Things the horses and I love...

Cavesson

The cavesson is widely used in the Academic Art of Riding and is an essential tool in the education of your horse. Especially because it allows you to train your horse while saving the horse's sensitive mouth.

A cavesson is a versatile piece of tack used to develop a horse's flexibility and balance without the interference of a bit. Typically made of leather, a cavesson fits snugly over the horse’s nose and includes several rings. I started off with a cavesson that had a bicycle chain in the nose band (simply as this was the only cavesson I could find many years ago) but I replaced that first cavesson with one like in the picture. I believe the cavesson with a plain leather nose band is gentler on the horse and it stays better in place. A noseband with metal on the inside is heavy and tends to slide down on the nose onto the fragile nasal bones. As with any bridle, it is essential to ensure a cavesson is fitted correctly, sitting comfortably below the horse's cheekbones and not too tightly around the nose.

By applying gentle pressure on the nose, a cavesson helps guide the horse in the desired direction, encouraging proper head and neck positioning and responsiveness. This makes the cavesson an invaluable tool in both foundational training and the refinement of more advanced manoeuvres while supporting the development of harmonious and effective communication between horse and human.

The cavesson allows you to communicate with your horse through subtle cues on the noseband. Communication is a two-way street and the cavesson allows your horse to gently feel what you are saying and for you to feel directly when and if your horse is soft and giving.

Supplements

There are so many supplements available in the horse (and human) world that it is difficult to find your way through the maze. I use as a general rule of thumb that a healthy horse with access to varied grazing, good quality hay and good water with a healthy PH balance should not need supplements.

A downside of supplementing your horse by adding it to their feed is that you are taking away their own choices of what they lack and what they need. If you supplement and if it is possible to give supplements free choice, this is preferable.

A simple thing I do is to offer a water buffet which consists of a large trough with plain fresh water and beside it, I add buckets of 'flavoured' water. This can be water with salt; water with bicarbonate of soda and even water infused with mint or apple cider vinegar. It is remarkable to see the preference of the horses changing depending on the individual, the training we are doing, the time of year and the outside temperature.

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You can never rely on a horse that is educated by fear. There will always be something that he fears more than you. But, when he trusts you, he will ask you, what to do when he is afraid.

- Antoine de Pluvinel -