JJS
Well-Known Member
Over the last couple of days, I've started taking Flower for in-hand walks so that she gets to experience a bit more of the world (I know a few HHOers follow us on Instagram, so you might have seen the videos). We livery on a huge working farm, so she's getting to see all sorts, from tractors to barking dogs, fluttering plastic, sheep being herded into pens, other horses galloping round... You name it, she's encountering it.
Today, we had our first experience with a car that wasn't parked. Walking down to the lower yard, a delivery truck came bouncing along the track behind us, making one hell of a racket. She didn't bat an eyelid, but it did make me think about something: when do other people bit their young horses?
We have hundreds of acres of gated farmland to explore for the foreseeable, and I have no intention of taking her out on the roads yet, but when I do, I think it's a good idea to have her bitted to ensure optimal control. Although she's typically very mannerly to lead, I still wouldn't want to take any chances with her pulling free when there were cars and other road users around.
I had in my mind two as an age I'd feel comfortable with, but I'm curious to know when other people do it, and what bits they use to begin with?
Gratuitous picture included just to show how grown-up she's looking!
Today, we had our first experience with a car that wasn't parked. Walking down to the lower yard, a delivery truck came bouncing along the track behind us, making one hell of a racket. She didn't bat an eyelid, but it did make me think about something: when do other people bit their young horses?
We have hundreds of acres of gated farmland to explore for the foreseeable, and I have no intention of taking her out on the roads yet, but when I do, I think it's a good idea to have her bitted to ensure optimal control. Although she's typically very mannerly to lead, I still wouldn't want to take any chances with her pulling free when there were cars and other road users around.
I had in my mind two as an age I'd feel comfortable with, but I'm curious to know when other people do it, and what bits they use to begin with?
Gratuitous picture included just to show how grown-up she's looking!