INTRODUCTION OF THE CURB

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Starting education in the curb—when and how—is an inevitable question of riders who have been introduced to the basic academic work and feel ready to progress to higher levels. In my post today I'll talk about how I approach it.

It's understood that the primary aid of the academic rider is the seat, and the curb with its indirect rein use is a tool that keeps the suppleness, shape, bend of a horse who is following the rider’s seat, exchanging with the rider information about the success or failure of its action. Therefore, the preparation of the horse to work in the curb isn't focused upon the curb bit itself and the degree of force it may or may not entail, but upon the horse's education to the seat aid, and the secondary aids that support it.

While much of my riding is done in the academic double bridle (caveson/curb combo), traditional one-handed riding on the single curb following modern academic methods has been my special interest for the past decade. Here are some points that are part of my training routine towards introduction of this work:

1) The first steps are always groundwork. In the caveson, I first teach the horse to….

Seek and follow the hand.
Give a correct stellning and bending in the body.
Bend in the hindquarters when the weight is shifted backwards at halt.
Understand the whip aids for inside/outside leg and rein.
Offer at least minimal self-carriage and minimal willing bending of the hindquarters in movement.
Carry itself in a forward-down tendancy on a lengthened neck without falling on the forehand.
Comprehend versal and traversal (shoulder-in/quarter-in) whip aids and give these shapes in its body when asked.
Be consistently light in my hand without constant issues of resistance against it.

To achieve the above, it's necessary to practice the basic academic groundwork and longework until the horse has a fluid and demonstrative comprehension of it.

2) If the horse has learned the above groundwork, I begin some basic handwork in the bridle (caveson or snaffle for direct rein correction) to delve deeper into a horse’s comprehension of the language of aids. Through work-in-hand on the ground, I can:

Further refine reaction to rein aids upon the shoulder (directing the forehand).
Refine reactions to hand/bit (acceping the halt, bending of the hindquarters, etc.).
Refine reaction to the whip aids (for me, this is leg, rein, a vertical aid at the neck to remind stellning, touches of the points of the hindquarters, etc. ‘rolling’ whip aids to ask for lifting of the chest, other body language and gestures, etc.).
Refine shape and reactions to asking for shape (stellning/bending, lateral, etc.).

Handwork allows me to observe, influence and refine balance, shape, suppleness, tempo, takt, schwung through use of the secondary aids to further prepare the horse for riding. I usually only work minimally with this at the beginning of a horse's training and return to it with more intensity later in its education, as I consider its use most beneficial when the horse has advanced understanding and stability.

3) Under saddle---still using the direct-rein caveson or snaffle---I begin a specific focus on the primary aid of the seat. The seat aid is given (for lateral direction, for shape, for degree of movement, etc.) and if the horse doesn’t respond (which it will not, to begin with) then consistent and clear secondary aids taught to the horse in the groundwork and handwork described above are used to correct the horse and make clear what my seat is asking. In this sense, I can begin to move the horse from being ‘told’ what to do with many physical or gestural manipulations and applications of secondary aids….into being ‘asked’ to do things simply by the seat, with minimal reminders from the secondary aids.

I've found it useful to think of the secondary aids as individual ‘words’ that mean things to the horse, and the primary aid of the seat as an entire ‘sentence’ wrought with meaning that the horse eventually begins to learn, very much like we humans learn a new language. As this complex comprehension grows, the horse begins to offer fewer singular reactions and more holistic/combined reactions to the things I ask.

4) I begin a period of liberating the horse in body/mind from constant application of the aids next. When all the above is going well and the horse is understanding me and reacting correctly most of the time and with consistency, I begin prioritizing the rein aids upon the shoulders, exercises in positioning the hips and the shoulders, moving away from using a direct rein as much as possible. As the horse begins to respond to the seat aid, the horse itself slowly releases from the lateral direct rein and begins to move between the rein aids while working more obviously from its hindquarters. It's time for me to introduce the curb when I feel this bending of the hindquarters, some lifting of the chest and a willingness to move in a more forward-up posture, when I feel an absence of resistance to the hand, and when the things I 'ask' are obviously understood by the horse, even if they are not always performed immediately or with complete accuracy.

