Selecting The Right Bit For You And Your Horse

When walking into a tack store or opening up a catalog an overwelming feeling can take over when trying to select the correct bit for your horse. There are so many to choose from, and how do you know if they work? The wall in our office at the barn is covered with bits that we have bought that did not work.

After many years and bits later we found a custom bit maker out of New Mexico named Greg Dutton. Every bit is hand made out of sweet iron. He only has a handful of very qualified bit makers on his staff, and we have received nothing but quality and success with all of the bits that we have purchased from him.

Below are a few bits that we use every day her at the farm. We have many other Dutton bits that we use, but these bits are the most frequently used. They are very comfortable and mild bits that work best for most horses and riders. All of these bits have broken mouth pieces so they can be used two handed or one handed while riding. These bits all have similarties to them, so it makes it very easy to transition a horse from a snaffle bit to a more mature bit.

This first bit is very common and more than likely everyone has one. This is a snaffle bit and the beginning of most horses training. When purchasing a broken mouth bit like this one fold it in half and make sure that each side is the same length. Many bits sold today are made in China or Mexico and are not good quality, and do not fit a horse properly. If the mouth piece pinches or is uneven it can cause bad behavior problems with your horse. Your horse might only be acting up because he is in pain. Most bad habits start off with the first few rides, so that is why we choose this sweet iron snaffle bit with copper inlay for the first rides on an unbroke horse.

This bit would be the next transition up from the snaffle. It is the same mouth piece, but the tear drop shanks give a little more leverage.

This is the same variation to the previous bits, but with a different shank. This bit is not to be confused with a Tom Thumb bit. The mouth piece of a Tom Thumb bit breaks completly different from this bit. A Tom Thumb bit causes a horse to bob his head and sometimes rare. You will not see a Tom Thumb bit ever being used in our barn. This bit breaks properly and sits in a horses mouth very comfortably.

The following three bits are used in the same transitions as the last three, but these bits are three piece broken bits. We call them dog bone bits at our barn. The three piece bits are used more often the the traditional broken mouth pieces at the barn, more horses seem to like the feel of these bits in there mouth.

This is the next transition up. We call this the dog bone tear drop. It is the most popular used bit on our farm. We have four bridles with this bit. It works well for young horses as well as mature horses.

This three piece ported bit with the copper rings is for a mature horse that might need a little more leverage. It is still a mild bit that the horses pack well in their mouth. This bit will aid with the stops more than the dog bone with no port will. Some horses can stay in the dog bone tear drop, but some horses just respond better with the small port of this bit. This bit also has the straight shanks, but is available with the tear drop shanks.

We have been using and selling Dutton bits for several years now. We have not found anything that we like better. These bits that are shown here are bits that we like to keep in stock to sell customers. They usually sell very fast when we get a shipment in. So, if you are interested in purchasing one of these bits please let us know. Email us jshaffertd@yahoo.com Or give us a call. We will answer any questions that you have about these bits and others that we have. The prices for these bits run in the $50 to $70 range.

Hobbles

There have been several comments left about hobbles on the blog. Thank you very much for the comments left. It is very helpful to know what everyone wants to hear about. Sometimes it takes me a little time to get them written, but if you give me time I eventually get them done. Believe it or not things get pretty busy here on the farm.

Hobbles are a big part of our everyday training here on the farm. We use them to fix problems, but also to maintain horses that have already learned to hobble and stand patiently. Our horses are expected to stand patiently no matter what we are doing with them or what situation they are in. Hobbles are way to correct problems without using force. The horse is corrected for bad behavior without the handler having to physically correct the horse. The horse ultimately corrects its self. We feel that hobbles are the safest way to correct bad behavior, because once the hobbles are on the horse the handler can step back and let the horse figure things out on his own.

Here are a few examples of when we would use hobbles:

-When we get a new or young horse they will learn to be hobbled before we will ever get on them. How they react to the hobbles gives us a pretty good idea how they will react to many other training obstacles we go through.

-When a horse paws tied up or in the stall. I am sure everyone knows of a horse that "Paws to China" every time it is tied up. Or when a horse paws impatiently during feeding time. We would put hobbles on a horse that paws immediately.

-If a horse moves when being tacked. We will put hobbles on them in the cross ties.

-All of our riders carry a set of hobbles on their saddle at all times, because if they are ever in a situation were there is no place to tie their horse they just put on the hobbles.

-If a horse does not stand to mount. We mount and dismount the horse repetitively until it stands. Once the horse learns to stand and mount with the hobbles then we take the hobbles off and do the same thing to make sure that the horse understands to stand when mounted.

These are the type of hobbles that we use. We have used many different kinds and these are the easiest and safest to use, in our opinion. They are just the right width between the horses front feet and they have easy buckles to get on and off of the horses legs.

