Jump to the bit about: Natural Horsemanship Bitless Bridles
I fell in love 6 years ago. No, not my husband, although I promise I fell in love with him 4 years before that and in an entirely different way! But with a bonebag, mongrel of a horse with extremely big and clumsy feet.
I don't know why it was love at first sight. Cassie the Horse wasn't exactly a looker. Her hips stuck out, you could see every rib & her puny little starved neck could hardly hold up her big head. And those huge feet just seemed impossible for her skinny legs to lift. She looked like an old horse at the end of her days. In actual fact, she was a baby of 6.
Truthfully, no one saw the beauty in Cassie except for me. "What is this nag?" my Mum exclaimed in horror, "What have you done?"And her behaviour didn't do much to change their minds . . .
She would not be caught in the field. Every time you went up to her, she casually strolled off before you could get a headcollar on!
She bit if you tried to put a saddle on her
As for a bridle? No way! She flung her head up so you couldn't reach it.
She flinched if you tried to stroke her head.
Oh, and she kicked if you tried to brush under her tummy
But for some random reason, none of this bothered me. I was infactuated.
My own horsemanship skills were rusty to say the least so it was a steep learning curve to start with. I began with the tried and tested bribery method, along with cuddles and lots of patience. It was useful to discover her passion for Murrey Mints (very sticky mint sweets) which while probably disasterous for her teeth, convinced her that I was worth coming to in the field at least!
But I've based most of the work I've done with Cassie on natural horsemanship, inspired by the great horse trainers such as Pat Parelli, Monty Roberts and our own British Kelly Marks who writes brilliant books.
Just before I agreed to buy Cassie, I saw a young girl put her saddle on - none too gently I might add - and Cassie spun her head round with suprising speed and nearly bite the girl's ear off! "She is vicious" the young lady hissed at me.
After that, I was a little wary of putting Cassie's tack on but right from the start, she never behaved that badly with me. I found quickly that if you respect Cassie, she respects you back. Putting the saddle on is just a matter of talking calmly and gently, taking your time ... oh, and rewarding her with one of her favourite sweets once I'd finished!
I also invested in a special saddle that fitted her better and is more comfortable - although most of the time I ride her bareback without any saddle these days. But that's because I'm lazy!
The other thing she really hated was the bit, which is the metal piece that goes inside a horse's mouth on nearly all bridles to control it. If someone puts a bridle on badly, they can smash the horses teeth with the bit (ouch) and if they aren't a great rider, they can see-saw on the reins, which jags the metal bit across the horse's mouth (ouch again).
I used that favourite bribery trick to get her happy with having a bit in her mouth. I simply fed her mint at the same time as the bit went in. In no time at all, she was drooling with eagerness as soon as the bridle appeared! I also tried to ride her very carefully, using my body weight and my legs to tell her what I wanted, not my hands.
Then I discovered a "No Bit"© bridle which could be imported from Australia. It doesn't use anything in the horse's mouth at all. Instead, the control comes from pressure of the straps around the head and nose. Cassie loves it and we've never looked back. Although, because I'm so lazy, these days I also often ride her just in the headcollar that I use to catch her in the field!
6 years on, over ½ my income & a large amount of food later, my Mum declares that Cassie is "the most beautiful and wonderful horse in the world" and refuses to admit she ever thought otherwise. My friends all envy me having such an "easy" and friendly horse.
Cassie is a bit like a big dog these days. You can walk her on a lead and she just follows, perfectly happily - which is a godsend now I'm pregnant again and not riding.
My friends also envy the way Cassie comes cantering over to me in the field as soon as I call while they have to trek miles to go and find their horses! It appeals to the laziness in me too!
I've also trained Cassie to be very polite when she's given her big bowl of dinner - she's just too big to be pushy about it! So she has learn to walk backwards as you approach with her food, stop, hold her head up and then wait for my signal before she starts eating. A bit like waiting for me to say grace I suppose!
ASSIGNMENT 1: Click here to find out about my cat!
ASSIGNMENT 2: Click here to find out about my horse!
ASSIGNMENT 3: Click here to find out about my rabbit, Princess (deceased)!
ASSIGNMENT 4: Click here to find out about Denny the Duck's Disaster
ASSIGNMENT 5: Click here to find out about my daughter's 1st letter to Father Christmas
ASSIGNMENT 6: Click here to find out what I've learnt during this course. Hopefully you'll agree I have learnt something!!
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