The understanding of the term “on the bit” is one of the most important concepts to understand when it comes to many disciplines of riding, not just dressage. The term “on the bit” is deceiving, as there are many physiological changes a horse moving in correct engagement will make. So what is it? How do we do it correctly? And most importantly, why is it important for your horse’s health?
When a horse is engaged over her topline, this gives her additional strength and flexibility to carry the weight of her rider comfortably. It offers the rider better feel and instead of feeling like everything behind the saddle is disconnected, it’s a feeling of riding the entire horse. Proper engagement also allows for better physical development, more expressive movement, and an overall feeling of increased connection between horse and rider. In the upper levels of dressage, the level of engagement during movements like the piaffe and canter pirouette is high. Horses going in different disciplines or lower levels of dressage simply require less engagement to perform what’s necessary for their job.
So what happens when the horse uses their topline effectively? Instead of thinking of being on the bit as being in a “frame” or “compressing” the outline of a horse, think instead of this action allowing increased longitudinal stretching of the topline, abdominal muscles engaging to help lift the back, and pelvis tucking to a degree as a way to bring the hind legs further underneath the horse’s body. This results in a degree of arch to the neck with the underside of the neck remaining soft and supple. When this posture is achieved correctly, there’s a feeling of connection that travels from the poll to the hindquarters and the result is freedom of movement which often appears as a level of cadence appropriate for the horse’s level of training. Instead of “the head being down,” this posture allows the horse to lift under the rider and softer movement due to the lessening of unbalance that gravity naturally applies to a horse that isn’t using healthy movement patterns. In osteopathy training, I recently learned of the “bow and arrow” analogy, where the spine would be the bow, and the string would be the abdominal muscles. As the string of the bow draws back (the abdominal muscles engage), energy is transmitted to the bow itself, creating additional curvature of the structure of the bow (the horse’s back).
What Does it Look Like?
When a horse is properly on the bit, the abdominal muscles will lift, and when observing a fit horse on the bit, you will be able to see the outline of some of his abdominal muscles. The pelvis will appear to be tucked, and the croup lowered, allowing the hind legs to step further under the body. Proper neck position for the level of engagement is varied, but in upper levels of engagement, the neck will have a telescoped appearance with the poll at the highest point, the neck arched in a forward stretch, engagement on the muscles in the upper portion of the neck, and suppleness in the muscles of the lower neck. The higher head carriage displayed in collection of an upper level horse is a reflection of how tipped the pelvis is, and not solely the position of the neck. In trot, you should be able to observe that the flight phase of the gait (when a pair of diagonal legs are swinging forwards) is at a similar angle in both the front and hind legs. A shorter step behind is an indication that the hindquarters are not pushing as much as they could be, interfering with the transfer of energy over the topline. In some cases, the horse may appear to be lifting their forelimbs in an exaggerated way while the hind legs are barely stepping forward, while also carrying themselves with a raised croup, hollow back, and backwards flexion of the neck. This is commonly seen when a horse is being asked for too much engagement for their level of training.
How Does Being on the Bit Relate to Trust?
When a horse is carrying a rider in a state of engagement, there is a release of tension throughout the body. This is a big thing to ask for with many horses. When riding, we are rarely participating in any sort of behaviors that would come natural to a horse. We’re taking them out of the pasture, riding out alone in some cases, and asking for movement that isn’t truly necessary for survival, which horses naturally avoid. Horses tend to conserve energy for when they need to use it. Balancing further onto the hind legs and bending around corners in a more upright position than naturally occurs interferes with a horse’s natural flight animal posturing. This is an element of both physical and mental suppleness which is created through an environment of safety and connection, not force. As riders, it’s part of our responsibility to show the horse that moving in this way is safe. As horses respond more to stimulus and environment, it’s important to keep in mind that the opportunity for physical relaxation will then translate to mental relaxation. This is an approach that takes the psychology of the horse into consideration and places it at the forefront, making it easier for the horse to show a level of trust and partnership. A tense, unhappy horse in general will take longer to relax under saddle. Have you ever tried to do yoga when you feel like you have knot in your stomach? It might help as you become more focused on the yoga, but getting to that point will take longer if you start out stressed, and it’s the same for our horses. Remember – dressage training was used to get cavalry horses trusting and calm enough to be able to fight wars, not amp them up and create tension.
So, How Do We Achieve Engagement?
First off, in order to ask for your horse to engage, you need to have an independent seat and independent hands. A rider who balances themselves off the reins will be unable to create the soft feel necessary for the horse to be able to relax. This is much easier said than done, and it remains a work in progress as riders progress up the levels. As a rider with decades of experience in English disciplines, do I think I could ride a reining horse through a pattern with an ounce of proper suppleness in my own joints and proper feel and timing? Absolutely NOT! The key takeaway here is that we’re always learning and advancing, and even in our respective disciplines after years of experience, it’s possible to still hold tension or asymmetry in our bodies. A rider asking their horse to come onto the bit has moved past the idea that the reins provide the only answer for balance and control. If we aren’t engaged properly in our own bodies when asking for engagement from our horses, the horse will struggle with engagement also. It’s quite rare to see riders slouching and sitting completely loose in the saddle when asking for a passage or a half-pass. We need to contribute to this balanced and connected state as well, and this is not just to “look good” on our horses!
Establishing forward motion, rhythm, and straightness are all important prerequisites to asking for engagement. Exercises like transitions, circles and some laterals while keeping a consistent (non- forceful) contact and staying elastic through your elbows and shoulders are also important tips to keep in mind. Ask your horse to keep his forward impulsion with your legs as you create slightly more connection through your outside rein. Next, use your inside rein to either ask the horse to straighten his head and neck to follow a straight line of travel or to bend to the inside if you’re on a curved line of travel like a circle. Once you feel that your horse had softened and is moving with a level of increased engagement, enjoy a few strides before praising him and providing him a stretch or a walk break. It’s important to remember that in the beginning, the horse will not be able to hold this position for a long period of time, and building this engagement takes lots of repetition, conditioning, and patience.
I hope this helps clarify what it truly means to put your horse “on the bit” and helps to shift the focus away from your horse’s head and neck and more towards their body as a whole. I will be creating a podcast about this topic that you can listen to while riding. That can be really helpful for some riders. Thanks for reading, and I hope your next ride is filled with joy, harmony, and connection.
My best,
- Kimberly