It seems like one of the biggest dilemmas is how to ride your horse on the bit, and keep him there. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way.
My new ebook 101 Tips For Riding Your Horse On the Bit demystifies the process of putting your horse on the bit.
Finally, you’ll get clear-cut, non-hocus pocus explanations not only of how to put your horse on the bit, but also what he feels and looks like when he’s honestly connected.
This ebook is the result of YOUR questions. You’ve told me what confuses you, and I’ve done my best to consolidate 35 years of my education into digestible tips.
How do I know you’ve been searching for this solution? Well, at one time I was in the exact same boat you’re in today. If the stars and the moon were aligned just right, my horse would come on the bit for a few strides here and there.
But he would never stay consistently connected. And whenever I added the smallest complication-like a canter depart-he’d immediately hollow his back and chuck his head in the air.
Fortunately, I was able to work with some of the great dressage masters of our time who taught me that putting your horse on the bit doesn’t have to be a big mystery. Once you know the ingredients that go into putting your horse on the bit, the process is simple.
So I’ve compiled a list of my top 101 tips to help you ride your horse on the bit. These tips are my answers to your most frequently asked questions on how to put your horse on the bit…and keep him there! For more info on this ebook, go to http://www.janesavoie.com/shop/ebooks.htm
Many people don’t like the dressage term “on the bit”. They feel it has a negative connotation because it conjures up pictures of riding a horse from front to back and forcing him into a frame.
This is how I like to think about it so I don’t get bogged down in semantics. I think of “on the bit” as having both a physical and a mental connotation.
Physically, the dressage term “on the bit” refers to the round silhouette you get when you ride your horse from behind, over his back, through his neck, and into your hands. Once you created that energy and it goes “through” the horse’s body, the energy then can be recycled back to the hind legs.
Mentally, I like to think that horse that’s on the bit is “on the aids”. I can tell that that’s the case if I feel like anything is possible within the next step. If I’m not sure if “anything is possible”, I’ll ask for something like a transition from walk to trot, a canter depart, or a trot lengthening.
So, a Training level horse or a hunter, for example, can be “on the aids” but not necessarily on the bit. They just need to accept contact, be attentive, and willing to have a conversation with their riders.
Dressage horses at First level and above are both on the bit (physically) and on the aids (mentally).
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