The Tortoise and the Hair by Nina Heller

Trying to chart our daily progress with our horses and our training can be quite a frustrating and futile endeavor. This activity would be comparable to trying to watch our hair grow, and trying to chart that daily growth.

Like hair growth, daily progress, or even weekly progress with our training, will usually be unnoticeable. Many times, we may even feel that we are moving backward (which, i guess, we could liken to hair loss, but for the purpose of this analogy, let's just stick with the average healthy head of growing hair). Even with a healthy, vital head of hair, you would certainly make yourself crazy if you got wrapped up in the desire to watch it grow, and it is the same for your training. Looking for improvement on a daily or weekly basis is a natural human desire but, like so many natural human desires, this is one of those that will lead so many of us down the worst path possible.

Humans have a lot of issues, many of which boil down to trust.  Being able to give up the micro-management of our training, and the anxieties this can create is all about trust and learning to trust in the process. If I dont look in the mirror, is my hair still growing? Of course it is! It's growing!  If i go about my daily activities, live my life, and do my thing without stealing a glance at my hair in the mirror, is my hair still growing? Yes, it is growing. Now, I'm not saying that it's not important to chart ones progress or have expectations.  It is.  You must examine how you are going about this, and if you are getting frustrated or having negative feelings, you are probably not going about it constructively. For example,  i might allow myself to take note that my hair does not seem to have grown much in the last week , but if i have an emotional breakdown over it, that is not constructive, and it certainly won't help my hair grow any faster.  If that breakdown leads to a feeling of desperation to reach my goals, and that desperation in turn, causes me to resort to a plan of action that might not be in my best interest or, where training is concerned, in the best interest of my horse, this desperation could possibly lead me to resort to practices that are unfair, or even inhumane! There are all sorts of methods, gadgets, and equipment out there that certainly might bring you quick results, but in no way will these things enhance the learning experience for you or your horse.  Keep in mind, so often when gadgetry is applied, you end up having to undo what you have now done in your desperation, and, sadly, sometimes these things can not be undone.

Now, let's also consider another scenario, one regarding perspective. What if i have just taken note of my alleged lack of hair growth, but then a friend comes along and comments that my hair seems to have grown quite a lot lately!  Maybe this friend even comments on how very nice it's looking? Oh boy, what do I do with this information? I'm sure you know what I am getting at.  Yes, something about not seeing a forest with all of those darned trees in the way!  It's always all about perspective, and perception, and it's about your choices. First, you have a choice not to bother with trying to micro-manage your training progress in the first place.  You can go about your business, ride, train, do your schooling, and trust in the process. Trust that we are always learning something.  You and your horse, both of you, are always gathering more pieces to a complex puzzle, always sticking a few pennies in the bank, always building the relationship. Every time we engage with our horse, something is progressing, even if you dont feel it or see it right away, it's growing!  If you feel that you must chart your progress, be very careful with your perception. I was recently feeling frustrated that Mercy and I did not seem to be gaining any ground lately, and a mediocre score and low placing in one of our internet show classes completely demoralized me. It took a couple of days, living with this unpleasant collage of feelings, until I took this abstract painting of frustration and started turning it around, upside down, sideways.  I looked at it in different light, from different sides, and sure enough, I began to see a beautiful image emerging. Instead of focusing on what we have not yet been able to achieve, I instead began focusing on all of the many things that we thus far have achieved.  Instead of looking ahead and charting the great distance we still have to go, I looked back and reviewed how very, very far we have actually come.  When Mercy came from the racetrack I could not even mount her.  Now she stands quietly at the mounting block.  As a youngster, she firmly believed the only way to move her body was with her nose pointed straight up to the high heavens.  Now she is able to support a nice posture and outline. When we first began together, she used to act out aggressively at horses who came too near her in the arena.  Now she can calmly participate in a pas de duex or quadrille.  At one time there were certain areas in the arena that frightened her, and most days I could not even get around the entire ring, now we can work anywhere in the arena with calm and focus.  Mercy knew close to nothing when we met, she had only been taught to run, and that had not even worked out well for her.  Now, we have a full alphabet of aids and cues with which to communicate, enough so that she can answer all kinds of questions; how to move each part of her body, separately and together, forward, sideways, and back.  We have trust, respect and love, and with those things I would imagine anything could be possible.  So, it's the old question of the glass being half empty or half full, and here is the answer.

