On the Bit

Putting the horse on the bit is an important part of dressage. To put the horse properly on the bit the rider should have an even light contact with the horse's mouth, with reins held at a proper length for riding, at the same time bracing her back and applying both legs. The horse will lower his nose, the rider should then relax the pressure in the horse's mouth. Remember that relaxation is a reward for the horse. The horse should be comfortable when he is in the proper position. The horse will, or at least should begin to gently chew the bit, which indicates that his jaw is relaxed. We often use side reins as an example of what the rider's hands should do. If the horse tries to go above the bit the side reins take hold, if the horse goes in position the side reins are loose. Position means that the horses nose is vertical to the ground. The rider should always be careful that he rides forward, not allowing the horse to shorten his stride, when teaching him to accept the bit. Self carriage is what we all strive for. The three most important words in dressage are forward, forward, forward.

Bending though the corners is another way of putting the horse on the bit. The rider takes flexion and instead of giving it back after the corner, takes back the outside rein, adding the inside leg until the horse gives to the rider's hand. This is one of the reasons that it is important to ride forward and deep into the corners.

A horse should not be the one that makes the decision of whether he is gathered up or whether he can stretch down. It is the rider who is the one that makes that decision. The rider should keep the horses comfort in mind and never ride him collected for extended periods, without giving him a break to stretch. Stretching relaxes any tension in the horse. Encouraging the horse to take the bit to the ground increases relaxation, strengthens his back, and helps lengthen his stride. Most important ti prepares him to return to collected work in a happy frame of mind. Avoid long periods (years) of long and low work. Accustom the young horse to periods of more collected work so that being collected gradually becomes a habit.

When riding on the bit, the reins should feel like rubber bands, soft, with about 4 oz. of pressure on the horses mouth. Horses that have been pulled on, or ridden heavy may not ever achieve the lightness that we desire, but we can try to achieve correctness. We might be surprised what happens.

Seesawing, jerking, and pulling are methods which have no place in correct dressage riding, they are often seen in riders and even trainers who don't have the ability or patience to put the horse on the bit correctly. Such riders will suffer the effects of improper training for years, by shortening the horses strides, making his back hollow, and making him tense through the jaw, just to mention a few of these.