Has anyone done a bit clinic in the past year, and did you find it useful? My GMO chapter was looking at hosting one - we wanted someone who has multiple brands of bits, and comes in with an intent to educate, without a strong sales pitch.
I did one with Neue Schule and found it overall very helpful. However, I DID get really irritated at the constant riding coaching from the clinician. Iām testing a bit, not schooling. I know my horse well enough to know where the weak points are that I want to test his responses to, Iām not trying to have the most beautiful ride on the planet. I want to push his buttons and see how he reacts in this bit.
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Iāve audited bit cinics by Kim Gentry of Bits Nā Such as well as by Neue Schule. Kim is expensive but really knowledgeable and brings bits from multiple brands. She does do some coaching when called for but also letās you feel out your horseās response.
I also audited a clinic from a Neue Scheule rep and I thought it was shocking. There was constant drilling of movements asked for from the clinician so horse and rider couldnāt possibly focus on the response to the bit. Worse, some of her practices were frankly dangerous. I would avoid.
While they are educational events, I wouldnāt say either clinician did much educating. It was more a chance to train oneās eye and observe the differences that can be effected just by changing the equipment.
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I have audited and participated in bit clinics. I joke that I paid a clinic fee for someone to tell me which $300 bit to buy, because thatās essentially what happened. But it did help and took about 20 minutes off my warm up with the horse the bit was selected for and I plan to do it again with my new horse.
The bit fitter had interesting nuggets of information to share when she examined each horseās mouth. But ultimately, the right bit boils down to the horseās preference and the hands behind the bit. So if you are looking for education like you can get from saddle fitting seminars, bit fitting doesnāt work like that.
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A lot of the bit clinics seem to also be pairing it with bridles so that you end up paying an unbelievable amount of money for a āpackage dealā.
For the cost of bringing in a clinician it feels like you could buy out the dover rental program and throw your own clinic. That may sound a little backyardy but ultimately, you know if you feel a positive change in your horse and so does your trainer.
I had the local Neue Schule agent in for a bit fitting. No schooling of my horse - I told her my concerns, she suggested bits, I rode and told her what I thought. We tried three or four combos (double bridle) based on my feedback and her observations as I rode. Pretty happy with the results. And, she offered a trial period to be sure we made the right choiceā¦
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Yes, and talking to someone local who had one of these clinics, that was what she told me - it was just an expensive, HARD sales pitch. And when a couple of people didnāt buy, they were treated poorly. AND one that got the combo that was āpushedā ended up with sores in the mouth a few weeks later - and no support after spending a LOT of $$$. So that worries me - my dressage group was looking at one of these clinics, and then got that feedback.
BTW, I also talked to the NS fitter, and got quite an earful about the āotherā bit fitter - which turned me off too. Donāt blast your competition, tell me what YOU can do for my people. So, those are the only options that anyone knows about?
Iām thinking, for $125+/ride plus travel expenses (basically the cost of a good clinician), there should be some education going on, not JUST a sales pitch? Maybe my expectations are not realistic. Weāve had a few people (myself included) who have spent a LOT of money buying multiple bits in an attempt to find the āright oneā for our sensitive horses/ponies. So I was hoping to find some help with that, without a hard-core sales pitch. And also with some affordable options, since some of our riders canāt afford to drop $500 or $1,000 on a bit or two and a bridle.
I will say that the NS fitter, much as her coaching really annoyed me, DID take the time to explain the differences in each bit I was trying and WHY she was looking at them. She explained what part of the tongue would be getting pressure, and that Iād want to look for something that sat further back in the mouth since he had a short smile, which would put most bits too far forward onto the more sensitive areas of his tongue, hence the head tossing issues we were having. Also, how the sharpness of his bars and space in his mouth impacted the shape of the bit that would be most comfortable. There is a VERY definite difference in this horseās work with the new bit. I just wish sheād left off coaching me a bit and let me feel out my horseās weak points.
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OP, I have not observed either hard sales pitches or people being treated poorly. Yes, the clinician should examine your horseās mouth and discuss the particulars of itās conformation, should also discuss what you are feeling in your hands during a ride, e.g. whether the horse is heavy or light or inconsistent, and discuss the attributes of the bits being selected and how they relate to that. I would consider that more explanation than education. My feeling is that while it is expensive, it likely will save you considerable time and money in the long run.
