Bitting Up

So last night was the big night... let's see what Diamond thinks of the bit. I am borrowing the rubber snaffle from TX, took the brow band and throat latch off the head stall, and out to the round pen we went. Diamond isn't particularly found of the round pen, this is where she has to work, so she’s a little less than enthusiastic about going there. After only one stop and the question you know she’s asking “Are you sure you want to go there... there’s all this nice green grass to munch on right here...” we made it.
Now Diamond has figured out that it’s much easier to come and stand quietly by Mom, so she didn’t run off to work, which made my life easier. I took the halter off her, put the bit up to her mouth, and she turned her head. Ok, no big deal. I followed her head around, put the bit up to her mouth again, and she opened her choppers right up, allowed the bit to go into her mouth, and the headstall to be put over her ears.
OMG! WHERE DID THIS HORSE COME FROM? She has NEVER had any of this done to her; she is GREEN GREEN GREEN as the spring time grass. Everything is a first for her, and she’s taking it like an old pro!
She stood there for about 3 seconds with her mouth open waiting for this thing to fall out of her mouth. When it didn’t, she closed her mouth like she’d been carrying a bit her entire life!
I went to do my chores and she went to wandering around the round pen. Hubby came out to see how we were doing, and was amazed it was a done deal already. We checked on her quite a few times from the barn, and never once did she pitch a fit or get pissed about this foreign object being in her mouth.
After we finished with the chores, we went out and lunged her for about 10 minutes, practiced her “Whoa” and she did perfectly. She was not distracted by the bit at all!
We removed the bit and headstall, she opened her mouth to allow it to drop out, and to the arena for a well deserved roll in the dirt. Today will be another test since she has an idea of what is coming... but I don’t expect anything other than cooperation from her!