Horseback Rider Help- Improving the Skills: The Bridle & Rein Usage

Continued from the "Connecting the Dots"

In regards to the bridle…

Contact, accepting the bit, not ‘leaning’ on the bit, following a feel, softening to pressure…
Each of the above concepts is used throughout various disciplines.
You may have heard some of these, others maybe not. To me, they all are attempting to reach the same end goal. A horse that softly accepts of the bit, maintains a willing responsiveness when used by the rider, without fear or defensiveness.
Now in reality, in any given year of my teaching with students ranging from novice riders to novice horses, to internationally competitive students on top-level horses, EVERYONE suffers from the same “issues” with the bridle.
First and foremost, many horses are defensive towards the pressure of the bit. (Ruling out physical/pain issues.)
Next, very few riders address the horse’s thoughts and emotions when riding, often being distracted by the physical response/lack of movement of the horse.
The “physical” I see in a horse tends to be a reflection of his emotional and mental state.
So if in general, under seemingly “non” stressful times a horse has a tendency to “pull” on the bit, to ignore or push against pressure offered by the bit, to be heavy on the forehand, what happens in the moment of chaos when the rider attempts to use the bit to “control” the horse?
The sudden increase of physical pressure of the bit tends to add to the horse’s problem rather than helping him through it.
I don’t know how many times have I heard, “I tried to stop him, but he just dragged/bolted/bucked me off, the reins were useless.” As people recount dramatic events, I always feel like I’m playing detective at not only listening to the words they are telling me, but to what they’re saying, and what they are not saying too.
These are all indicators as to things that may have happened that the person may not have even realized were going on.
In looking at this concept of a dramatic event occurring and attempting to use the bridle to “control” the horse, people often start at what I’d call point “G” in their storytelling (this is how far along things have happened before the person realized how bad something was going to get.) Then the person tends to react at point “R” in the story.
So what was the horse doing between points A and G, how was the rider addressing/or not the behavior, then I ask the same thing between points G and R? Usually the horse is slowly increasing his physical signs of distress, worry, agitation, fear, insecurity, while the most common response I find from riders is to A) do nothing and wait and see if the horse will calm down on his own, or B) not believe the “snowballing” effect his emotions are going to have on the physical outburst that is about to occur.
By the time the rider tries to pull back, turn, etc. with the rein, which initially had never been established as an effective and quality aid prior to the horse’s stress, now, it seems to be a useless tool in the moment of chaos.
So a few questions I’d like you to mull over in your head:
Have you ever thought/attempted to direct your horse’s thoughts, before you asked him to move?
If you pick up your reins while at a halt, what is your horse’s initial response?
How immediately does your horse look, turn or halt if you use just your reins?
Does your horse ever lean on the bit/get “heavy” on your hands as the ride progress?
Have you had to change to more severe bits over the course of riding your horse?
Can you move your horse’s nostril, head, neck, shoulder, and hindquarters all separately based solely on a difference in how you use your reins? (With no leg pressure.)
Can you use different energy “levels” within your fingertips and get different responses from your horse?
In my mind, the bridle, whether with a bit or not, should be used as a fair, respectful tool to communicate with my horse’s brain and body.
Coming up next: The Rider's Leg Pressure