Welcome to Bit of Honey Training LLC

Welcome to Bit of Honey Training LLC
Welcome to Bit of Honey Training LLC

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Xena's First Ride at Bit of Honey


This is a photo of Xena, the new Thoroughbred mare at Bit of Honey.  Prior to today I've worked with her a few times in-hand in both the round pen and the arena. On her first day of training, I set up a low jump and let her play around loose in the round pen.  She happily hopped it over and over again, and I was stunned at her natural jump form.  She never hesitated, and was so fluid and graceful over the jump it made me wonder how much training she had before she came to me. 

Our second training session included saddle fitting and lunging over ground poles in the arena.  In this session I discovered that the saddle she had been riding in at home wasn't a good fit.  Because of my careful investigation she decided that I'm trustworthy.  So today when I went to tack her up in a correctly fitted saddle with soft pads and fluffy girth she stood still, relaxed, and munching her hay bag. 

I also checked her bridle from home, and discovered that the bit wasn't right for her.  It was too thick for her mouth, had too many moving parts for her taste, it was too short end to end, and was pinching the corners of her lips.  I was able to tell this by how she behaved when I bridled her.  I put the bit in her mouth, and she immediately started tossing her head, wagging her tongue forwards and backwards in her mouth with a tense jaw.  Whenever she moved her lips I could see that they were getting caught and pinched between metal pieces in the loose ring ends.  I took the bridle off and she went right back to being calm and standing quietly.

As a tack junkie myself, I have a wide variety of bits to choose from.  I went back to basics, putting a 5.5" single jointed egg butt snaffle on a bridle for her. From the very start with this bit, her mouth was incredibly quiet.  No gaping her mouth open, no tongue wagging, and a soft relaxed face and jaw.  We went down to the arena to begin our ride.

Once she had gotten to know me, Xena had been incredibly polite and well behaved during our previous in-hand sessions.  Because of her good behavior I was comfortable just getting on her once we were in the arena.  I carefully mounted, and she walked out with a steady forward march.  I tested the gas, brakes, and steering, and discovered she is phenomenally sensitive.  Her hot temperament and significant previous training made me suspect she probably has only been ridden by professionals.  She responds to the merest whisper of a cue, and if I were to over-cue her in asking for a maneuver or gait change I suspect she would explode.  Starting out she was very "on", a bit apprehensive about what kind of rider I might be.  Once she had determined that I was capable of riding her, though, she was balanced and forward a the walk, trot, and canter both directions, and happily walked over all the poles in the arena. 

After our ride I described Xena to my husband, and he said, "It's like driving a cumbersome pickup truck for years, and suddenly you get behind the wheel of a Ferrari.  If you punch the gas you're going to loose control."  I think this accurately describes the issues Xena has been having.  Between tack fitting and her accustomed to being a finesse ride, no wonder there have been some problems communicating with her. 

I am incredibly eager for our next rides, to find out more details about what this mare already knows.  Once she's settled in a bit more we'll investigate jumping, some more complex dressage movements, and hacking out in the fields.  She is obviously a stellar athlete, now I need to find out what job she most wants to do. 


No comments:

Post a Comment