Retraining a hard-mouthed horse to drive in a soft kind bit.
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- čas přidán 29. 12. 2013
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Horse Drawn Promotions - Breaking horses to harness.
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All this reminds me of my favorite Tom Robert’s Quote:
“If you are fond of a horse and wish to do him a real favour, train him well. Teach him good manners, good habits, both in the stable and under saddle.
You need never worry about the future of such a horse if for any reason you have to part with him.
You assure him of friends wherever he goes. Perhaps the greatest kindness you can do any horse is to educate him well.”
Thank you Barry for putting all the time and effort in to all these horses over the years… and thank you for showing the world your philosophy and process on CZcams!
A favourite quote of mine too - although actually that's how I ended up with my Georgie! Did all that and then couldn't part with her! - Rhi
Bless you for giving this horse a great New lease of life!!
Second chances are rare and precious,
I've got a soft spot for these horses!!
I've been lucky enough to help with the education of an old trotting horse,
( every horse, teaches us something new, ,if we're willing to listen.)
This tough little guy was a Diamond, I learnt a lot from him!!
Thank you for helping so many horses and their owners as well.
The rubber bit is the most Humane bit,
I've noticed that the more severe ones, cause more problems than curing them!!
I suggest that people try one on the shin bone,
~before they put it in a horses mouth!!
Kindest Regards,
Andrea and Critters. ...XxX....
Brilliant work, Barry and well explained. Love seeing the English countryside too. Hot here in Australia atm. Totally agree with you on the rubber bit, softer kinder and different than the severe bits that are often used. Voice is so important too. What you put into their minds is more important than what you put in into their mouths.
Horses' hooves make the loveliest music.
Nice pony, glad he's being given chance of another career.
So true Barry. We still (after being broken by you in 2012) drive our two Welsh Cobs in rubber bits, and don't see the need to put them in anything else. We can drive them ( & stop them!!) through heavy traffic or on country roads at harvest time! Thanks HDP.
If you weren't already someone I strongly admire, then I would after the great things that you have done for this horse. New careers for former harness racing horses is a major interest of mine.
lovely channel. i had driving horse for 2 years but i realize now i only learnt a tiny bit,,,,,,learning again now thankyou
Thanks for the training videos. It does my heart good to see the kindness while still being clear in what you expect. So few trainers are truly friends of horses. Its so good to see the horse being put first, before human ego.
i wish some of the travellers around here would watch a few of your vids.
Sonja Gaffer I do
You are awesome & generous with all the information you share with us!! Thank you. However, I would love to have seen this boy when he was kicking out and how you worked with him to get him out of it as I would like to drive with the rubber bit you talk about.
Seeing well treated horses at work is a pleasure.
We need more people like u and all your team like this in the world x
Thank you Josie Murray - its nice to hear what people think of our training; we love what we do, and if we can inspire people or show what it is possible to achieve with a driving horse, and improve their lives in the process, then that makes all our hard work worthwhile.
Its so great seeing this video and the amazing things that Standy's can do! My family breds and trains Standardbred's for harness racing in NZ and I would love to be able to take one of our line when their racing career is over and retrain them to drive in the other kind of harness! People seem to think that their trot is quite hideous but like you say they have been trained to cover ground and fast - in the paddock they trot and canter quite beautifully. A racehorse will only break into canter on the track when their stride has been disrupted or sometimes out of a sheer desire to want to go faster (Some horses are quite competitive - honestly!) or maybe being pushed a bit too much by the driver. When this happens they usually pull out to the side and back because it is part of the rules that you cannot disturb the path of a horse behind you in coming forward. You could be held to appeal for that if for instance this happened down the home straight and the horse behind you appeared to be coming around in a bid to move forward and you held him up. The rules are a bit complex.
I know that we really don't like our horses to be hard mouthed - the driving style here is different to the American's and cruppers are pretty routine in harness. The horse's can turn quite happily in their sulky's - so tight that only the wheels are moving and the driver appears to be turning on the spot - they do pick the sulky up sometimes though!. Like you say though, things are different with horses everywhere and I'm really glad to see this wee guy doing so well.
Superb! 😲 Fantastic work!
I love to watch and hear everything Barry and Melanie have to show us. I think it would be very interesting to get a look at the horse, full side before the video starts. Then we could see the horse being trained and get a better idea.
Well done for giving this fine horse another chance at life.
barryhook2 I use a rubber bit when im rehabbing a horse from injury. I've even used a rubber bit on a pacing horse, when I was retraining him. I live in Canada, and the rules for racing Thoroughbreds and Standardized, are very, very strict. I found out about rubber bits from watching your channel. Thank you.
You are a good man. Love your videos. Very interesting about horses.
Thank you, so glad this sweetheart is being given a new life!
Oh wow, that's a lovely piece of the world right there.
I have learned so much. Thank you.
great video hopefully this summer i will have my mare like this
Nice. Got a good look at him. He is certainly a fortunate ex-race horse!
Sad to see how the bits have gotten harsher. My mom grew up working on a Standerbred racing farm in Maine. The only bit they ever raced in was a simple O-ring snaffle. no twists, no shanks, no check rein. All it takes is good training. Good job guys. Really enjoy your videos
It seems to me people have stepped away from "minimum bit possible and loads of training" to "stronger bits" I see more people with double bridles and leverage bits than I remember when I started, and that was just over ten years ago.
