I'm still debating how I'm going to get a combination of those features in Turbo! I'm leaning towards teaching him that when the overcheck goes on brilliance and spark are expected and the rest of the time he is to relax and drive as normal. We'll see!
Leia
Roger on the "kiss" deal! I kiss to my horses for certain things - but rocket departure was never one of them. It has taken me a few months, but Rascal and I now have a system worked out: half halt and a kiss means one thing, kiss alone I expect to be blasted to the back of the seat.
When I rode combined training, my wonderful trainer decided the time had come for me to jump the log lorrie. To this end, he had me pull out a wonderful old, (well) retired ex-Olympian. I am thinking this horse 20-something, lame in 3 legs, and winded - and I am likely to die on this day. As I am making peace with my life, Tom hands me a very old (extremely well kept) bridle, and a pair of equally old boots. "Have Stuart help you with the bridle, and put the boots on first." Oh dear.
So I tack the beast, saddle, breastplate and boots. The horse goes from ancient, lame, hacky to paw, paw, paw, snort. Stuart comes in grinning ear to ear with the ancient bridle - and mind you, his usual bridle is a hollow mouth Fulmer full cheek snaffle, and the ancient bridle has a Boucher - both very fat snaffles - and the horse starts corking up and down in the cross-ties! He's 17.1, I'm 4'10" and two of us are wrestling this bridle on a now fire-breathing equine dragon. "You'll need these," Stuart hands me leather gloves, "and a leg up. Once you get on, I'll head him 'til you've got your reins, then trot him out, if you can keep him there - and he may buck, but he'll come right."
Great googlie mooglie! I barely have reins and no stirrups, when my dragon rips free from Stuart, charges out the barn - huge trot - forget the stirrups, post the trot and half-check each stride, hope we manage to get some semblance of decorum before Tom sees us. Woods knows exactly where he's going and keeps the pace until he reaches the cross-country gate. For a moment, seriously, I thought he was just going to jump it - it was a 5' gate, but if we were going to jump a log lorrie, I had to assume he could jump a gate. But there he stopped, all snorting and yelling, while I gathered stirrup and rein. The rest of the outing went well.
The point of the tale, however was driven home: Woods was bored in his Fulmer - to him,
not a serious bit, a beginner's bit, soft and floppy for beginners' hands. But the Boucher!
That was his competition bit. And those old boots? Those got him through 2 Olympics and they meant business!
I took this cue for my cutting pony: curb for cows, Fulmer and buckle boots for eventing. And again with a ruined jumper: big, fat snaffles and bandages for jumper classes, double bridle for dressage, hollowmouth eggbutt and boots for hazards. Various horses over the years have had different tack - they get it. So now, Rascal is going with his half-cheek broken snaffle (which he knows and trusts, and which fits him well enough not to nutcracker in his mouth) for his pleasure classes, and a mullen half-cheek for trail, and now Darby, cones, etc. His dressage is hopeless, but at least in the mullen, he feels like it won't ever hurt him, so he can experience new things, without being too concerned about his mouth. I am still looking for boots for his little legs, but I do wrap for cones and obstacles.
I would say, again as a beginner driver this might not be quite an accurate thought, but you will know, if Turbo goes well in an overcheck, and has room in his mouth, you might put in an overcheck bit, so he has that concept of overcheck and driving bits equal fire and snort showman. Then for combined driving, whatever bit he works well in. But definitely some sort of distinct change.
