| Do you saw left and right on your dressage horse's | | | | "connecting aids". Close both legs to add power from |
| mouth or wiggle the bit with both hands to get him "on | | | | behind as if you're doing a lengthening. When your |
| the bit". | | | | horse "arrives" at your outside hand, close that hand in |
| If you "saw" on your dressage horse's mouth by | | | | a fist to capture, contain, and recycle the power back |
| alternating squeezing and releasing with your hands, | | | | to the hind legs. Do this for 3 full seconds. |
| you're riding your horse from front to back. He might | | | | THEN, lastly you can vibrate or squeeze on the inside |
| look like he's "on the bit" because his head is down and | | | | rein for two reasons: |
| his nose is on the vertical, but you don't have an | | | | 1. To keep his neck straight. Your goal is to keep him |
| honest connection from back to front. | | | | form bending his neck to the outside in response to |
| The only part of your horse's body that you can | | | | your closed outside hand. This means that when you |
| affect by "sawing" is his jaw. Moving the bit in his | | | | ride with his soft (hollow) side on the inside, chances |
| mouth encourages him to chew. When he chews, he | | | | are you won't need any inside rein because he won't |
| flexes in the jaw. | | | | try to look to the outside when you close your outside |
| So, if all you do is saw on the bit, all you have control | | | | hand. |
| over is a flexed jaw. And your horse has a whole lot | | | | 2. To move the bit, encourage him to chew so he |
| more body left over that you have no influence over. | | | | flexes in the jaw. |
| That's why you might think your horse is on the bit, but | | | | Remember, you're riding your dressage horse from |
| you wonder why he comes off the bit when you ask | | | | front to back if you wiggle both sides of the bit. So |
| him to do something like a transition. | | | | never do with two hands what you can do with one |
| The reality is that he was never on the bit to begin | | | | hand (move the bit). And you have the other hand left |
| with. All you had was a flexed jaw. | | | | over for the more important job of recycling power |
| To put your horse honestly on the bit, use your | | | | back to the hind legs. |