On the Bit

A horse 'on the bit' means feeling the poll flex, the back rising and the haunches becoming active ( N.Oliveira)

The contact between the riders hand and the horses mouth is through the intermediary of a steel object.

The respect of which, can only be attained through precision and lightness.

If you respect a horse's mouth it will respect your hands.

If the soft mobility of the jaw continues at every gait the horse's movement will be dependable, precise and gracious ( Baucher ). On both the riders hand and the horses' response to the bit.

One can see all too often the driving of the horse onto the bit in the hope he will finally understand and become light!!

However, we must learn to bring the horse to it's bit by lateral flexion, not by pushing the horse onto the hand ( Colonel Christian Carde)

It has been agreed that any considerable nervous or muscular energy the horse expends against his rider, is detrimental psychologically and physically and is simply 'wasted' effort. Effort which can be otherwise used for the benefit of the performance.

This use of energy can be very obvious by way of a horse tossing his head, or less apparent, just appearing as a heavy resistance in the hand.

Both lead to deviations to the proper play of muscles causing an impairment of movement in some way in either the horses equilibrium or in his locomotion.

General L'Hotte observed that lightness in equitation was personified by the submission of the jaw which resulted in the flexibility of the neck and in turn, the remainder of the horse and if the horse is impulsed, you don't need strong legs, and if he is balanced, you don't need strong hands ( Philippe Karl) and he will be balanced if he is first made light.

Many today talk about the riders seat, legs and weight, whereas the mere mention of the hand is highly criticised and /or overlooked completely as if it was totally unacceptable to use it!

The only use it generally perceives to have is to hold!! (Or worse still – to pull)  Yet all problems start and end with the mouth ( Philippe Karl) and it was Oliveira who advised us of course we must engage the hindquarters with the clever use of the hand!

e of gymnastic exercises’, and that by use of these exercises we must activate the hindquarters, but at the same time we must understand how much the mouth moves and functions ; and it was Salomon de la Broue ( 1530-1619) who told us lightness in the mouth is a pre-requisite for the overall lightness of the horse.

However despite this, one must realise there are many roads to Rome.

This is something I feel is important to talk about so that in the very least, more riders and trainers are aware that these teachings exist.

Simply, education of the riders hand is of paramount importance to the training and the welfare of the horse where a light hand is one which never feels the contact of the bit with the bars ( Francois Robichon de la Gueriniere ( 1730).

Bearing also in mind the quality and level to which a horse is trained is dependent upon the finesse the rider develops in his own skills to subtly influence the horse.

The hand therefore itself, needs to be educated, and the horse needs to be educated too, to respond to the pressure of the hand, where modern riders only know the firm  hand. It is a lack of opportunity which renders their equitation coarse ( Jean Claude Racinet).

"Schooling is convincing and not forcing." General Decarpentry