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| Photo by Paul Wood Photography |
I know he goes really well in it. But every so often I feel the need to experiment either on purpose, or accidentally when I forget the Baucher in my dishwasher.
I even showed in his KK Ultra French link loose ring at the food poisoning show (accident - poor planning) and I regretted it. In the Baucher I feel like I can whisper. In the loose ring, I feel like I'm shouting in the wind - and that effect was magnified at the show.
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| "Extensive" bit collection? |
While I wish he could go in the loose ring, I can't deny that there's something about the Baucher. He relaxes into it and focuses better with it. Maybe he's a fixed sides kind of guy. Maybe it's the tiny bit of leverage. Either way, it's time to accept that!
And on that note, if anyone is interested in a verrrry lightly used Neue Schule Verbindend in 5.25" size, drop me a line.
Thank you for this post! I was thinking of asking what bit Connor went in - I have tried a few we already had around for Ffergie and I think it is time for her very own!
ReplyDeleteSure! Can't promise it will work for her, but at this stage in Connor's training it's working well. That said, we had a different French link loose ring Baucher in the past (the Toklat one) that had a really thin mouthpiece, and he hated that. The Neue Schule baucher just hits a sweet spot for him.
DeleteI have that NS baucher and LOVE it. While I'm still rotating bits with Cinna, that is her current favorite. And before her, I rode my big freight train mare Topaz in it. <3 Ruby goes well in the Verbindend -- if I didn't already have a 5.25 I'd be all over yours haha.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! The Verbindend is such a cool bit, but we think Connor has short lips compared to his tongue, which means the Verbindend sits really, really low in his mouth. It also means it looks like he goes around with the bit really tight. Fitting bridles and bits on this horse is not fun.
DeleteYeah bits are so fascinating because horses mouths are all so differently shaped -- so what works SUPER well on one horse, another horse might hate. Which is why I own like 20 French link snaffles each with minute differences, lol. Your new BO would be horrified at my collection I'm sure bahahah.
DeleteHahaha yes! They were originally WP people though now the BO's daughter (our age) is getting into Dressage, so all kinds of bits is a foreign concept to them. It's so true though. As I told Kelly, Connor absolutely hates the Toklat French link Baucher, which has much thinner mouthpieces. The NS Baucher is the most expensive bit I've ever bought, but is totally worth it.
Deletemy trainer has brought up the idea of trying charlie in a verbindend but i think she has one of her own for me to try before deciding to actually make the purchase (considering i've already made some not-insignificant bit purchases for this horse lol)
ReplyDeleteHaha! Well give hers a try and let me know if you're interested, I always give big blogger discounts on used tack, and I seriously have ridden in this one maybe 10 times?
DeleteOmg I want that NS bit.
ReplyDeleteUh but maybe I will get a horse first before I start buying things. Whoops.
And also. Five bits is a collection? In what universe?
I could be persuaded to trade bit or bit + cash for a Dressage bridle. Just sayin.
DeleteI'm feeling I need to go down the 'trying new bits' path, but am intimidated by all the options. B is not a snaffle fan on the flat, and is going in a loose ring french link but is too backed off the contact in that I think, maybe I need to try something that is steadier in her mouth...a baucher in a mullen mouth might be worth a shot? I hear you on trying to fit bits and bridles to these guys...it's a challenge for sure.
ReplyDeleteI have anecdotally heard a lot of stories about heavy ponies going in Bauchers. It certainly works well for Connor. I'm not sure if they ship to CA or not, but you can do a trial of any Neue Schule bit through Hastilow. If you don't like it, I believe they refund you 90% of the purchase price.
DeleteUm, if five bits is extensive, I'm not sure what your trainer would think if she saw my five bridles plus handful of extra bits. Five sounds very reasonable!
ReplyDeleteLol, not my trainer, my new BO. Who comes from Western Pleasure land. I guess they don't do big bit collections in WP land?
DeleteThere's a really interesting YouTube video with a baucher connected to an electronic scale fitted as a cheekpiece.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/8MmikY9kRhI
The readout shows that the baucher actually loosens the cheekpiece, so there is no leverage.
And the BitBank Australia blog has a great picture showing how "riders ... should see the Baucher more as a cross between an Eggbutt and a Full cheek, rather than view it as a kind of Kimblewick."
https://bitbankaustralia.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/the-truth-about-the-baucher-snaffle-bit-rattling-the-cage/
So I wouldn't feel guilty about using a baucher at all, it seems perfect for him!
Wow, that's really interesting! I guess I haven't really thought critically about it before, I've just always been told there's a slight amount of leverage with them. That's really interesting, thanks for sharing!
DeleteKatai's mouth so limits the bits that I can try with her that i've only got the one haha. She needs a small mouthpiece and is only a 4.5" so the only bit's I've found that work are the Neue Schule pony performance bits and at around $150 a bit I just can't afford more than the one. I do need to get a replacement for Katai at some point. She's seriously been using just this one bit for the past 4.5 years so it is getting a bit marked up at this point. I'm guessing she's also a fixed side sort of girl and I have her in an eggbutt. Because of that and how well she's gone in it I plan to replace it with another Neue Schule pony Eggbutt bit :)
ReplyDeleteNS is the best! And wow, she really does have a small mouth. Connor's mouth is horse sized, just with short lips.
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