Re: A Lightbulb Moment

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:48:18 -0500, "jsaranac" wrote:

. . . . I have no
clue why, but when he uses that bridle with the ported bit, he rides
naturally more collected, straighter, etc. It's almost as though it frees
him up.

The effect of gravity on a curb bit with a port may encourage
a horse to hold the head in a narrow range of angles that places
the port in a neutral position in the mouth -- the port neither
pressing on the tongue or the palate. The degree of the effect
depends on the conformation of the horse's mouth, the horse's
sensitivity, the angle of the port relative to the bit's purchase
and shanks, the shape of the port, the weight and shape of the
shanks, etc. The horse's seeking such a neutral position of the
head can then affect all of the other aspects you mention.
Other mouthpiece shapes than the port can have similar effects.
Selection of bit characteristics to facilitate such effects is
discussed in many sources including Greg Darnall's "A bit of
information", Langdon's "Training with Bits" and "Bits and Bitting
Manual", and a really good reference I can't remember at the moment.

--
Best,
Ben Turner, Mare's Reach

.

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