This horse in the following pictures has never had hobbles on. He is a horse that we just got in to train, and before we go any further with him he needs to learn to be hobbled. Hobbling teaches a horse to be patient and not to "freak out" when caught in a tight spot. We have had many times that we have been very glad that we have taught our horses to hobble. Check out the testimony from Martha on our testimonial page on our website www.windyhillfarm.net and read about her experience with a horse that she bought from our farm. Her horse got caught in the fence and if he had not been taught to hobble they would not have been able to free him from the wire fence that had wrapped around his legs. He did not try to kick the wire off when he got caught, he just laid there patiently until they came and cut him free.

We put this horse in the round pen for the first hobbling lesson. We also start them in our large arena. The main concern for the first time is that they are in a safe secure place. We do not tie them the first time. Give them space to figure things out on there own. Put the hobbles on and go do something else in the barn.

Jordan has a hold of the lead rope to keep control of him until the hobbles are completely on.

Put the hobbles on the opposite leg first and then the leg closest to you. Then throw the rope over the horse's neck or take the halter off completely. Once you get the hobbles on do not take them off until the horse stands there patiently. Sometimes it can take several hours. So, when doing this for the first time make sure you have plenty of time and do not rush the process.

These next few pictures show about a three to four minute time spanned of the stages this horse went through before he figured out that he should stand.

In this picture the horse is figuring out how far he can lift his foot and even walk. There are some horses that learn how to walk with the hobbles on. Just very slow small steps.

This horse figured out what he was supposed to do with in a matter of minutes. He never once fell to his knees in the process. There are occasions were they will fall. If they do fall make sure that they get up, but do not take the hobbles off. They can get back up with the hobbles. If you take the hobbles off before the horse learns to stand then you will teach very bad habits and cause more problems then you are fixing.

Once the horse has learned to stand with hobbles loose in a round pen, or secure area, start to use them to aid with other training issues. Don't be afraid to try hobbles. They will change things for the better between horse and handler. When a horse knows its boundaries it will be a much happier horse. Also, as a handler you must realize that sometimes things get worse before they get better. If hobbles are used in the proper way they can be a very useful training aid. Let me know how things go with your hobbling, and if you have any further questions on the subject. Good Luck. If you would like to buy the kind of hobbles that we use let us know. We sell them for $35 shipping and handling included. You can email us at jshaffertd@yahoo.com

Till next time, Tiffany

Teeth Floating

Teeth floating is something that is often times overlooked by horse owners. Most people think that floating horses teeth is only going to help a with eating, but there is so much more that is affected.

We float all of the horses that we ride. Jordan does the floating here on the farm, but if you think that your horse needs it, and it probably does, you would want to contact an equine dentist or a vet that specializes in equine dentistry. Not every vet specializes in this, so it is important that you find a vet that knows what they are doing.

There are several signs that we look for when a horse needs its teeth floated. The sign that most people know to look for is if the horse spills most of its grain out of its mouth when it eats. Most of the time that is a good sign, but not always if your horse is just a sloppy eater. If the horse holds his head tilted to the side or tosses its head when it eats it is almost guaranteed to have sharp teeth.

There are several signs to look for when you are riding. Many bad behavioral problems that are blamed on the horse are often caused by pain. A horse can not talk to you and tell you "OUCH that really hurts", so a horse owner needs to learn how to read the signs. Every horse has a different pain tolerance just like people. We have floated teeth that were so sharp that they cut Jordan's hand when he checked them, the horse showed no signs and rode great. There are other horses that would be minor compared to that horse, but show big signs of pain. That is why is important if you don't feel comfortable checking your horses teeth have a professional check, because more times than not there is always something that needs done. Whether it is floating, pulling a wolf tooth, or extracting caps that have not come off naturally.

A few signs to look for when riding.

1. Not packing the bit quietly - chomping or grinding.

Sometimes this can be blamed on a bad bit as well.

2. Turning one direction better than the other.

3. When you stop, back, or turn the horse tosses or jerks its head as soon

as pressure is put on the bit.

4. The horses rides with its head tilted one direction.

5. Raring - this can also be caused be a bad bit or hard hand.

6. Not wanting to collect and completely give to pressure.

These are a few of the signs that we look for, but every horse is different. There is not horse that comes on the place that the teeth are not checked and evaluated, because then when it comes to training time there are no excuses, it is time to get to work.

