SaraShaldaPerformanceHorses.Com

 bit for my draft horse

From: Mjchodnicki@aol.com   To: sarashalda@aol.com
Sent: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 10:03 am

Hi!  My name is Marsha Chodnicki.  i want to get a bit to fit my draft horse.  His is, I think, mostly clydesdale....  He has very large lips and his tongue sqeezes out between his teeth. I don't think there is much room in his mouth. .... I am riding him in a full cheek snaffle, but would like to get a snaffle bit with a break in the middle, like a french link or something.  He is easy to stop, so I want to stay as gentle as I can with the bit.....he is wearing a 6 1/2 now, but I think a 7 would be even better. He really does have rolly polly lips. ..Let me know what you think.  Thanks!...Sincerely,Marsha C.

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dear marsha
thanks for the email...i can easily make a french link full cheeck snaffle for you if thats what you want...i can make any port you dream of....did you look at all the other bits i make on my website..?...are you ready to have me make it right now...?  sara

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Triangle or "Knife Edge" Bits   From: Jim Crawford <jcrawford@crawfordpr.com> To: SARASHALDA@AOL.COM 2008 Sara,    draft cross ("Cappy") who   began bolting with me in late May.  Formerly pretty gentle  (enough so that my cousin with MS could ride him safely), in  May he became a different horse....................:/ didn't respond to commands  and would suddenly break into a canter and then a wild gallup..................  Pretty scary, as you can imagine!................. I couldn't stop him even  from a trot.  ...............In early July  I took him to a local trainer the vet recommended. ................   Had my first ride on "Cappy" after one month of training & he   was completely different......................  Now he rides on the bit, backs, trots,   canters, etc., with no problem. ................... The trainer started him in Western  tack, which I used for the first couple of rides before  switching back to my Amerigo English style saddle last week,  with no problems.  ........................... Here's my question.  The trainer started out with a twisted  wire bit, then went to a triangle "knife edge" bit, which is what  Cappy is still on. ............................ I was all set to go out and buy a triangle  bit, & in searching for one online came across your site plus  this one, which is very negative on triangle bits:    http://www.horse-country.com/jriders/jrbits.html    So who's right?............................  Is a triangle bit bad for my horse & is Cappy  "behaving" simply because the bit is severe? ........................... If I revert to my   regular snaffle bit, will the old "bolting" problems come back?, Although I've been riding English for  6 years, I obviously haven't learned enough if I let this  problem develop in the first place.    Thanks    Jim  Crawford jcrawford@crawfordpr.com
	: From: sara shalda To: jcrawford@crawfordpr.com ..gosh jim...i really like your story and your farm...............thank you for writing to me,,,,i am honored...truly...that my opinion and my experiences are helpful to  someone.............thank you for letting help you,,,,,,,also......................................another option for you  is a threded screw mouth.............i can  make a corse or a fine thread,,,,,,,,corse is more aggressive...........................these bits are not mean unless you see saw your reins,,,,,,,,so as long as your dont ride with alot of contact they are mild bits......................but when you need to get a horses attention ....just seee saw and  kapow...new found respect and attention From: Jim Crawford Thank you, Sara - this is extremely helpful advice.  Having heard too many times from various trainers that their way is the only way, it is refreshing to hear from someone who is open-minded and flexible.  It makes absolute   sense to have the right bits for the right occasion.I'm riding Cappy today and will share your thoughts with his trainer,Doug Linton. I like the idea of a triangle bit, and also the correction port bit.  I'll get back to you. I do indeed love my horses.  We have two others here -- both rescued race horses that we rode for awhile with mixed results 'til we learned that various health issues were the cause of unsettling riding experiences (not to mention a few cracked ribs and a broken collarbone for me in separate mishaps  :-) ).  Though unrideable and now fully retired, these fine  old gentlemen will always have a home here at "Second Chance Farm."   Thanks again -- and best regards,  Jim  From: sara shalda hi jim thanks for your email.  i understand your situation completely.......im sorry for your problems but that's how we all learn...please don't be too hard on your self.......i can tell you love your horse very much and only do the best you know how............many people have blinders on when it comes to bits....they are very opinionated and closed minded like the person who wrote the article you send me...............in my life i have used thousands of bits on thousands of horses...there is a bit for every reason..............in your situation you must have several bits and be prepared to use whatever you need to fit the situation that particular day gives you with your horse..................often times i have found myself riding back to the barn to change bridles after only riding about two minutes.................my horse was in a certain mood and i did not have the correct bit in his mouth to fit that situation..............so my advice is to do this:  have a couple nice bits for when your horse is nice.............and have a couple naughty bits for when you horse is naughty....if he takes off with you....then the next day you can put a naught bit in him thats much more severe like a triangle fishback or even a notched triangle or even a correction port like this one...............guaranteed to not run away with you with this bit......it may only have to be used once or twice a year but .........its a good equalizer when you need it  there is no write or wrong bit.........  ....there is only a right or wrong time to use one bit over another   for each good riding horse there should be 5  or 6  different bits to cover every conceivable situation .....these options should always include a good hackamore or two.............i am happy to build any bit you need in any size you need  thank you for your time my friend sara shalda  thank you for your time my friend sara shalda . . . . . . .