5) In choosing a curb, I study the horse’s mouth and decide upon a suitable port height/width and mouthpiece thickness/width. I also decide whether the horse’s temperament might be better suited for a longer-shanked academic curb (less contact) or a Weymouth dressage type (more contact). Angles of shanks can also be considered. Another consideration is the type of chain or strap. My initial choice of bit is a baseline, and I always experiment with all the above considerations until I find the best bit for that individual horse. I personally am concerned less with being traditional in the tack worn than I am in finding the bit that the horse finds most comfortable and responds to best. I'll have the horse simply wear the curb during work (with no contact) for a couple weeks, now and then manipulating it by hand to gauge reaction to a weight shift or halt in hand. If all goes well and the horse seems unbothered both with wearing the bit and with a quick and simple manual manipulation of it, I proceed into work in the saddle.

6) I begin the first 'curb riding experience' in the academic double bridle (caveson/curb combo) with a set of two reins. This way I can ease from the direct rein upon the caveson, add the curb influence, and experiment with dropping the caveson rein and riding only on the curb rein. I can also experiment with how the reins are held (2:2, 3:1, 4:1, curb only) and observe/test the horse's reactions.

For me, how a horse reacts initially to the curb in the saddle when it is first given a ‘little halt’ is all-important. I’m seeking a correct reaction of the horse ‘taking the halt through its body’—no resistance felt in my hand as the horse slightly bends in the haunches and keeps the halt stationary and its body freely accepting and absorbing the action. A beautiful long neck with a forward-down tendency even in a higher forward-up posture is also the priority. If the horse gives an evasion (such as nose-to-chest or resistance in the mouth with gaping or tongue issues) I proceed very carefully and most often will dismount and continue handwork in the curb for some time (meaning weeks or months) before trying work under saddle again. This gives me the chance to investigate and discover what issues might be present regarding the type of curb, discomfort, misunderstanding of reaction to the bit, whether my method is at fault, etc. It can also be that the horse is better suited to bitless riding, and if so, I have the academic-type hackamore or western bosal to choose from, both options a substitute for the curb bit.

7) What I hope to achieve with the horse, when first introduced to the curb under saddle, is that it gifts me with that sublime feeling of bending in the hindquarters and lack of resistance in its body when I ask for a halt with my seat and hand, that it seeks the hand on a stretched neck with a lifted chest, and that it has an obvious correct reaction to the neck rein. If so, I consider the introduction successful and that the horse is ready to proceed with more advanced education, all targeted upon ever-increasing refinement of the primary aid of the seat while keeping the fine things I just described. I do continue riding in the double bridle (caveson/curb) for some time, ever-careful to cultivate a feeling hand upon the curb when it's used, ready to return to more simple work if at any time I perceive there is an issue that must be addressed by stepping back. If all is well, daily work commences with the language of secondary aids to assist me on my path. I want the horse to understand balance, posture, shape, bend, extension, collection, direction, energy—ultimately, freedom and unity--through how I sit and how the horse understands and reacts to how I sit.

At some point, on some day, I'll feel a degree of cooperation and oneness with the horse that encourages me to drop the caveson rein and begin working in the single curb bridle one-handed. It's an instinctual, unspoken feeling of the time being just right. The refinement of riding in this manner then becomes the focal point of my relationship with that horse.

Keep in mind that the path isn't short and after a successful introduction to the curb and the increasing focus on the primary aid of the seat, it's just the beginning of a new and challenging journey. For me, this journey is about feeling and communication with the horse; I find it an incredibly rewarding, continually-fascinating experience. The array of sensations that occur, the constant exchange of unspoken information felt, the defining and harmonizing with these things is what the art of riding is all about.

Venturing into riding with the academic curb can be a daunting thing for many riders, as our culture tends to elevate and magnify this bit more than others as one that can be extra severe in the wrong hands. We all know that all bits can be used in an incorrect way through intention or plain ignorance. However, the academic rider considers the curb a tool and like every other tool in the riding ‘toolbox’, it’s necessary to understand the construction and action of the bit itself, and to have knowledge of the theory in how it's to be properly used. Utilizing it to its best potential is an involved process dependent upon a clear understanding and communication between horse and human and has nothing to do with pulling on a rein with force. Viewing it this way can help ease some of the intimidation or misunderstanding some riders have about it and allow them to experience the freedom the curb ultimately offers the riding partnership through dedicated and patient study.