Let's be happy that there is something in the glass at all!  If you've filled half a glass in your training, you should be very proud of each drop that went in, no matter how many more drops you think you need before you see this glass as finally being full.  Seeing the glass half empty only leads to frustration which can, in turn, lead to desperation, and in the horse world desperation often leads to much misery for the horse.  Misery, in the form of draw reins, harsh bits, crank and flash nose bands, whips, spurs, martingales, etc. etc.  None of these things are helpful to the rider either.  They are all crutches, and diversions that will only waste your time.  If we choose to not get frustrated by keeping an optimistic view of our training, realizing that all good things do take time and understanding that if we are really enthralled and excited with our journey, we won't even notice how much time has passed.  It won't matter.  If we can keep our eyes from fixating on that mirror, and just let our hair  grow at its own pace, while we live our lives, think of how much more we will notice around us, how much more we will learn, and how much richer our
journey will be!

When deciding to go bitless, its important to remember, things might take a little longer, and this will require patience, and trust.  Bits are painful, and pain creates many short cuts for the trainer, but, with any short cut,one might miss out on something very important that you would only see or learn while taking the longer route, and though the journey might be longer, the finish line will still be there.  The slow moving, yet consistent, tortoise will eventually cross that line and might even have a gorgeous full head of hair upon doing so!

Riding with Mercy Part 1 by Nina Heller

It’s so fascinating how things happen, and only by looking back do we see clearly how fascinating these things really are. 

When I brought Mercy home, i decided she needed a new name. “Mert” was not a very pretty name, and, it didn’t sound like the name of a champion.  I was conflicted though, because it’s bad luck to change a horse’s name, but really, the name "Mert" had thus far certainly not brought this filly very much luck.  So, I was determined to keep the M, and did not want to stray too far from the "Mer" sound, so…try it yourself..."Mercy" is the about the only nice thing you will come up with!

I liked it, and it seemed fitting, as it was sort of an act of mercy to even give this filly a second look, what with her huge head and ears, skinny body, upside down neck, and a telephone pole for a left hind leg.  So Mercy it was.

How very fitting, then, that this filly would bring with her such a strong lesson in what it is to be merciful, and that she would be such a catalyst for change in the direction of mercy, not just for me, but for so many.

When I decided to commit to riding Mercy bitless, I figured that she would never see a show ring, and therefore would never need a show name, but I was wrong again, and when it finally came time to select a show name for her, for our internet competitions, I had a few ideas, but, nothing seemed just right.  Driving to and from the barn each day, I pass a little clothing boutique.  It’s called Gramercy.  I see this sign every day, but one day it finally reached into the car and slapped me.

What?  Was that to be our show name? What did the name mean?  I had to know.  I immediately called my husband to ask if he would please google the name for me.  One thing I instantly liked was that it was a subtle way to get the word gray in her name, as I had done with my gray mare, Mini, whose show name was Gracious, which she was. 

I so hoped that Gramercy, if it even had a meaning, would be one that was fitting, and when my husband read the definition it gave me chills and our an entire story came together for me. 

The definition of Gramercy is "great thanks".  It’s an archaic word, expressing much thankfulness. 

What definition could have been better than this?  There is a constant theme of appreciation in our relationship. I can only imagine that from the start Mercy has felt great thankfulness for the nice life that I have offered her, and I know that I feel great thankfulness for the abundance of gifts that she continually bestows upon me, the greatest gift of all being the awakening and growing of the awareness that there is a more humane way, a more merciful way, to engage with our horses, a way that expresses the gratitude that we should all feel for our horses, individually, and as a species.  One of those ways is to remove the bit from your horse’s mouth and life, and to spare your horse the pain, discomfort, or irritation that the bit causes. 

Because of Mercy, so much mercy has been spread.  Our entire barn is bitless, and I am pretty sure that all of the horses are very thankful for this, as are their riders.  Because of Mercy, many, many other horses have now gone bitless as well, all which I imagine are thankful, along with their thankful riders.  When I first met Mercy, I did not know that I was accepting an invitation to engage in such an amazing mission, a mission to share with others this awakening, this awareness.  As far as I knew, I was just bringing home my next horse.  It was all very innocent, but looking back now, I can see very clearly how and why everything has happened the way that it did.  I can see now that i was ready to not just bring home the next horse, I was ready for something entirely different, something less about me, and more about the horses.  I was ready to learn about mercy, and share what Mercy had to teach me about it.  This would be like nothing I had experienced before and Mercy and I would not just be going out for a ride, we would be going out on a mission, a mission of mercy!