And the harsher the bit you use the harder their mouth becomes. Or, the more they start fussing with their head and mouth and refusing to settle into soft contact. With Standardbreds you *might* need a stronger bit on race day, but I always use the easiest bit possible for jogging and slow work to preserve as much sensitivity as I can.
Many trotting horse trainers make the mistake of using a severe bit all the time. A trotter *might* compete in a harsher bit, but their daily exercise & routine training should be done in a softer bit in my opinion. This preserves the sensitivity of the bars of the mouth and also encourages relaxation. I could go on (often do!), but I'll stop here..... :)
Brilliant video & very enlightening, trotters are great horses, much loved by trekking community here in NZ as they are enthusiastic tough workers. Mine was dragged out of a paddock of rams unworked for 18months, then used for general farm & all Pony Club activities before he went to be ridden by my friend's disabled son, which included Hunt treks & the like. Lovely, willing temperament typical of the breed.
I also enjoyed your explanation of side-reins, which, of course, merely encourages "self carriage" as any weight on them will translate onto weight on his girth straps & breeching. It is thus a disincentive to leaning on the bit-I use it for my riding horses when lungeing them partly for the same reason.
Carry on the good work, it's great to see simple things done very well!
Katie Cole Thanks for your comment; glad you enjoyed the video. We like retraining trotters, they certainly have stamina and are willing driving ponies, but sadly can be given a bad name through being raced and driven in a harsh bit with their heads strapped up. There are a few people in the UK who have had success with them as driving trials horses too. I'm going to try and do a more in-depth video about the side reins and rubber bits that we use, as a separate film so more people can understand why we use them. Thanks again for taking the time to comment!
This was so interesting. I didn't know some of the terms because I don't have horse experience but love them. Great explanation at the end.
In the states, at least where I've been, we don't see horse and carriage. It sort of goes right along with the romantic idea I have of Europe with the small quaint towns, stunning settings, thatched roof homes, I just love it.
I can tell you have a big heart and appreciate you putting the work in to keep him around. Animals are not disposable but I see it so often, and it breaks my heart.
The strap that is behind his bum/legs, does that ever rub on the horses?
Keep up the lovely work! Cheers!
Horses love racing
I love how patient you are lovely vidio, looks a gooden to me he has every chance thanks to you kazie
Very much appreciate your video's. I live in the state of Ohio. How and where can I acquire the soft rubber bit.
U use to be able to watch them at tire prince in north wales and also dunstall race course in west middlands
Hi Barry, thanks for showing one of these great little horses. Some trainers in NZ and Australia will slowly canter horses in harness at their home tracks each day when training, as part of their fitness routines. It may be different in UK, Europe and America? Most of the horses seem to learn that a slow canter in training is different to breaking to a gallop from trotting flat out during a race. I wholeheartedly agree that some have hard mouths. I find one of the main problems is they often balance by turning their heads/necks to the outside of a circle or corner as the driver's have held onto the outside rein to keep them on the correct track. This causes the inside shoulder to fall in. Very hard to correct and re-train. Any ideas...?
What did you do when he was kicking and bucking? Did he do it in the cart? Or just when being ground-driven?
Is there a reason to keep driving with the left reign is twisted ? Just interested, thank you.
Where can I buy one of those rubber bits?? The ones they sell on amazon seem way too thick. Way thicker than a snaffle bit.
Barry was he raced on the road or track do u know
I wonder if this would work for a former Thoroughbred race horse.
I have a 3 year old standardbred that s racing, the problem is that this filly pulls all the time, can she be taught to be raited in a soft bit while racing?
Hi RANNIE COX, thanks for your message. We do not race horses but it is possible to retrain horses to go in a soft bit - even those that pull, and while going at a fast pace. It might be worth watching our film about Ronnie and Reggie, a pair of greys, that pulled hard on the bit and would rush off if pressure was released: Driving with the brake on; retraining hard-mouthed, pulling horses.
I have worked for two trot trainers and its all about the money and how much they can make from that horse. They aren't mouthed properly, gear is just put on and they get maybe a day or two with that and then its sulky breaking. It is breaking. The horses have their heads held up and out, two bits. One that pulls the head up and the other one supposedly for steering and hauling on for stopping. One trainer and I say that loosely used to have a chain whip for beating them when they did something wrong in his eyes. Needless to say I didn't last long as the cruelty was awful
Bless you for sharing about this,
I have seen this myself also.
I've been horrified by many "methods" these Breakers use.
Barry is a God -Send for this horse!!
One of the first horses I was responsible for, was a Trotter just like this, and I could Feel the Agitation of himself to be in Front,
luckily he adjusted well with kindness, patience , understanding, and time!!
It is Wonderful to see Barry, drive safely in a rubber bit!!
Giving the horse a great 2nd chance to live a stress free, secure life!!
Namasté 🙏
Andrea and Critters. ...XxX....
This is a subject many folks don't want to know about!
And,Yes those double/ bridles/bits are ghastly and that's a Fact!
Again, Thank You for your kind heart and for sharing this information!!
He sounds like he is cantering with his front legs and trotting with his back legs at present.. has not got his balance yet in that gait.