Wolf teeth are another problem that most people do not know what to look for. The main reason is that is is not understood which tooth is the wolf tooth. Most people confuse it with the canine tooth because that tooth looks like it deserves the name better. When we think of a wolf tooth we think of big and sharp. Well, not this one. The wolf tooth sits directly in front of the molars or sometimes called the cheek teeth. They are usually very small, but can cause big problems and pain when packing a bit. It is best to check for these teeth when the horse is about two or three. Not all horses have them and they can have anywhere from one to four of them. It is important to extract them, and if caught early on are fairly easy to remove with the right tools. It is a good idea to extract them before any bit training is started. That insures that no bad habits start and the horse can enjoy its training without relating a bit with pain.

This is very condensed information on the subject, but it is a start. I want to do some blogs on bits and training, but before this important detail is handled the rest won't be as successful as possible. What I wrote in this blog is information that we have learned over the years through trial and more error then I would like to admit. Our goal here at Windy Hill Farm is to help people get the most enjoyment out of their horses as possible. "If the horse ain't happy the owner ain't happy." I changed that saying around a little bit, but it is the truth. For us to get the benefits from owning and handling a horse we need to make sure that we can do everything in our control to make our horses healthy and comfortable.

I tried to cover as much as possible without giving to much information to soak in at once. If there are any questions please comment or email us and we will do our best to answer them. If you live locally and need to find a equine dentist give Jordan a call and he can work you in here at the farm.

Until next time, Tiffany

The Big Thaw

Yesterday we had some wonderful warm weather. The four to five inches of snow melted and we were left with tons of mud, but we didn't care because it was warm. We got to work early and got our work done so that we could end our day with a trail ride.

Even though it was a fun ride we still got work done. We got to take some horses that we have in for training and also some horses that we have available for sale.

This is Tiffany on Smarty she is on our for sale page.

This is Jordan on Dakota. Dakota is a great trail horse. I don't think that he spooked at anything. Dakota is horse that is very easy going. He takes his time and lets the rider have a very enjoyable and relaxing time.

This is Kathy on Rocket. Mom really enjoys riding him on trails. He is a horse with great versatility.

Adam and Clarence on their personal horses.

We had to travel on the road for about a mile to get to the trail. I don't like riding on the roads, but it is good experience for the horses.

This is the last stretch of out trail ride. This is everyone that went on the trail ride except for my sister, Stacey, she was taking this picture.

Cold Winter Day

We woke up this morning to eight degree weather. It was a very frosty crisp morning. After all of the horses were feed and the icy buckets were dumped my sister and I decided to take a trip around the farm to check the livestock and take a few pictures.

The yearlings got moved to the back pasture last week. They have to be checked frequently. The young stock can really be effected by this crazy Ohio weather. Last week it was sixty degrees and this week it has stayed below twenty.

These are yearlings trying to soak up as much sun as possible. It is cold, but at least the sun is out. So, I can't complain.

This is my sister, Stacey. She is trying here hardest not to get stuck. This golf cart isn't the best in slick snow. She didn't manage to not get stuck. I had to push her out. I still don't know why I had to push and she got to ride. To bad there wasn't a third person to take a picture of that.

The spring going into our pond was the only thing that was not frozen. It was nice to go out and enjoy this nice crisp snow, because knowing Ohio weather it will all be melted away by next week and we will have a ton of mud to deal with.

I am working on some instructional blogs right now that should be up soon. So, keep checking back. -Tiffany

Saddles For Sale

"Sometimes it is more expensive to go second class in the long run."

We always like to keep a number of quality used saddles on hand for people to buy. It is so hard to find used saddles that are worth the investment, especially if you live around our area. Everywhere we go we always have our eyes out for any quality saddles. There is usually never a trip that we go on that we do not come home with a saddle. Most of the saddles that we come home with are custom made using saddles. We get cutters, ranch versatility saddles, ropers, and reiners. It is important that the saddles that we get are not only comfortable for us, but also for the horses. If you buy the right saddle it will not depreciate in value. Quality always sells.

We also have a standing order for custom saddles from a saddle maker out of Texas. Stanley saddles are the primary saddles that we order new. They are excellent quality and we have never got one in that we were not 100% satisfied with. If you are interested in ordering a new saddle let us know. If not we have some great used saddles to choose from. Here are three saddles that we have for sale. We also have more saddles that are not pictured, so if you don't see one here that suits you give us a call and we can let you know what we have. We also consider any trades.

This saddle is a custom made Cleburne cutter. It was Kathy's personal saddle for several years. It is in great shape and has been well oiled and maintained. This saddle has a 16 inch seat. $1,500

This saddle is a Dale Fredrick's roping saddle. It is has a wade tree and a wide horn. It is in great shape. This saddle has a 16 inch seat. $1,250

This saddle is a Billy Cook reiner. It was traded in for a cutting saddle that we had. It is slightly used, but in like new condition. This saddle has a 16 inch seat. $1,100 - This saddle is now sold.