MA> in the right hands, they make great horses.
 MA> Fiddle's mom was one of these, although she didn't 
 MA> quite fit the bill of "great horse".  She had a 'tude 
 MA> a mile wide, which occasionally shows up in her 
 MA> daughter (g).
     My Mustang mare, Kachina Doll - aka "Hell Bitch" - (a name from 
"Lonesome Dove") was a bay tobiano pinto - with a simnilar attitude.  The 
friend I gave her to (the only other person I ever met who LOVED Kachina Doll 
and understood her) bred her to an awesome Paint stallion.  The offspring had 
beautiful color - and Momma's attitude.  ;(
 MA> Sounds like just a plain cavesson to me.  That wouldn't 
 MA> have the effect of the others that I mentioned, 
 MA> although if you buckle it tight, it will put some 
 MA> pressure on her upper nose.  Not quite sure why you're 
 MA> getting the response you're getting.  You don't buckle 
 MA> it OVER the cheek pieces, do you?
     She has me buckle it as tight as I can - I understand that it keeps her 
mouth closed so she can't get all strung out.
 MA> Actuallyl, getting on the bit doesn't really mean that.  Getting on the 
 MA> bit is where the horse accepts the bit, rounds itself, 
 MA> and goes with impulsion from behind.  You can do all 
 MA> you want with a horse's mouth to keep their head in 
 MA> the right position, but if your horse isn't doing the 
 MA> rest, he's not "on the bit".  Many people believe that
 MA> just because they've solved the "mouth" problem, 
 MA> they've done the whole job.  However, I'm sure Mrs. B. 
 MA> knows the difference (g)!
     Okay, I see what you are saying.  I had the problem with Dub for a few 
years where he would have his neck beautifully arched but he wasn't on the 
bit.  It's only in the past few years he is "on the bit" with the impulsion 
from the rear.  When I first got him, I had him to where I would tap him on 
the head between the ears to get his head down.  His head would go down, but 
he wasn't necessarily collected.  In fact, at times with the curb bits he'd 
be BEHIND the bit; something I think I see Spot do occasionally with Penelope 
driving her.  Maybe it's just the neck position.
 MA> adjusting my leg, seat, etc. to get Thistle to do what 
 MA> she already knew how to do, and I have to work really 
 MA> hard to stay quiet in the saddle with Fid.
 MA> Thistle was an amazing horse, but she did come with particular problems 
 MA> that required a particular style of riding...not one you'd want to use 
 MA> with a green horse.
     But I learned so much from riding Dub - you don't relax with him - that 
I wouldn't have learned with an "easy", pushbutton horse.  Or a green one who 
hasn't picked up any bad habits yet.  We went trail riding a few days ago for 
about 3 hours; J.D. and Dean were STUNNED at what a great little horse Casey 
has turned out to be.  But he was unbroke when we bought him; he never 
learned a lot of bad habits horses learn from bad riders.
     BTW, my husband, RICHARD the BIG 
 MA> HEART, had a headstone made for me for Christmas for 
 MA> Thistle's grave.  It's beautiful, pink granite with 
 MA> ahorsehead and Thistle's name on it.  We're going to 
 MA> lay it flush with the ground so the grass will grow 
 MA> around it and we can just mow over it.  We're having 
 MA> somewhat of a thaw here this week, so I hope we can get 
 MA> it in today or tomorrow.  The guy who did it is a 
 MA> friend of ours, and when he found out what Richard 
 MA> wanted, he refused to charge him for it!  So I feel 
 MA> twice blessed.
     What a SWEETHEART!  (I'm having trouble typing through the tears in my 
eyes.)  
 MA> Ask Mrs. B. what she thinks this cavesson is doing for 
 MA> the horse and let me know.  I'd really be interested 
 MA> to see what she has to say.
     Will do.  
 
--- Maximus/2 3.00
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