The Curb Bit: A Guide by Patrick Hopgood
Are you looking to enhance your horse's refinement and responsiveness during rides? Transitioning from a snaffle to a curb bit can be a significant step in achieving these goals. In this comprehensive guide, Patrick Hopgood explores the art of using a curb bit effectively, ensuring that your horse responds to the slightest cues while maintaining optimal comfort. Discover the right approach, the ideal type of curb bit, and the essential steps to ensure a smooth and successful transition.
Understanding the Curb Bit
"A curb is a leverage bit that has shanks coming off the mouthpiece. When rein pressure is applied, the bit acts on the poll, chin groove, and mouth, intensifying the pressure from a rider’s hand many times over depending on the length of the shank," says Patrick Hopgood. Learn about the various shank types and their influence on your horse's response, making the curb bit an excellent aid for refinement and responsiveness but one that requires a rider with a good feel.
Assessing Readiness for the Curb Bit
Before you consider if your horse is ready to advance to a curb bit, you must assess where your horse is at in a snaffle. "A horse is only ready for a curb when he is completely soft in a snaffle," emphasizes Patrick. It's important to have complete body control of your horse in a snaffle and ensure they can perform each manoeuvre correctly every time you ask. Patrick stresses that the decision to move to a curb bit should be based on achieving this level of training in your horse.
Shanks come in a variety of types, which may affect the action and how much ‘warning’ a horse gets before the full effect of the bit comes into play. In this way, a curb bit can act as a fantastic aid for refinement, allowing a horse to respond to the slightest cue. Given the relatively severe action of a curb, it is essential that the rider has a good feel.
Selecting the Right Curb Bit
"I like to use a short shank snaffle for a first curb bit," says Patrick. The reason for this is that the shorter the shank, the less leverage there will be, thereby making it less of a transition for your horse. Starting with a short-shank snaffle is recommended and how it maintains similarity to the horse's original snaffle bit, facilitating a smoother transition.
All curbs should be used with a curb chain or strap, which is attached to the cheekpiece rings and applies pressure under the chin. It should lie flat against the chin groove and only come into action when the bit shank is rotated at about 45 degrees. The curb chain will dictate the action of the bit as it acts as a hinge, tightening as the cheek ring moves forward when the shank moves back. A loose curb chain will allow the shanks to rotate more before it comes into action and act as a ‘heads up’ to the horse. A tighter curb provides less finesse in signalling the horse.
Curb bits are generally placed lower down in a horse's mouth than snaffle bits, touching the corners of the mouth. Note that the bars of a horse’s mouth get thinner the lower down you go, so the lower the bit, the more severe its action will be.
The First Three Rides with a Curb Bit
"When in a curb bit, you should ride the same way you would in a snaffle but with an increased feel," suggests Patrick. Follow his advice on maintaining a two-handed riding style during the initial rides with the curb bit. Learn how to encourage your horse to give to the bit's pressure and build trust through gentle handling. "It is important that you do not pull ‘out wide’ like you can with a snaffle bit as the shank is designed to be pulled backwards and only works well when used in this manner. If you pull out wide, your horse will not get soft and will most likely shake its head and fight the bit."
Patrick starts by riding two-handed with the curb bit. Do not attempt to go one-handed until the horse does everything correctly with the curb bit; you still want them to respond the same as they did in the snaffle. If you have them soft in a snaffle, this will not be a problem.
You need to be very soft and slow with your hands and do not expect your horse to feel like they did in a snaffle straight away. "The first step is to teach your horse to give to the curb bit, so at a walk, pick your horse up with a lot of bend either to the left or right," suggests Patrick. "I like to use my inside leg more than my outside leg as this will help soften your horse to the inside, just like when we were teaching our horse to soften to the snaffle bit for the first time."
If you are softening your horse to the left, you want to pick your left hand up higher than your right and bump a little bit more with your left leg. Your horse is most probably going to put its head up and worry a little. Don’t panic, just hold your hands still until your horse drops its head down and comes off the pressure. Immediately release all the pressure by giving back your reins. By the end of the first day, you should be able to pick your horse up and have them immediately drop off the bit and soften at the walk. Once this has been achieved at a walk, move on to the trot and lope. However, do not try to lope if your horse is not collecting at a trot. Get your horse relaxed at each gait then progress to the next.
Adapting to the Curb Bit
If your horse is not comfortable with the curb bit, Patrick advises, "I would go back to a snaffle and get your horse to soften better in a snaffle first." Do not try to do anything difficult. "I just like to trot and lope around, softening my horse, letting them get used to the curb bit," says Patrick. Over the next couple of weeks, I will slowly perform all the manoeuvres I was doing in a snaffle. Be patient, and your horse will build confidence, becoming comfortable in the curb. I dislike staying in a shank snaffle curb bit for over two months. I like to progress to a short-shanked correction bit. The correction bit has a port that is new for your horse and will take some getting used to again. I like the correction because it has more movement in the mouthpiece, which helps soften and bend your horse’s body, whereas with the shank snaffle/curb, the horses can become stiff and straight. However, all this knowledge will be useful in the future because if you have a horse that gets too bendy through its body when being ridden one-handed and will not straighten out, a straight-style bit with no movement will be useful.
Moving Towards One-Handed Riding
"Now your horse accepts the curb bit, giving to it straight away when you pick up the reins, you can start to prepare to go one-handed," says Patrick Hopgood. Follow his guidance on gradually transitioning to one-handed riding by reinforcing responsiveness with the outside rein and inside aids.
If you followed my ‘Start to Finish’ series you will have already been preparing your horse a lot to go into one hand by using the outside rein as well as the inside. However, now we want to close our hands together as if riding one-handed. I do this by slowly bringing my hands closer and closer together and really making sure I pull to where I would if I was riding one-handed (a little bit up the horse's neck and straight in the middle). I do this when just trotting around and loping circles. I do not do this when performing more complicated manoeuvres like the turnaround or stops. I also will use my hands ‘as one,’ meaning that even though I am riding with two hands, I will ride and move both my hands as if they were one. For example, if my left hand is moving to the left, I will want to keep my right hand the same distance from my left hand the whole time. I also want to use the same amount of pressure with both hands. If this is confusing, just think you are trying to simulate holding the reins in one hand.
Time to Put It to Use
With the insights and guidance shared by Patrick Hopgood, you can consider the curb bit transition and enhance your horse's refinement and responsiveness. As you embark on this journey, remember the significance of understanding your horse's needs, building trust, and maintaining a patient and consistent approach. If you are at all unsure, we recommend seeking guidance from a good coach or horse trainer.
Now that your horse accepts the curb bit and responds to your cues, it's time to put your newfound knowledge into practice. Embrace the experience, be attentive to your horse's feedback, and adapt your approach. Remember, communication and trust are the cornerstones of successful horsemanship.
So, saddle up, apply what you've learned, and embark on this exciting chapter in your horsemanship journey. Enjoy the refinement, responsiveness, and connection of mastering the curb bit transition. Happy riding!
