Playing The Snaffle

The greatest musical instrument given to a horseman is the snaffle. 
It’s easy to play with, all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will create magic. (fig1.)

“The most common bit choice in Cowboy Dressage for all ages and stages of horses is the snaffle bit. The Western snaffle bit consists of two rings and a jointed mouthpiece. When used alone, the snaffle is the simplest of bits that applies just as much pressure to the mouth as the rider applies by hand, meaning there is no leverage effect that increases the pressure on the horse’s mouth or poll. It is the most common choice for young horses because it simplifies directions by causing direct guiding pressure to the side of the horse you would like to communicate with.
 When affixed with reins that can slide up and down the ring of the snaffle, you can use three levels of communication to the horse. (fig2.)

You can talk to the bottom, middle, and upper portion of the bit, effectively separating messages to different parts of the horse’s head, neck, and shoulders and, eventually, speaking directly to the front legs of the horse. At the bottom of the bit, you encourage the horse to both soften and lower his head. By lowering your hands and allowing the rein to slide to the bottom of the bit, you change the weight of the bit in the horse’s mouth, as well as weight on the poll. Even rein weight on the bottom of the bit will eventually signal to the horse to relax and drop the head and neck to stretch out the topline in the free frame. 
The middle of the bit is used for lateral flexion, creating bend, and guiding the horse’s head, neck, and shoulders in the direction of travel. When connecting to the middle of the bit, the horse learns to seek the rider’s hand, looking into the bend. Connection to the middle of the bit allows you to create lateral flexion as well as direction of travel. Pressure created on the middle of the bit transmits a signal to the tongue and bars on the inside of the direction of the horse’s bend and to the contralateral cheek. The inside rein tells the horse to look to the hand and to inside of the bend, while the outside rein connects to the outside shoulder completing the turn. 
When riding in the snaffle, it is wise to use one hand at a time on the reins. If you hold the horse, pull with both hands without first preparing the horse, or if you fail to use release and reward, you can create bracing in the horse. (fig3.)

With the traditional two-piece snaffle, pressure on both reins simultaneously will also cause a nutcracker effect, pulling the two pieces of the bit close together and causing the joint to poke into the upper pallet of the horse’s mouth. “Over-bridling,” during which the horse’s head is behind the vertical, is a form of evasion and can be the result of methods that have inflicted pain in the horse. The Cowboy Dressage horse should travel with his head in front of the vertical line. 
It is also important to remember not to create pain or discomfort as you teach the horse to soften and bend in the snaffle. Instead, be gentle and consider the horse is learning to trust the rider’s hands and the bit. Fear and pain are the enemies of long-term learning.
Snaffle Bit Action 
There are three rein positions on the snaffle: The top of the bit is for raising the horse’s head and shifting the horse’s weight back to the hindquarters. The middle of the bit is for lateral flexion and direction. The bottom of the bit is for lowering the head and softening at the poll. 
The top of the bit has less to do with direction and more to do with helping the horse elevate his head, neck, and shoulders, and shift his weight back onto the hindquarters. (fig4.)

You can communicate with the top of the bit by raising your hands and applying upward pressure with the reins. When used with good timing and feel, you can help a horse that naturally tends to carry his head too low, raise his head and move to a better balance. Making contact with the top of the bit creates a signal on the horse’s lips rather than on the bars of the mandible and tongue. A quick soft lift that contacts the lips can encourage the horse to follow that pressure upward into your hands rather than over-bridle and shift his weight toward the forehand.

This is a good time to talk about placement of the bit in the horse’s mouth. (fig5.)
Traditionally, the school of thought with the snaffle bit was the “two wrinkle” rule. The idea was to place the bit in the horse’s mouth so that it raised the corners of the mouth creating two wrinkles. Instead, we like to place the bit comfortably within the horse’s mouth so that he can pick the bit up and carry and support it himself with the tongue. This increases the horse’s feel of the bit so that the slightest change in rein weight will be conveyed to him with lightness. With this bit placement, you can raise your hands slightly and make connection to the top of the bit and the corners of the mouth. If the bit was already raised to that position and held there, the raising of the hands and change in rein weight would be less significant to the horse”. 
From Dressage the Cowboy Way.
Dressage the Cowboy Way -
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