January 2024

Happy New Year to all, wishing all our followers and readers the best for the year ahead. It was nice to have a little down time during the Christmas and New Year period. We are now back into the swing of things again with outside horses and courses.

The 2024 course schedule has been updated, starting with a home course in mid February. This course is starting to fill up so if you are interested or need information then please email or message. Courses are also planned for Brisbane in April and Western Australia in May, again details are on the website https://www.davidstuart.com.au/courses/ If you are unable to get to a course there is the online course option as well, available from the website.

This year we also hope to make it back to the U.K. , it has been nearly 5 years since I was there last, with covid and a few other challenges. Hopefully this year all lines out.

This coming weekend, Rachael and I are going to Charlotte Dujardin’s presentation in Caboolture, Queensland. We are both very much looking forward to this. We do however have a potential cyclone to navigate around with a few logistics involved.

I have put together a short horsemanship article below, happy reading everyone and I look forward to seeing everyone through out the year. Stay safe and healthy.

What Bit To Use: When you start to speak, or talk about bits, it can be a conversation that has many different opinions and views. It is also a question that I get asked quite a bit, no pun intended, from owners when they are picking their horse up after being started. What bit do you use?

After 4 – 5 rides, I often move to a snaffle, my preference is an eggbutt snaffle. I did ride in a ring snaffle for a long time. I like an eggbutt for riding young horses and have ridden Jeremiah Watt snaffles and saddles for a very long time.

In past blogs I have spoken a little on hands, hopefully the articles have been helpful. When riding young or green horses, I often have a little spread in my hands and a lifting action to my hands. This helps to keep the snaffle flatter in the horse’s mouth and also helps with balance. If you are using the reins for security and pulling back, the horse is probably going to end up travelling more on the forequarters and be troubled.

As you and your horse progress, you may wish to move to a hackamore etc. Some of my teachers start with the hackamore. I am of the thought process that with starting horses for the general public for a long time now, that the snaffle probably fits more situations than not. It seems to fit most horses as well, there will be situations and horses that you need to adjust for.

I trust that the above is useful to all, as mentioned above, bits can start a conversation and perhaps an education. Stay Safe and enjoy your horses.