During the Get-Together, Bill rode 19 year-old Kye bareback and bitless. The bareback pad is something to die for. It’s soft, plush, cushy, luxuriant sheepskin. Both the rider and the horse LOVE it.
Ever since we got our first Bitless bridle in 2000, Kye has let us know that he doesn’t like it. However, dozens of other horses love it. It wasn’t until we bought Kye his own Bitless this summer that we figured out what he was objecting to. You see, he has sensitive little ears and the headstall of the Bitless was putting pressure on the back of his ears.
During the first few rides in his own Bitless he was his usual self. Not terribly unhappy, but not over-joyed. Within a week we noticed that he wiggled his head when the bridle was put on him and the wiggling became more pronounced when we tried to place it over his ears. Hmmm…
We compared his Bitless with Zelador’s Bitless and with Zeloso’s Bitless. These two bridles weren’t Kye’s favorites, but at least he didn’t wiggle. We noticed that the leather that lies behind the ears on Kye’s bridle was not as wide as Z and Z’s and was a bit thinner. Then we compared his Bitless to Kye’s bitted bridle. There was a marked difference. The leather behind the ears was much thicker and softer.
We considered two plans: one was to add a wool fuzzy to the head stall. That would cushion things. The other was to add padding. We had added padding to a rolled bridle last year. I felt the three pieces of rolled leather passing behind the horse’s ears might press on the horse’s head and become uncomfortable. We had a small gel pad with Velcro attachments created so that it could be easily added to the bridle.
For Kye we started with the fuzzy. It was successful. For once, Plan A worked! (Often we go through MANY plans before solving a problem.)
The Bareback and Bitless act in the Get-Together started out with different tack. Twenty years ago, I bought a Tellington-Jones Equine Awareness Method wooden hula-hoop. The idea was to ride the horse with the wooden hoop around its neck. There was no need for a bridle. I mentioned this to Bill. He rolled his eyes and muttered something. In spite of this reaction, I found a yellow plastic hula-hoop and asked Bill if he could train Kye to “wear it”. More muttering.
One little problem with this yellow hoop… it had beads in it which helped keep the hoop spinning. These beads also made noise which helped keep Kye spinning…
I took out the beads, repaired the hoop with the “Handyman’s secret weapon… duct tape” and asked Bill to try retraining Kye.
Weeks passed. I never watched Kye and Bill practice (I was busy researching affordable life insurance), but the reports after the training sessions were never jolly or encouraging.
On to another plan. How about a stiff rope, sort of like the cowboys use for working cattle? Bill didn’t mutter.
I found just the right type of rope, meters of it, and presented it to the dynamic duo. I never saw them practice.
As you know, at the Get-Together Kye was not ridden with a hula-hoop around his neck for steering/stopping, nor did he have a stiff rope around his neck. Let’s see… Kye is 19 years-old. Bill is 60. Wonder how many years it’ll take before one of our Get-Togethers will feature them with the enticing headline: “Come one, come all to Winsong Farm. Watch Bill with his trusty steed, Kye. He’s riding bareback and that’s it! No bridle, no reins, no nothing!!!”
