The Baby Bit Arrives

The Myler Stage I D Ring Comfort Snaffle Size 4 1/2 has arrived. In place of the normal snaffle connection this bit has a roller over the tongue. It is a roller instead of a lozerenge. I'd have preferred a lozerrenge bit, but, they were unavailable in the size.

The bridle is put together, and we give thanks to Stenmans for their wonderful buckle bridles, so easy to assemble. Exceptional "strapper" skills are unneccesary for this convenient set of race bridles and reins, even while placing the chin strap on the cheek pieces proved the usual monumental puzzle for the mechanically challenged RR. I'd do better with a rubix cube.

Each bridle and rein buckle now has been tightened to it's smallest size, and, voila, we have a black bridle and rein set which fits our yearling and was this date successfully placed upon his head.

As Y was without any protest to adminstration of either bit or bridle I'd suspect he was trained to the bit before the Faisig Tipton sale as part of sales prep by Ballsinwood Agent, undoubtedly with a Chifney in-hand bit used in the sales ring. An in-hand bit is used on a normal halter for putting a bit in the horse's mouth while the handler is on the ground. In theory, the Chifney allows the handler better leverage in the event of a rear or other unruly behavior.

Now that we have a bit on the youngster can the first mounting be far off? Should happen in the next few days depending on how much courage RR wakes up with on the particular morning.

Sat. 12/16/06: This is supposed to be a speed day. It had been going so good with daily execution to perfection, you knew the day would come, and today was it. As it turned out, I got more speed work in than the horse.

The 30 lbs Astride was placed on Y. He was released and ran out to the pasture. The plan was several heats over the 1.5f course back and forth with rest between at decent speed as opposed to max speed. I was hoping for a half furlong or two at maybe 13sec and change/f.

The heats went ok. We got the expected heats at the expected distance with the planned rest between. The desired speed we never got. First problem, I broke my whip. The whip really is essential to get that little burst. As the horse begins his gallop I direct him in the arc of the desired direction, and just as he gains momentum I run at him (on foot) at full speed busting the whip. Without the whip i was just running at him. He would speed up, but, less fast than with a whip.

And, today for the first time the young fellow was outsmarting me by running a slightly wider arc. The wider arcs forced me to run faster and farther. Hey, I need work too!

When I finally did get what was looking like the desired quick burst, would you know it, the idiot began passing manure right in the middle of it. This of course immediatley slowed him and destroyed that heat. Never did get another really quick burst. Let's say today was 6 x 1.5 at 15sec/f and change . Note that the 15sec/f maybe goes on for about 1/2f of each heat. The horse first has to speed up, and at the end he slows down. The middle one-half is the fast part.

It was too slow for the really snappy fast twitch muscle type work I wanted. I'm working on a solution to all this which I'll post later. I want to start breezes immediately. The Astride allows us to do this. But, we need a course where the horse is unable to get too far away from the man on the ground chasing him.