Fascinating!

Nina & Mercy

The Bitless Debate by Sami Lyster

One of the trainers that I ride with has spent the last several months transitioning all of her horses to bitless. I have mostly made this transition with her (my mare goes half and half, partially due to the fact that I can’t show bitless and partially due to the fact that I feel she goes better bitted) and it has totally opened my eyes to bitless riding. 

 My biggest point to stress: bitless DOES NOT equal dangerous and bitted DOES NOT equal controlled. Having a bit does not ensure you control, and riding in some type of bitless bridle does not mean that your horse is going to go running away from you. If your horse is properly trained off the seat, you do not need a crescent noseband with a twisted wire full cheek.

The next excuse that is going to come flying up is that these are big, high performance animals who cannot be expected to respond to such subtle things when they’re so amped up. False. If Kelly McKnight can ride a grand prix course in a halter, then no one gets to complain about safety issues. Not every horse should go bitless, not every horse wants to. That is not what this whole thing is about. Legalizing showing bitless will not cause a craze of amateur riders showing their 1.20m jumpers in Dr. Cook’s bridles if they are not at that point in their training. It will just allow the riders who have taken the time to carefully finesse their horses into responding to a variety of aids to show their horses is in what they believe is a more comfortable set up. There aren’t even only incredible exceptions to your danger theory - there are some of course, Kelly McKnight, Alizee Froment, Isabell Werth (Satchmo has schooled in a halter) - but ordinary ones as well. My mare has a scary spook, and I find it easier to control bitless than I do bitted. When she spooks, scoots, and bucks, my first reaction is hands - pull the head up and don’t get bucked off. With the bit, a piece of metal catches her in the mouth and hurts, now she’s really insulted. With the bitless, she responds calmer and faster. We actually got a spook of hers on video: 

We were filming for Dr. Cooks, and Dr. Cook actually responded saying, 

“…I was fascinated to see how, at the end of the spook, she licked her lips. Flight mode to vegetative mode in the time it took her to move from one side of the arena to the other. Sympathetic nervous system on full alert to parasympathetic relaxation. Wonderful.”

I have seen my trainer’s horse leap up and down and spin in circles spooking at a trashcan rolling, and he comes back to her in a sidepull. It’s not dangerous, period. I understand that some of these will be big, high energy horses. It is up to the rider what position they want to put them, and their horse in.

This whole bitless is dangerous thing is exhausting. Because it’s not true. But people have got it so engrained that they don’t even want to consider that a horse could possibly go better bitless. Why not at least have the option? It’s such a silly debate. If it does not directly affect you, you should not be bothered. If you are so worried that your horse will be unable to control bitless, maybe you don’t try it right away. But don’t let that stop other people from doing what is best for their horse. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s move on to aids.

We have more than just our hands and our legs, we have each individual part of our leg, we have our seatbones, we have the way that we shift our weight. In a bitless bridle we still have our hands, they just aren’t connected to the horses’ mouth. Collection and connection are still entirely possible. I can now get my horse to engage and collect by the way I rub my heel, while doing nothing with my hands. They’re simply there. More talented and dedicated riders like Alizee Froment can achieve collection and engagement in nothing more than a neck rope. Every upper level rider and clinician will tell you that wiggling your fingers is an improper way to get your horse in a frame, that you’re achieving nothing more than a false frame. So why even use the bit? It’s definitely a longer route, but you really learn to ride. It’s something each rider should experiment with, and the best way to get it out there is for the FEI to legalize it in competition. 

Once people move past the “bitless is dangerous” mindset, it will really be a nice change in the equestrian community. Not everyone wants to go bitless, and that’s okay. But the less we can see of crank noseband, flash, bit, and hackamore, with a five point running martingale, the better. 

My Journey with Mercy by Nina Heller

greetings bitless supporters! here is the unedited version of the story that was featured in the may issue of DRESSAGE TODAY magazine! you can find the edited story on page 66 in the transitions section of the may issue...

I found Mercy in a pasture, injured, thin, and sullen, hiding behind another mare, as if hoping that no one would notice her, and I almost didn’t. I wasn’t looking for a horse for myself. I already had one, and was quite happy with him, training, showing, and working toward various year end championships. But, something drew me to mercy; I felt a strange, overwhelming sense that we were supposed to be together. 

