by Janeen S. DeBoard
Whenever a horse does not make proper contact with the bit, but instead raises his nose too high or tucks it too low, or simply opens his mouth and pulls, he is performing an evasion, a way of “getting around,” or evading, the rider’s signals.
There are three basic types of evasions. Each one has its own cause and solution.
Above the Bit
This is the “stargazer,” the horse whose response to rein pressure is to throw his head up to where the bit is less effective. He will point his nose as high as he can and keep right on going, no matter how much the rider pulls.
The above-the-bit horse is a terribly uncomfortable ride, with pounding, jarring gaits. When a horse’s nose goes up, his neck is forced down – just the opposite of the upward-arching crest of the properly collected horse.
When the neck is forced down, the back is also forced down, which in turn throws the horse’s weight onto his front end. This combination gives the rider the feeling that the horse is dropping out from under her at every stride, which is almost literally true. The jolted, insecure rider tries to stay on by bracing against the reins, which of course, only makes the situation worse.
The immediate correction is often something like draw reins. Draw reins will force a horse’s nose down and may put a bow in his neck, but all the while he will be bracing hard against the pressure in an effort to get his head back up.
His back will still be dropped and his gaits will still be rough. Safety is a concern here too because a hot horse whose head is suddenly forced down and held there may well panic and fight in an effort to bring it back up.
Only when the horse is taught to relax the neck muscles, allowing them to arch – and relaxes and arches his back, inviting the rider to sit down – will his position be corrected and his gaits made soft and comfortable.
Horses of the taller, longer-necked, longer-backed type find it easy to evade the bit by getting above it. The relatively weak back tends to brace downward when a rider mounts, particularly if the mounting is at all clumsy; up go the head and neck, and a stargazer is born.
Spending a few weeks on groundwork can cure such a horse. The horse must first be trained to longe, either on the line or loose in a pen. He wears only a saddle and a heavy snaffle or mild curb with no draw reins or gag bits or other severe device.
Side reins are fastened to the girth at the level of the point of the shoulder and are long enough to let the horse raise his nose up to 45 degrees. This will automatically reward him with a release from rein pressure whenever he yields to it.
As with draw reins, simply fastening side reins short enough to force the horse’s head down will not teach him to relax and carry himself properly.
Long, low side reins encourage the horse to turn his neck over, so to speak, and come down instead of straining upwards. The lack of a rider means that he will not be disturbed as he learns to relax and get comfortable in this new position.
Later, longeing the horse with his rider up and the side reins in place will teach him the proper way to carry weight, which is by arching his neck and back.
The rider will learn the correct feel of the gaits, as well as how to sit without pounding the horse or bracing on the reins. The horse must be allowed several weeks of such work in order to re-condition the muscles in his neck and back.
Behind the Bit
This is also called “over-bending,” “over-flexing,” or “over-collecting.” All of these terms mean the same thing. A horse is behind the bit whenever his face comes past the vertical. That is, rather than pointing his nose straight down to the ground, the horse begins to point it back towards his chest.
To the rider, the horse seems to disappear every time she tries to use the reins. He is quite literally backing off from any hint of contact by bowing his neck, dropping his nose, and pulling closer and closer to his chest. He successfully avoids all rein pressure by rolling himself up into a ball and burying his nose somewhere between his chest and his knees.
As a result, the horse that is behind the bit loses forward drive. It’s all but impossible to get him to move out in this position and he tends to get slower and slower. Very often he gets “stuck” and can hardly be made to move at all. He usually backs up very easily, however, and in some cases will begin rearing.
The worst problem with a horse being behind the bit is that so often the rider does not recognize it as a fault. The very low head carriage, the big arch in the neck, and the extremely light feel on the reins can fool her into thinking that her horse is now properly collected.
Nothing could be further from the truth. He is heavily on his front end and can feel no signals from the reins.
Devices intended to produce a low or “flexed” head carriage almost always produce an over-bent horse instead. Draw reins are particularly hazardous in this regard, since they have enough leverage to allow any rider to force a horse’s head just as low as she thinks she wants it. Long-shanked curbs with tight straps or chains can have the same effect, especially when used with a short running martingale.
Remember that getting behind the bit is an evasion. The horse has learned to avoid the rider’s hands or the device’s severity by ducking down low enough to escape their effects. He has learned nothing about collection or proper flexion, only evasion.
Small, compact horses with relatively short necks and backs are prime candidates for learning to get behind the bit, especially if there is any lack of forward drive. With such a horse, the problem is almost certain to appear if any heavy-handed training methods or devices are used.
To cure the over-bent horse, the rider must first educate herself on what a properly collected horse looks like from the ground and feels like from the saddle.
If her own behind-the-bit horse is the only one she normally rides, she should arrange for a lesson on a horse that does take proper contact. Such a comparison can open the door to understanding her own horse’s faults and learning how he should actually feel.
The first thing to do with an over-bent horse is get him to stretch his neck and move out. All draw reins, running martingales and leverage bits must be removed.
A large heavy snaffle is the ideal bit to use for this correction, because its big smooth surface is comfortable for the horse (he won’t be afraid to move into it) and it has no leverage to pull his nose down.
The rider will encourage her horse to go forward with a long, steady stride and will work him on a long rein. This means that the reins are taken up only enough to remove the slack and give the rider just the lightest feel of the horse’s mouth.
If the horse gets a little too high or too fast, the rider will not worry about it at this stage. Once the horse is moving forward with a good long stride and is no longer over-bent, he can be carefully slowed and his nose tipped back down with a mild, short-shanked curb.
Riders who show their horses in a double bridle can keep in mind that the snaffle should raise not just the head, but also the neck. The snaffle, thus, prevents the horse from getting too low while the curb does the work of tucking the nose.
Through the Bit
This is the most rare of the evasions. It is also called “ahead of the bit” and is characterized by the horse shooting his nose straight forward, rushing off, and completely ignoring the rider’s signals.
He has braced his neck hard against the pressure from the reins and no matter what gait he is doing – trot, canter, or runaway gallop – the rider has the feeling of being left behind and unable to get hold of him no matter how she pulls. The horse has run right through the pressure and does not respond at all.
A horse that has been over-trained, pushed too hard, and had too much demanded too soon may attempt to evade the rider in this fashion. He is usually a horse who is too high-powered to tend to stop and too well-mannered to rebel outright by rearing or bucking. He simply goes blindly on, unable to respond but still trying to do “something.”
Such a horse must be immediately dropped back several steps in his training until the root of his confusion is discovered. Using harsh bits and severe devices on this horse in an effort to force him to work will only turn him into a neurotic, dangerous animal as his fear and frustration grow.
Going through the bit should be taken as a serious warning sign and the horse’s training adjusted accordingly.
These are the three most common evasions. Almost any horse can benefit from a close look to see if he fits even marginally into one of these categories.
And as always, the solution lies in a few weeks of time with a concerned, thinking rider, never with quick fixes.
