Understanding Evasions

There can be many, many reasons why your horse is evading the bit.
Horses can exhibit discomfort in many different ways, for different reasons. Some horses don’t like lots of tongue pressure, some do not like the instability of the loose ring, some prefer a straighter more still bit. It can also depend on the shape of your horses mouth as to which type of bit would suit best.
Over the years there has been much research carried out on how choosing an incorrect bit can affect the horse physically, their soundness, willingness to work and comfort. There are many subtle signs from the horse to show their discomfort, sometimes these can be interpreted as bad behaviour, it can take a trained eye to distinguish the difference.
The rider also has a tremendous influence over how the horse responds to the bit. ‘Good hands’ are desired by many riders, but few really understand the meaning, which brings us to contact/connection and getting your horse onto the bit.
This is a mystery to most riders, as it isn’t so easily achieved and can take quite a while to master correctly. With the internet now showing many riders exercising their horse in an outline, it would appear easy, however, a lot of training has gone on behind the scenes to achieve this. And when the horse is exercised in the correct frame, the right muscles are created to help the horse perform with suppleness, self carriage, gymnastic ability and with less evasion issues. Basically, a much happier horse.
With this in mind, please don’t struggle on with evasions, book a bit consultation to make your horse comfortable and happy in their work. I cover Kent, Essex and most of the South East Counties.
Choosing the right bit can make the difference from the bottom two photos to the top one.

*To rule out any other forms of discomfort, please ensure your horse has seen the dentist and saddler within the last six months.