Arrow Creek Performance Horses

Arrow Creek Performance Horses Welcome to Arrow Creek Performance Horses! ๏ฟฝ Where we focus our small breeding program around QUALITY Ranch style horses.

Time for a mani/pedi
12/12/2024

Time for a mani/pedi

12/07/2024

The Grinch needed a ride to Whoville...

OT's Homestead - Double D Hitch Maude and May obliging

11/24/2024
11/15/2024
Sometimes it's not always about the horses ๐Ÿ˜Š
11/15/2024

Sometimes it's not always about the horses ๐Ÿ˜Š

Whatcha got mom? Is that food for me?
11/01/2024

Whatcha got mom? Is that food for me?

10/27/2024

๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ธ ๐—”๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—•๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€
I want to lay out a straightforward bitting system for those seeking clarity on what equipment might best suit their needs. Itโ€™s a subject Iโ€™m passionate about because itโ€™s a source of so much doubt and confusion among horse owners. There are millions of different opinions and options, and that endless complexity around what bit to start a horse in, or what bit to move into as they advance, can be intimidating. Instead of endless complexity, I favor a simple, proven progression that reduces headache and saves you money. Letโ€™s break it down...

๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐——๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜

In our training program, we start under saddle with a heavy emphasis on direct rein work. Think "follow your nose" and lateral flexion concepts. The cornerstone here is simplicity and directness. No leverage at all. I believe it's crucial that there's no complex pressure or mechanical advantage affecting the horse's mouth. This means using a traditional snaffle bit with a single jointโ€”nothing fancy, just a direct connection that allows for clear communication.

Over the years, I've found that a loose ring snaffle (pictured) with a single joint is the most effective tool across a vast array of horses โ€” well over a thousand at this point. These aren't the flimsy snaffles you might pick up at the local feed store. The ones I prefer are heavier and made of higher quality steel. The weight and quality of these bits not only makes them more durable, it has a positive impact on how the horse responds.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—”๐—ฑ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฎ ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ-๐—ฆ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฅ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด

One thing I really like is a free-sliding ring on the snaffle. This design ensures there's absolutely ZERO binding or twisting action when I apply pressure by picking up the reins. Fixed rings, like those on a D-ring snaffle, can sometimes create unintended leverage which I donโ€™t need or want at the beginning stages of training. If I happen to be using a D-ring, Iโ€™ll often use rope reins instead of leather splits, with a small slobber strap that moves up and down on the ring when the rein is pulled; preventing any binding or leveraging action that might occur.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€

Weightier snaffles (like the one pictured) seem to encourage horses, especially young ones, to hold the bit properly in their mouths. The added weight provides more substance for the horse to feel and carry, reducing behaviors like excessive chewing, chomping, or head tossing. Lightweight, cheaply made bits lack this quality. They can flop around in the horse's mouth, leading to irritation and distracted behaviors. This often leads horse owners down rabbit trails where they begin experimenting with different mouthpieces; dogbones, rollers, low port โ€œcomfort snafflesโ€ for tongue reliefโ€ฆ. trying to solve problems that can actually be solved through a combination of better training, better feel and timing, and a well-crafted heavier snaffle.

๐— ๐˜† ๐—•๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐—ฆ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ (๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜†)

In my tack room, you'll find a simple progression of bits that I use depending on the horse's needs:

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐—ฆ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฆ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ฒ: This is my go-to for most horses. It's straightforward and effective for teaching and reinforcing basic cues.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—ง๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ฒ: If a horse starts leaning on the bit or developing resistance, I might step up to this. The twist adds a slight increase in pressure without being overly harsh.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐—ฆ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ฒ: This bit has square edges instead of round, providing a more pronounced feel that discourages a horse from leaning.