She was a small filly, with a huge head, and even
bigger ears, an upside down neck, hind legs set on askew, one permanently scarred, and the size of a tree stump. None of that seemed to matter to me, as the feeling of something completely destined drowned out my usually logical nature. There was a sadness about this little mare, a broken innocence. In her three short years, Mercy (then known as Mert), had seen far too much. Living in four states, she had watched thousands of miles unfold from a trailer window, traveling up and down the map between racetracks, passed off from stranger to stranger. After a brief and unsuccessful racing career, she, and several other discarded mares were picked up by a quarter horse breeder to be surrogate mothers in Southern California, but, before Mercy received her embryo, she was seriously injured, and suffered a terrible infection, thus disqualifying her as a candidate for their program. She was sent out to pasture, with an uncertain fate. The day we met, I was shopping for a school horse, not a baby, and certainly not one with so many strikes against her, but, strangely, with all of her bad luck, she was sound, in body and mind, calm and cooperative, especially for a young racehorse. Against all reason, I trusted my feelings, and took her home.

I let Mercy be a horse for a while, and then the training began. From all that she had shown me on the ground, I assumed she would be an easy training project, I could not have been more wrong. I have had some challenging horses in my life, but, Mercy was absolutely confounding. She worked beautifully and cooperatively on the lunge line, quickly learning and responding to voice cues, but under saddle, she was miserable, as if she thoroughly resented being ridden. She tolerated the walk, but, became anxious at the trot, and horribly agitated at the canter. Most days I felt as though I were torturing her. I began to feel that she despised me, or at the very least, held me in utter disregard. The harder I tried to work through our difficulties, the more she shut down, our relationship became frustrating and joyless. I knew we both felt the same way, disgruntled, and hopeless. I’m sure some would have given up, but, I would not. I truly believed there was something beautiful to be unearthed, in both of us, for both of us, if we could just find a way out of this dark hole. I tried many things, supplements, body work, saddles galore, and our situation improved as we found the right combinations, but, the biggest change occurred when I decided to try riding Mercy without a bit. Many ex-racehorses have mouth issues due to their training, and/or lack thereof. Gadgets like tongue ties, also, leave scars, mentally and physically. I wondered if this was part of the problem. I had no experience riding without a bit, and did not know what to expect. I felt apprehensive. Was this safe? Was this crazy? I was out of ideas, so, I took the gamble.

From the first ride it was a noticeable improvement, not just to me, but to everyone who had witnessed our long struggle. Once bitless, it was as if a weight had been lifted from Mercy, her tension melted away, her gaits became looser and more free, she felt forward and willing. She felt happy. 

I soon noticed some things about myself. Over the years I had become a lazy cheater, depending on the bit more
than I had ever realized, now the bit was gone, and, a complete renaissance in my horsemanship commenced. I truly began riding with my body, seat, weight, and mind. I let mercy be my guide; she became an astute trainer, sensitive and communicative. The bitless bridle was making Mercy a better horse, and in turn, making me a better rider. An upward spiral had begun. Now, several years later, Mercy and I are dear and loving friends, we enjoy each other in and out of the saddle, and riding has finally become a joyful experience. From the beginning, our relationship has been a magical mystery tour, filled with challenges, and an enormous amount of growth for me as a rider and person. When I decided to commit to riding Mercy bitless, I expected we would never see a show ring, as not even our local schooling shows will permit bitless bridles, not even hors concours. Happily, my love of showing was not to be dampened, thanks to interdressage.com, an internet show site out of the UK; we were welcomed to begin our show career. Mercy and I are part of only a handful who show bitless, but,
we are not judged any differently from the majority, who do compete in a bit. Interdressage has not had any difficulty integrating those who ride bitless in to their shows, and their judges, all British listed, have no trouble scoring those without a bit. To create this level playing field, they have substituted just one word in their dressage tests, "acceptance of
the bit" now reads "acceptance of the aids". One small word, it was that simple.

Just recently, we completed our first show season. In a
field of over 300 international horse and rider combinations, from Estonia, to South Africa, and Japan, Mercy and I ended the year as the reserve champions of their senior dressage league! I have won many awards in my riding life, but, this victory has a meaning of unparalleled depth for me. We still have such a long way to go, but this award will be a constant reminder to never give up hope, and, with patience, perseverance, and a respect for the individual needs of your partner, that any horse can be your champion!