bitless musings

Kate and Di are interested in why bitless might be better for Moo; me too!! I know that I may have mentioned some of this before but just to paint the full picture....
When I first bought Moo he was a brilliantly straight horse, so damned straight that he couldn't turn or indeed work on a mega large circle. I'm a sucker for a pretty pony and I guess I felt I could work some sort of miracle and so ,being nicely bred; I just took the risk. He had a very sore mouth when I saw him, corners of his lips red and raw. Please don't get me wrong, the lady selling him had suffered a personal crisis and was unable to spend the time she had envisaged with him, she wasn't an awful owner..far from it. I think the sore mouth was the result of an attempt at sorting out his steering in order to impress buyers.
OK fast forward a year and we're in France, new business and Moo here too (by the seat of his pants I may add) I sorted out some of the most basic problems in the UK before leaving (like how to turn) and now on French turf we got stuck in to some more serious work. At this point I decided to try him bitless to see if it cured his almost unbearable habit of head banging. A few months and he was doing OK so I put him back in the bit. Then he had two years off whilst we sold up, moved and settled in.
So now we come to the start of this blog and he started work in the snaffle. He is lots better than he ever was before, much happier and pleased to be working (I think) but still the head is unsettled. So we're back bitless and I have no idea where it will lead, I just know he feels better. In the past it's been in my thoughts that without a bit in the mouth I will not have that *finesse* and that ability to access the *soul* (or indeed the hind leg) of the horse. Now I think that could be bollocks but I'm not sure, watch this space.

Oh and boots Di, well he's measured and now I will wait a couple of weeks and re-measure and then hopefully get a boot that fits. It maybe that Claire brings them if the timing fits. I would say though that his feet look so much better already.

my little pocket rocket

aka Chapiro. Today was a change of field routine and lots of faffing about so only really had time to work with my baby today (maybe get time for Moo later). Today we tried the saddle on, it's a narrowish dressage which sat really nicely and will do fine for getting him used to it all. No girth as yet but we did have a few moments of baby flexion with the bit and he was pretty settled....time now to grow up my little man. Here he is doing what he does best, eating, looking cool and hoolying around, lol.