For extreme casesโ€”typically with problem horses that have ingrained bad habitsโ€”I have a ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฆ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜ (thinner than the regular twist, but NOT as thin as the twisted wire snaffles you often see in training barns) and, in the most severe situations, a ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜„. Let me be clear: these are NOT bits I use lightly or frequently. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to use the corkscrew in the past four years. They're tools for spot-treating serious issues, not everyday training.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—˜๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—จ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐— ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—•๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€

Using a more severe bit is a responsibility I don't take lightly. When a horse has learned to ignore or outright resist bridle pressureโ€”usually due to previous mishandlingโ€”it becomes a safety issue. In such cases, a stronger bit can help re-establish respect for and responsiveness to the aids. But the goal is always to โ€œget in and get outโ€ โ€“ be effective, teach the lesson, then step back down to a milder bit once the issue is addressed.

I think where controversy arises is when people use severe bits as a shortcut, and leave them on the horse indefinitely. This approach can ruin the sensitivity in a horse's mouth over time, leading to a cycle where increasingly harsh equipment is needed to achieve the same effect. That's not fair to the horse, and it's not good horsemanship.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ "๐—ก๐˜‚๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—˜๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜โ€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ข๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—š๐—ถ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐˜€

There's a lot of misinformation out there about bits, particularly the traditional single-jointed snaffle. Some argue that it creates a "nutcracker" effect on the horse's jaw bone or โ€œspearsโ€ upward into the roof of the mouth. I remember being swayed by such claims early in my career. A salesperson demonstrated this by placing a snaffle over my forearm and pulling, causing discomfort. It was a persuasive, albeit misleading, demonstration.

But here's the thing: the orientation and pressure applied in that demonstration don't reflect how a snaffle bit actually works in a horse's mouth. When properly fitted and used, a single-jointed snaffle doesn't pinch the jaw or stab the palate. It's essential to understand the anatomy of the horse's mouth and the mechanics of bit pressure. Misleading demonstrations like this prey on our concerns for our horses' well-being, pushing us toward expensive equipment that may not be necessary.

I fell into that trap once, investing in a specialized bit that promised to solve all my problems. Initially, it seemed to work, but the issues soon resurfaced because the root cause wasn't the bitโ€”it was my technique. I hadn't yet developed the skill and timing needed to communicate effectively with the horse. Changing bits was a temporary fix that didn't address the underlying training issues.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—”๐—น๐—น๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ค๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—™๐—ถ๐˜…๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—œ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฆ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—น๐—น

It's tempting to look for quick fixes when we encounter problems in training. Bits, being tangible and varied, often become the focus of our attention. We convince ourselves that the right piece of equipment will solve our issues. But more often than not, the solution lies in improving our skills and understanding.

I've seen trainers with tack rooms full of bits, constantly switching them out in hopes of finding the magic combination. To me, thatโ€™s a sign of someone who's run out of ideas. Theyโ€™re trying to feel like theyโ€™re being productive, and are just throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. But without addressing the fundamental training and communication between horse and rider, these efforts are largely in vain.

That's not to say experimentation is badโ€”on the contrary, trying different approaches can be valuable. But it's crucial to recognize when we're using equipment as a crutch rather than developing our abilities.

๐—˜๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฆ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†

Over the years, I've pared down my collection to a handful of bits that I know work effectively across a broad spectrum of horses. My favorite everyday tools are:

๐Ÿ‘Œ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐˜†๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฆ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€: Smooth, regular twist, and square.

๐Ÿ‘Œ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐˜†๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ธ ๐—•๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€: Short shank, low-port correction for transitioning; an Avila shank medium port correction; and a Jeremiah Watt โ€œfrog mouthโ€ with roller.

This simplicity isn't just about economicsโ€”though I certainly didn't have the budget for dozens of fancy bits when I started! Itโ€™s mainly about effectiveness.

Each of the three snaffles represents a clear โ€œstep upโ€ in the tactile difference and feel they create. There are clear enough contrasts between them, that itโ€™s easy to decide which one is called for depending on the horseโ€™s level of responsiveness.

