The other evening, as I was cleaning the three Percheron stalls, I was thinking about finding that teeny little snaffle bit that had been stored away for decades. It was for my very first horse ( notice- HORSE.... not a pony) and he quickly outgrew it. I kept it, being the sentimental fool that I am. Over the years, it got moved along with all of my other riding horse equipment from house to house- farm to farm. Each time I cleaned/ conditioned all of the other bits and leather, it got cleaned and polished, even though it hadn't been used.
There was one wee pony that wore it for a little while while he was being trained. He was sold, and the teeny snaffle once again was stored away. ''For what'', I'd sometimes wonder to myself...
Then last year a small VERY scared Hackney pony came into my life. Breeze. I've gotten her to the point where she wears her ( teeny) turnout blanket easily, and we can Almost pick up all feet without too much panic.
Back to the other evening. I thought about that ever so small snaffle bit, and wondered if it might fit Breeze. It has large loose rings on it, and might just fit her fine ! Once finished all the evening chores, I began digging thru tack trunks. I had to uncover the one first- but underneath alllll the saddle pads, martingales,english bridles I most likely would never use again- was the BIT. It had a small nylon headstall on it still from when I'd used it last. Nylon is good because it's easily adjusted with the poke of a hot nail.
Breeze got to check it out, sniffing it carefully- and showing no fear of Something New. So, I slipped it on over her halter... didn't fit really well because Breeze needs to have her mohawk bridlepath clipped again. She was very patient with me as I made the headstall longer and more comfy for her. Wow- I expected a BIG flight instinct to kick in concerning those little Hackney ears, but no- nothing.
I kept telling her what a Wonderful Pony she was and how brilliant she looked with the bit on.She let me take it off and re-bridle her twice with no trouble at all. She knew what had happened, and after a little of the infamous " blah,blah, blah" of the mouth , she settled in , quite at ease. Perhaps my little bit of a pony has been trained- even if so slightly !
Will she keep moving forward in all of this driving stuff ? I sure hope so.... I've Always wanted to drive a Hackney, and if it's a little shorter than others, so be it.
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