.

If the horse gets faster: increase the rein effect a little.

If it slows down: reduce the rein pressure a little.

The goal is for the horse to find balance between the energy of the legs and the soft restraint of the rein.

Test for correct contact: to make sure the energy is really moving from behind to in front, after three seconds of applying the aid, slowly open the fingers of both hands.

If the horse pulls its muzzle forward and down, stretches its neck, and gently lets the rein slip through your fingers, that means your contact was correct.

If it only pulls against itself but does not come fully down, that means part of the contact aid was not transmitted correctly.

If it raises its head, it means it has not yet understood the hand’s message.

In this case: reactivate the outside rein.

Keep the elbow by your body.

Bring the outside rein slightly forward.

Use the inside hand only if needed to help keep the neck straight.

If the neck stays straight, the horse has accepted the contact.

If the neck bends outward, the connection is still not complete.

Evaluation before repeating: if you did not get the result, before repeating ask yourself: was the horse really forward?

Did it have a suitable rhythm?

Was my contact correct?

Did I use the outside rein too much or too little?

Did I hold for the full three seconds?

Did I release afterward?

Did I again keep my hands behind the wall?

After checking, try again.

End of session and cool-down: finish the session with a proper cool-down.

Let the horse gently lower the rein through your fingers and move in a stretched, down, and long frame; both at walk and at trot.

Cooling down is an essential part of training.

Just as an athlete does not suddenly let his body go after intense training, the horse also needs its body to return calmly to a natural state.

The simple rule is: warm up.

Train.

Cool down.

Turning acceptance of the bit into a daily habit: you can be almost sure that from the very first session, you will feel the results of this system.

But in the first few sessions, your main goal is not just to accept the horse onto the bit once and think the job is done.

A large part of your riding time will be spent reestablishing the basic qualities again and again: forward movement, straightness, rhythm, contact.

You may lose one of these qualities.

In that case, get it back again, adjust the aids, and continue.

This is the natural process of training.

When you can keep the horse consistently, correctly, and on the bit in walk, the next stage is entering trot, and after that you can move on to Chaharnal.

Increasing the speed of movement creates new challenges; because maintaining balance and connection at a higher speed is more difficult.

But whenever you feel that a problem has arisen, return to slower movement.

Go back to walk so that you can remind the horse and yourself again what the aids and contact mean.

The end is not the end; it is the beginning of the path. Putting the horse on the bit is not the end of training; rather, it is the start of the road.

The aids you have learned will always remain part of your toolkit, but over time their execution will become easier and more natural.

You will no longer need to repeat them constantly.

At first, you may need three seconds, but over time this will get shorter; perhaps down to one second or even less.

You feel that the horse has come out of the frame.

You apply your legs, adjust the outside rein, and in an instant the connection is re-established.

Boom; the horse is back on the bit.

But the big difference here is: you will no longer be like some riders who think that if, at the end of a session, they managed to put the horse on the bit, the job is done.

Being on the bit is not a temporary state to reach the end of a lesson; rather, it is part of the permanent quality of riding.

The daily ten-minute warm-up In the end, everything you learned in this training becomes a short, purposeful warm-up.

Of course, if you are working with a very young horse, training on the bit may make up the main part of all your sessions.

But for an experienced horse, the process can be much simpler.

My warm-up with my horses is like this: almost as soon as I take up the reins, I check the basic qualities.

In the first few minutes I ask my horse: “Are you responding to my aids?”

I make sure that we have a common language.

That means the horse knows: what the pressure of the leg means.

What message the hand’s contact carries.

How to channel energy forward.

How to stay in contact.

This warm-up shows me that the horse is ready, before beginning more complex exercises, such as: gymnastics, dressage movements, lateral movements, flying changes, engagement, and collection, to respond to my aids.

The final result A horse on the bit is not just a horse with its head down.

Being on the bit means: a calm mind and a willingness to cooperate a body that moves in harmony movement from back to front correct contact with the rider’s hand balance and suppleness correct use of the body’s muscles When a horse is on the bit, riding becomes not only more beautiful, but also easier, more enjoyable, and more effective.

The goal is not to force the horse into a specific frame.

The goal is to help it find its best natural way under the rider.

When this connection is established, you are no longer just sitting on the horse; you are moving together with it.

Updated from the October 1993 issue of Practical Horseman.

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Source: Practical Horseman – Training

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