Same thing with the shank bits. Aside from the short shank correction with a low square port โ€“ which is the universal bit that I use to transition every horse out of the snaffle โ€“ thereโ€™s enough tactile difference between the regular correctional and the frog mouth that itโ€™s easy to know which one the horse will respond better to. Some horses are ready to move to the cowhorse bridle right away. Others stay in the correctional much longer before moving on.

Is there additional flexibility and experimentation allowed within this three-act structure? Of course. I have other bits that I use occasionally. But those 3 shank bits are the everyday staples. They form the core of our progression toward riding straight up in the bridle.

The bottom line is that every single horse Iโ€™ve ever put in the bridle โ€“ whether they were a reiner, cowhorse, or ranch horse โ€“ has responded extremely well to those bits after graduating from our snaffle program. The more experience Iโ€™ve gained over the years, the more Iโ€™ve concluded that the actual bit matters less than most people think it does. At that point, the horse is so well trained in a snaffle that you could probably put anything on them and get good results. The bit is just the icing on the cake, its the foundation proceeding it that makes the difference.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—™๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ

I want to emphasize that this is what works for me. I'm not here to dictate that everyone must follow my exact system. Different approaches can be effective. However, be aware that while everything โ€œworksโ€, not everything WORKS. I encourage you to be thoughtful and critical about the equipment you use. Don't let marketing tactics or the allure of a quick fix divert you from developing your skills and understanding your horse.

It's easy to get lost in the myriad of options and opinions out there. I've been there myself, and I've learned that often the simplest solutions are the most effective. So, take the time to build a proper foundation with your horse. Focus on clear, direct communication. The bit you use is just one part of a much larger picture. Iโ€™ll sum it up by saying:

๐—•๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐˜‚๐—น, ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐˜‚๐—น ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ธ.

As a horseman, the best tools you have are your hands, your legs, and above all your brain!

โ€Ž

๐Ÿ–‹๏ธ ๐ฝ๐‘Ž๐‘˜๐‘’ ๐ฟ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘Žโ„Ž๐‘™

The boys out enjoying some sunshine with Chief
10/23/2024

The boys out enjoying some sunshine with Chief

10/19/2024

Hey Horse Peeps!!! Looking for a barrel horse for a client... Ideally in Ohio or surrounding states as they want to test ride first but for the right one might consider further out.

This horse will be for a 17 year old girl- a senior in high school. Has been riding all her life. โค๏ธ She is a good rider but newer to barrels. Extremely dedicated to putting in the work and learning. Has good hands and seat. She has never had the luxury of her being able to ride a really good barrel horse consistently.

Wish list:
Under 13
15 hands or more
Beefy/blocky build
Straight-ish legs (Iโ€™m a stickler on correctness for long term soundness- probably why weโ€™re not getting anywhere ๐Ÿคฃ)
Versatile- can trail ride and go to other events
Light mouth
Buttons are good- side pass, spin, counter arc etc
No alley issues
Easy to catch
No cribbing/weaving
No lasix
Under 20k- much happier around 15

10/15/2024
Boonsmal N Whiskey aka Boone sure is filling out and turning into a super nice prospect. He is eligible for the Ranch Ho...
10/12/2024

Boonsmal N Whiskey aka Boone sure is filling out and turning into a super nice prospect. He is eligible for the Ranch Horse Extravaganza and Futurity in Iowa as a yearling (in hand), 2 yr old and 3 yr old years.

He is available

Cat Smart Boonsmal

Gorgeous night with the Northern lights
10/11/2024

Gorgeous night with the Northern lights

God sure did provide a beautiful day for us to lay to rest our cousin. His boys hauled him to his final resting place an...
10/09/2024

God sure did provide a beautiful day for us to lay to rest our cousin. His boys hauled him to his final resting place and his girls and the old man met them at the fence for a final goodbye. It was beautiful

Address

4201 Hussey Road
Jamestown, OH
45335

Telephone

+18067825139

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Arrow Creek Performance Horses posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Arrow Creek Performance Horses:

Videos

Share