> We hear lots of "justifications" for some strange things, and to
> me,
> justifying a noseband to stabilize a bit is one. Why is the bit
> unstable?
> Too wide? I've seen plenty of Icelandic's with bits that are too
> wide.
> And, why are virtually all Icelandic's ridden in loose ring
> snaffles - well,
> except for at my house? Here's a simpler way to stabilize a bit.
> Buy one
> that is the right size, not TOO tight, but too wide can be just as
> bad.
> Voila....not noseband needed. I try to make sure that my horses
> don't
> learn to open their mouths to let the bit slide through - and the
> very worst
> bit of all is the loose-ring. First, I teach lateral flexing from
> the
> ground and in a halter. When I do use a bit, I almost always use
> either a
> d-ring or full-cheek. (The exception would be with the Happy Mouth
> bits
> that Eitill and Melnir like - they are hard to find in a d-ring -
> but they
> flex laterally nicely anyway.)
We do not use the loose ring snaffle bits either...I like a D ring
with a no pinch at the sides, with eith sweet iron or copper. But I
have to say is that I have looked for a 4 1/2" bit for some of my
horses with smaller mouths and yet to find one that I like. Where
would I look for such a bit that is not a 5" or evn 5 1/2" wide?
Skye
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