Written by Donna Irvin, Co-Instructor with Sharon Camarillo
Meet Alabama Hannah, a 3 year old Smooth Guy filly owned by Shelbi Thall.
This filly has been started nicely in an O ring snaffle and has good rhythm and forward and she follows her nose. Her weak points were her ability to guide, short attention span and she would throw her head. To build on her foundation and address her weaknesses I am riding her in the six bit with a nose band complimented with split reins and a german martingale. She is making fantastic improvements each day as the equipment helps in getting her in the bridle while working on front to back connection to get her more collected and broke.
Each day working on lateral maneuvers such as circles, reverse arcs, yields, forehand turns and spins helps build suppleness and body control. Riding straight lines working on lengthening and shortening the stride as well as stops and rollbacks challenges her both mentally and physically. Finishing each lesson just slightly better than the day before is building a confident horse with a strong foundation. This equipment is a staple in our program both in training young horses and for rebalancing and softening competition horses!
Here is a closer look at the six bit. It has a 3 piece mouthpiece which provides comfort for the tongue and allows for elevation in the shoulders as it can reach the outside of the bars. Also notice the modified ring. It is similar in shape to an O ring but with a stop. This design creates a slight gag action which aids in shoulder elevation. The curb strap is wrapped and there is just a mild introduction of curb pressure due to the isolation of the rein in the bottom ring. This bit alone offers a slight amount more control than a traditional O Ring and it introduces the curb pressure as well as gag and poll pressure thus making it a great transition bit. The nose band is sold separate and it offers another element of control through nose pressure. It also stabilizes the bit aiding in more front to back control.
For more training information check out our other blogs on this site.
To order this equipment, you can find it at https://sharoncamarillo.com/products/sweet-six-sweet-iron-wrapped-o-ring-744 or at the Barrel Racing Superstore - www.barrelracingsuperstore.com.
As always we bring a nice selection of equipment to our clinics for students to try! Come Ride On with Us and enjoy the Horsemanship Journey of Better Barrel Racing!
Written by Donna Irvin, Co-Instructor with Sharon Camarillo