What bit for an ex-roping horse turned trail horse?

[Scribbler]

I have certainly seen horses bolt in curbs, particularly as a kid when there were little girls on half trained “western” horses “bombing around” everywhere.

I have also as an adult seen very effective use of one reined stop or pulley rein to halt horses ridden English.

Basically whatever bit, if you just haul straight back the horse can lean into it and bolt. A snaffle gives you much more ability to circle or use one rein.

Interestingly as a teen I thought of my long shanked mechanical hackamore as my bit with the most “stopping power.”

I dug it out of the basement and am using it for trail riding with my current horse. And honestly I feel more in control with a snaffle because I know that I can do more to stop, to circle, and to rebalance.

Also 100 % yes to doing as much exposure to obstacles and stimulus as possible. I like to work with obstacles by putting myself between the horse and the thing, and walking around it at the edge of the horse’s comfort zone until that comfort zone lets us get close and close to the thing, and we just march over the tarp or up on the circus box or whatever. It isn’t just about the specific obstacle but about developing a protocol for approaching new things so both you and the horse know what to do and the horse knows he can trust you not to overload him with new things.

Might be useful to have someone ride a bike around you in the parking lot, walk past you with a stroller or an umbrella, playing a guitar (really) anything that might turn up on your trail system.

I expect as a roper he is more used to stimuli than maybe a barrel racer that is kept penned up to just sprint full blast on competition day. I also think that a roper might be a more confident horse, in that he has to chase after cattle. If he has been used for ranch work he has seen his share of border collies, tarps, tractors, and other horses running loose.

Also probably good to practice whatever speed work he knows in the arena, so if he does a good slide or spin, you know about it and can sit it.

All that said, I still think my biggest safety tip for riding is: choose your riding buddies wisely. Don’t go out with the hotrodders, don’t go out with people who aren’t in control of their horses, and don’t go out with anyone who wants to push you past your comfort zone or thinks racing on the trails is a great idea. You are much safer alone (especially with a cell phone) than you are riding with high-risk riders. Take it at your own speed.

[Imgliniel]

I’m going to be just a tad different here I guess. For reference, I own a 20 year old semi retired roping and cattle horse. 16.1 hands, appendix and Dash for Cash bred. Legs like tree trunks, and as wide as he is tall. He has all the cut and duck of a cow horse, and went all over the west coast doing calf roping and header/heeler. Won money doing both. I am 5ft 4 inch ballerina who weighs 106 lbs soaking wet.

I ride my big boy in a fixed shank curb. Softest lightest fixed curb I could find with the gentlest port. NOT because he needs it. I can literally ride this horse anywhere, roads, streets, mountains, at all paces, get lateral movements and do anything I do in the curb in a rope halter and bareback. Walk trot canter stop back up and small rollbacks (when he isn’t being lazy) in the arena bridleless. He is TRAINED. Babysitter trustworthy with children and total novices. I don’t NEED the curb.

But…

He likes it. After years of riding and competing in that kind of bit, he is super comfortable and responsive to it. I barely ever have to touch it, it takes a suggestion of an aid to do most things. I can be at a hand gallop through a field and go 2 inches across his neck with the reins and apply calf pressure and boom! off we go that direction. He’s ultra used to the leverage action, and just, like I said, comfortable in it. It takes more work to cue for the same things in something like a rope halter because the communication is muddy. If we are going for a leisurely stroll around the block to stretch his legs, I’ll often go in that, I don’t need ultra responsive. I like playing bridleless in the arena. Oh, and he has a full set of english tack with a triple jointed snaffle. Goes just as well in that. But if I am going somewhere on a new trail, or we are going to go into the riverbed where its hilly and there’s water crossings and well be going up and down the ravines, I put in his curb bit. Because I know he won’t have to question it and he’ll be comfortable and confident in the communication even if its mid splashing through knee deep water.

What I guess I am saying is that I agree with everyone else in the sense that it is definitely more about training. Bigger “brakes” or a bigger bit is not a good philosophy. It is a band aid. And a properly trained bridle horse riding correctly in a curb should be able to ride just as well in anything below it/softer than it. If you can’t take the curb out and have the horse be just as well behaved you are doing something wrong. But don’t discount the idea of a bit possibly more in line with his previous training and that he may very well be “used to” (if his training is anything like my boy’s). It’s not a bad idea to take your horses past and dare I say preferences into account when making a decision. Just because YOU have never ridden in anything else, doesn’t mean every horse will do the best in that bit/equipment. They are individuals too remember. So this persons suggestion, albeit given for the wrong reasons (stopping power) isn’t necessarily a bad one.

[BlueDrifter]

I am back! Thank you for all the kind perspectives. I stuck with my gut and remain in a snaffle. As we have gotten out more, he has yet to misbehave, and I am learning his mannerisms. I haven’t taken him out on trail alone, but someone who rides for me does and she says he remains unflappable. Today we had an equestrian team drilling at the barn and he only gave a sideways look to the kids using traffic cones as ninja swords – otherwise, wind, flags, picnic tarps, whistles, party atmosphere didn’t faze him at all.

(I am appreciating his roping horse experience!)

I know a one rein stop, but the notion of practicing it at all gaits is new, and I will definitely be doing that! Makes perfect sense and right now, sliding my hand down the rein is not a signal to him that a stop is coming. He does know Whoa! and has a good stop, but in case that doesn’t work, I will be practicing. thx!

And the idea that he might like old, familiar tack (curb), still lingers in the back of my mind. He seems to prefer a western saddle, and I just figured out that leg-yielding and turning between english and western seems to be opposite (outside leg forward and push through turn, versus outside leg back an bend around inside). I am sure he neck reins and I don’t. And as much as I hate “kissing” to a horse, it did help with canter departs. So there might be something to that, but I still don’t trust me with a leveraged bit.

[BlueDrifter]

Oh yeah, and the comment about high-risk riders… so, so true. Despite good-natured teasing about being cautious, I have turned down rides with 3 year old horses, and another accident happened with the youngster losing his rider and her suffering some injuries. My guy might have been a steadying influence, and I hope I can offer that soon, but I need to know his buttons first.

[Palm_Beach]

Sounds like he is doing good. If he responds correctly in a snaffle, stay with the snaffle.

WRT the “one rein stop,” I think it’s a stupid name. People who don’t understand it think that you are hauling the horse around to a stop from an out of control dead gallop, and that is not true. You are simply looking for a soft give that peters out into a circling walk to halt, if that makes sense. Warwick Schiller calls it “bend to a stop,” which I feel is more descriptive. If you feel your horse building momentum in the wrong way, you just pick up on the inside rein and turn into a nice soft drama free halt.

I’m working with a wp gelding who’s owner wants to do ranch riding, and he is getting stuck with extending the lope. He gets rushy and worries, so as soon as I feel that happening, we bend to a walk or trot and then step up into the lope again.

[BlueDrifter]

Good point – bend to stop. I like it.

[TMares]

Assuming he was a calf horse, bending your right leg up toward the cantle could be your one leg stop as a kid we had two retired ropers whose job was toting the littles around. We had to make sure they didn’t lop and stop them too often- those girls LOVED the trick where you act like you’re going to step down to rope a calf by starting to dismount from a lope. Those girls would wear those old men out if we didn’t keep a close eye on them