I think this is a question that every single person has asked in one point or another of our riding career. For me it was riding some green Arabs that had figured that keeping a high head carriage got them away from the influence of the bit (and at that time, I didn't really know much about the influence of the seat). I remember CLEARLY (and now with some cringing and wincing) that I used my hands to try and bring the horse's head down by force, i.e. see sawing the bit in the horse's mouth. I have thankfully learned differently, and I am working at passing this knowledge on to my students.
Over the years I have heard many many suggestions and methods to "get the horse on the bit", and many of them never address the core problem... that the horse is NOT accepting leg and not bending. By not bending, I don't mean that the horse's spine curves, but that the horse's inside hind leg comes well underneath the horse's middle to more evenly accept weight and raise the horse's back so that it is truly "carrying" it's rider efficiently. This bending is not learned overnight, and it takes time. I find that once my horse finally understands what I am asking, they start by giving me 2-4 strides like this, then popping out, then going back in after several strides. I do not punish this as they literally do not have the muscles to carry themselves like this for longer periods of time. Each subsequent session I usually see an increase in this self carriage, to the point where eventually they can carry themselves like this the whole time.
How does this relate to "on the bit" though? This is where we need to get a bit more in depth into the anatomy and physiology of equine movement (two excellent resources on this topic are Tug of War: Classical Versus Modern Dressage: Why Classical Training Works and How Incorrect Riding Negatively Affects Horses' Health by Gerd Heuschmann and The Visible Horse (Anatomy in Motion) by Susan Harris and Peggy Brown). Before we get into the anatomy and physiology, I have a simple demonstration of what I would like to talk about. Try this if you will as just a simple demonstration for yourself... get on the floor on all fours, first hollow your back out and try to lift you head... notice how easy it is? Imagine carrying a weight on your back in this posture, what would your chiropractor say to you? Now, lift your back using your core muscles; your stomach and pelvis muscles as well as just a little bit of the back muscles. Now with your back just ever so slightly arched, try to raise your head... much more difficult isn't it? In this position if you had a weight on your back, you wouldn't be racking up a high chiropractic bill, because you are using muscles and not just using your skeletal system. With this simple example in mind, think about your horse; your horse has no lateral reflexion in his spine at all, and can only do an up and down lift of his spine. For further proof on this, think of when you've seen a horse nibble on an itch... when they do this, the are only using lateral flex of their neck and great extension of their hind leg starting at the stifle. Therefore, when we begin to talk about bending, we have this concept firmly in our mind, so we can appreciate where the "bending" is actually occurring.
One of the common faults that occurs when riders are seeking to put their horses "on the bit", is when the horse travels hollow backed, but is arching his neck in a false frame. You can tell this is not true self carriage by the fact that the horse's hind legs seem to trail out behind them, and through turns the horse does not step under himself. Another give away is the neck; the horse will have little muscle activation on the underside of his neck and will often be above or below the bit. Often times these horses have a bump of muscle on their crest (we refer to this as a broken neck line) about 4 inches below the poll. Often times this type of frame is caused by a rider's heavy hands, see sawing, and minimal use of seat and leg.
A horse that is truly traveling "on the bit" will be stepping well under himself through turns with the inside hind leg, he will have a rounded looking hindquarter so that the croup will be lowered and the abdominal muscles will be engaged. With this engagement of the hind end, the back muscles will be engaged and stretched along the spine. What is seen in the neck and head is a soft jaw, with white lipstick (white saliva around the mouth) because the horse is relaxed and gently chewing and accepting the bit. The neck will be carried seemingly from the base and lifted and the muscles will be evenly engaged along the crest and underside without tension. In this frame, the horse is easier to ride and will have a very nice flowing movement with swing laterally. This engagement is the foundation for any upper level dressage movements as well as any jumping as the horse must engage in this same way to go over a jump... he must use his entire body. While a horse is engaged, he will be more capable of lengthening and shortening his strides when jumping, and moving into collected and extended gaits. The MOST important part of creating engagement is that the horse will be using his body more efficiently and therefore much less likely to injure himself when being ridden! That is what we are all striving for; a happier healthier horse!
See you in the ring!!!
Crystal
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