As a saddle fitter I often see people spending lots of time and money trying to train away problems that the correct equipment can fix instantly. It is definitely worth exploring.
That is good to hear! Maybe there was just a different vibe at the clinic that I got the report on. I heard the same thing from 3 different people that attended (and I know one well enough to know she is a reliable source). That is one reason I wanted to hear othersā experiences. AND to find out who is available to provide these clinics, since I only know of 2 people!
Would someone please pm the names of the other āfittersā. Hard to know who to use and not use from this information. I would like to use a person recommended to me but if they turn out to be the one who coaches nonstop I donāt think I would like that. TIA
The local NS fitter I used here in Ocala is Florence Wetzel. TryMyBits is her company. She is on facebook.
I audited a Neue Scheule clinic. There was some interesting information given and I learned things I didnāt know before about bits and how the functions and design affect the horse. I didnāt ride in it so Iām not sure how the riders felt about the comments made by the clinician. She seemed knowledgeable and seemed to give a mini ālesson,ā Iām new to the dressage world, mainly complete in H/J, so Iām not sure if the information was given was correct or helpful. She did push them to buy the bits and order a custom fit bridle at the end of each session. Some ended up with 2-3 bits by the end and Neue Scheule bits arenāt cheap! Essentially, it is a glorified sales pitch. Similar to a saddle rep coming to fit you but they usually travel to you for free. On the other hand, you have a bunch of bits available for you to try and someone who is an expert with fitting and knowing what you need. If you are looking for new bits and a new bridle, go for it! I wouldnāt suggest it if you arenāt planning on purchasing a bit or the products they are bringing. I would also be interested in a bit clinic that wasnāt associated with a brand/company.
This one is going to be in Santa Rosa in June. She offers a variety of brands.
Thanks, she is who was recommended to me and I just wanted to make sure that she was reputable. Much appreciated.
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Kim Gentry is fantastic. We have had her to our facility each of the last two years. She works with a variety of horses and has huge stock of bits/bridles for demo purposes. It was life changing for some of the horses in our group. I highly recommend her.
OK, that is all good feedback - the NS rep I talked to is not the one mentioned in FL, just for those who are curious. And the other one we were looking at is Kim Gentry - and that was the āhard sellā story I got from several people from a recent clinic she did in NorCal. So we may re-examine her as an possible clinician - after hearing the hard sell story, several in my GMO decided it wouldnāt be a good ideaā¦ But I am still interested in it as a learning opportunity for my GMO - and we would fund at least part of the cost for our members. So I"m looking for the most valuable opportunity for my members!
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I took a horse to a bit fitting with Kim Gentry and it was so helpful and educational. She identified and solved some issues I was having, and while I did choose to buy a bit and bridle, I could have easily said I wanted to wait. I have a friend that did a clinic with her and did not buy anything at the time (budget reasons) and I donāt recall her having an issue.
I think the big advantage of doing the clinic, and what made it worth the money for me, was that instead of spending weeks doing the ship bits back and worth stuff, I could try several bits at once and get an immediate answer. Interestingly the bit my horse choose, was NOT one that I would have picked out.
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@MysticOakRanch Is your GMO CDS? Iām in the Bay Area and am really intrigued by bit clinics from an educational standpoint but am pretty turned off by the fact that they seem like glorified sales pitches. I think my ideal clinic would maybe involve some horse skulls and mouth models with a lecture at the beginning showing how different styles of bits affect the mouth and the best way to make an assessment of your own horseās mouth/head, followed by some demo rides with people trying different bits. Maybe thatās just not a very lucrative model and a pipe dream though : (
With the current options described I think if I was ready to make the jump to a double I would ride in a clinic since that seems pretty overwhelming, but until then Iād just audit.
I did one with NS (not with the FL rep) and found it useful but expensive. In retrospect Iām not convinced that the horses didnāt just get better as we warmed up (vs as we tried different bits). It wasnāt a hard sell, I thought overall useful.
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