Introducing the Double Bridle

With TC moving up to Second level this fall-ish, I figured that it was time to introduce the double bridle.

I've put in a lot of time thinking about the double bridle with him, whether it was even worth introducing to him with him being such a funny guy in the contact. In the end I decided that it was worth trying to eventually get him in it just because I think that selling a 3rd+ horse who can't be ridden in the double is just asking for some idiot to slap one on him and get flipped over on top of.

My plan then, is to take a long time to introduce him to it. Let him walk in it for 6-12 months, then do light hack rides just on the bradoon rein, then slowly pick up the curb rein after another 6 months, possibly longer.

He was a bit skeptical

So last week, I decided that on our "trail ride" day where we just wander around the ranch, I'd put the double on him.

I sold Rico's wheymouth to a client, so the only one I have is a medium port. This proved to be too much for Rico and I don't think it will be TC's eventual bit, but it's what I have right now. The bradoon is the one I used on Rico, a french link. Both bits are stainless steel.

In a perfect world, I'd want TC's bradoon to be the same as his snaffle, a KK ultra from Herm Sprenger, and his wheymouth to be Rico's old one, a mullen mouth curb. The problem is that the metals need to match, so I need to get a wheymouth from Herm Sprenger too. Hahaha. Those bits combnied will cost me probably $500. Worth it if I think he'll let me ride him in them. Not worth it if he'll rear if I ever touch the curb rein.

So for now he's in Rico's bits and will just be carrying them. I may see about borrowing some bits from my trainer to experiment with them, but for now I honestly have no idea how he'll respond to anything because it will be next summer before I even try to ride him in them for real!

Visiting the neighbor cows

On Thursday morning I hung both bridles up next to each other and adjusted the double bits to hang right where the snaffle bit does. That way I wasn't going to accidentally choke him with Rico's arrangement (actually I think it's been on several client horses since Rico I think... can't remember). I put the bridle on TC and he took the bits well, though immediately began messing with the wheymouth, which is normal.

I want the wheymouth up a about a half hole, but need to punch a hole. Lower is okay since it didn't hit his teeth or anything, and I obviously wasn't going to touch the reins. For now, he just needs to carry it.

He did a really good job with it though, we walked around the whole property before I took him back home. A great light day (I'm trying to give him more days of just walking since his workload when we do work has increased) and a really good first ride in the double. He'll probably start doing basic wtc rides in it next year and maybe we'll be showing in it in 2020! Or not, it's up to him.