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Monte Foreman's
Horse-Training Science
by Monte Foreman and
Patrick Wyse
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Patrick Wyse is a trainer who can teach and a teacher who can train. He is a full-time professional instructor who began doing clinics in Canada, in 1969. He has honed his skills and continued to build on the principles of Monte Foreman, his early mentor. Monte Foreman was a true pioneer of the modern horse world by initiating the use of slow-motion film to analyze how HORSE action and HUMAN reaction effect each other. He then took this information to communities throughout the United States, becoming the first horseman who dared to make a living conducting traveling clinics.
Patrick has carried on this tradition and continues to advance the BASIC HANDLE system through the use of video analysis. Each year, over 600 students are videotaped for their progressive enlightenment and for strengthening the teaching method.
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Training Headgear: Unraveling the Mysteries
by Patrick Wyse
~ October 2000 ~
Look through a catalog of horse equipment and you will probably come across pages and pages of bridles, bits, and accessories. The variations seem endless, and one wonders...what could anyone possibly want with all that stuff? Well, some may give you a long complicated explanation for every bit in the book. They may tell you "he likes this bit, but not that one". (Horses don't particularly like any bit, but they tolerate some better than others.) Another person will likely give you a conflicting explanation.
And what do you have when all is said and done? A lot of confusion, and possibly a lot less money.
Actually, it isn't all that confusing. In fact, horses are fairly simple creatures, and overcomplicating things generally leads to trouble. What you really need is a solid understanding of the basic mechanics of various types of bits and training equipment. And remember the golden rule - Keep It Simple!
Over the next few issues of Words From The Wyse we'll bring you a series of articles designed to take the mystery out of bits, bridles, and accessories. We'll also show you why a very small collection of these items can help you get your horse trained to highly advanced levels. Finally, we'll teach proper adjustment and use of this equipment - and how and why it works.
In this issue we'll discuss types and definitions of bits, so we'll have a reference point at which to begin.
Bits can be broken into two categories, snaffles and curbs. Many people believe that any bit with a jointed mouthpiece is a snaffle - NOT SO! In spite of the term "cowboy snaffle" and all those jointed mouthpiece bits that the catalogs incorrectly call snaffles, any really knowledgeable horseman will tell you that whether a bit's mouthpiece is jointed has no bearing on whether it's a snaffle or curb. A snaffle
is a non-leverage bit, meaning it does not have shanks. The reins pull directly on the cheek rings of the bit instead of the end of a shank.
 Six common snaffle bits: Top row, left to right: Dee ring snaffle with rollers, Egg butt snaffle with copper mouthpiece, Loose ring snaffle. Bottom row: Full cheek snaffle, Driving snaffle, Full cheek snaffle with twisted wire mouthpiece.
Snaffles can have many kinds of mouthpieces and cheek ring styles. The most common cheek rings are D-ring, O-ring, Egg butt, and Full cheek. Mouthpieces vary greatly, but the most common is a smooth mouthpiece that tapers gradually to a joint in the center. Many other variations exist - to name just a few - twisted wire, slow twist, rubber mouthpieces, corkscrew, solid bar, and styles as extreme as bicycle chains. The mouthpieces may vary in diameter and the materials from which they are constructed. But they are all snaffles, non-leverage bits.
Curb bits are those which have a shank that creates a mechanical action when used with a curb chain or strap. Regardless of whether the mouthpiece is jointed or solid, has a spade, port or mullen mouth, the basic mechanics of the curb are the same. When the rein pulls back on the lower shank, the bit swivels on the mouthpiece in the horse's mouth. The upper shank rotates forward and down, which tightens the curb strap/chain on the horse's lower jaw. The upper shank rotating down also puts
pressure on the horse's poll area as it pulls the headstall down, however this poll pressure is seldom significant. The higher the ratio of the lower shank length to upper shank length, the higher the pressure on the curb chain. Mouthpiece, cheekpiece, and shank design elements also have a great effect on the way the bit works. But in simplest terms, a small upper shank to lower shank ratio (e.g. 2:1) will be a milder curb. We'll get into more detail about the actions of curb bits in a future issue about leverage bits.
 These are all variations of curb bits, including the center bit with the jointed mouthpiece. The left and center bits cause painful pinching. There are several reasons why the Monte Foreman bit on the right is the most humane and effective of these bits. We'll discuss these reasons in a future issue, or see the video Practical Guide To Bits And Their Use for a more thorough explanation.
That covers the basic families of bits. If you want a fun little project between issues, go get a tack catalog and count how many bits are incorrectly named. In the meantime we'll be working on our next installment about the specifics of snaffle bits. In future issues you can expect to see articles covering curb bits, nosebands, martingales, and hackamores.
The HorseWyse program uses only five bits to educate a horse from the beginning of training through finished levels. For a more detailed explanation of the principles of bits, their functions, and why just a few bits are needed in a solid training program, please refer to the video Practical Guide To Bits And Their Use, available on the HorseWyse website.
. A few will be chosen for each issue.
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