“Bubba” goes Commando

Bubba aka Lynn's Vision hanging at the gate after our bitless adventure

Bubba aka Lynn's Vision hanging at the gate after our bitless adventure

“Bubba” (Lynn’s Vision) and I tried to ride with a hackamore today. We decided to try going bitless. His new teeth are making his mouth a little sore and he hasn’t learned yet to put down his head and my hands are not very soft. So when we ride his nose is up and he’s chewing on the bit.

It’s a little hard to concentrate for both of us as we’re working through this stage. But I’m concerned that it will become a habit – “Bubba” has a tendency to be a bit OCD. So I consulted with Elizabeth and we decided that going bitless was a worthwhile experiment.

We rode around the ring for about five minutes, no big deal, but the longer we rode, the more confused “Bubba” seemed to get. I could hear him wondering what was I asking him to do? are we stopping? turning? and what’s this strange new pressure on my nose?

One of the traits I appreciate most about “Bubba” is that he simply wants to please. He’s cool about trying anything but the longer we walked about with the hackamore the more aggravated he was getting. So at the point he started walking sideways like a crab and doing the moonwalk, I switched back to his regular bridle and we enjoyed the rest of our ride.

We gave it a shot – going commando. It didn’t go badly, it was just a little confusing for “Bubs”. So we’ll try again, and again a few minutes at a time until it clicks. And we both look forward to the day when all his adult teeth are in place.