It affects the movement of your horse !

Although I have said this many times before, I cannot repeat it enough. 
Poor suited bits and poor fitting bridles can affect the movement of your horse.
How is it possible we can make a horse move so differently by changing a bit you may wonder? 
It is because of all the connections in the body. We can improve the horse or ruin it by poor use of bit of causing tension on or around the head. 
Having this basic knowledge would be good for every rider. 
This is why we try to give you interesting fact and tips from time to time. 

When you have been an Elite Bridle & Bit Fitter for a few years, like me, you come across many styles and types of horses, 
styles and types of riders and styles and types of training methods. 
We always try to look at the whole picture and help the combination we see in front of us, to the best of our ability. 
As in all branches of the horse-sports. There are many ways to reach your goals. 
And here too, you get passionate people with beliefs of how they train and teach is the only good one. 
Well that’s not how we see it. 

There are many good ways of training, and who are we to say you have to change it? 
We can however help better the way you train, by providing you with the tools that help you along. 
Some training methods are considered bad by some, while some are considered good by mainstream. 

In my experience it all depends on so many facets that you cannot say in a black/white manner what is the one and only correct way.
Facets like the horse, the rider and the whole environment we like to call the management of the horse which includes not only housing, feeding, training, but also the use of tools like the bridle and bit. 
We like to look at the picture in front of us, and the way the horse reacts and is built to help advise further. 
If the biomechanics show that the training can be improved by altering bit or bridle we can help. And when this shows that the training may be adapted slightly we will also speak out. But just in a “matter of fact way”. Because the conformation of your horse will also be a key part in how best to train them.

We don’t do the finger pointing. We know that every way of training has its plus and minus points. Every way of training !
You know, we come across horses trained in the mainstream way, that are not using their bodies correctly and do not have a good elastic contact too.
And at times we see horses trained in perhaps less mainstream fashions, that DO swing through the body with a nice and relaxed contact. 
So it is not always black and white. It not just how you train, but how you do the training too!

I have always had a very open view to this subject. Due to getting experience in many branches in the horse-sports, you learn that every direction has it’s own ideas and philosophy when it comes to training, management and expectations. So I would think it was foolish to believe that only ONE way it the only correct one. 
Because after all it also depends on what you are training your horse for, and what the expectations are. That too is very important !
I believe training and management needs to be adapted for every rider and horse, and the rider needs to learn the tools to know how to train that particular horse in the best possible way. 

After learning more about biomechanics and specialising in Analyses, I too have changed my old way of looking at a horse and contact. 
Because a good contact is not when the horse is moving in the correct frame, it is not being submissive, it had a lot more to do with how he uses his body and works the correct muscles in the body. 

Just to give you one simple example of many: A lot of riders just automatically think riding in front of the vertical is what you have to do, the most freindly way, but if this is not done with an engaged body, you are not working the correct muscles and not helping your horse improve. And same conclusion for the opposite statement too. 
We should not focus so much on the frame itself we should focus on the use of the body. Look at muscles that are under tension, pulsating or relaxed or the ones lacking activity meaning they aren't working. 

So don’t stare blindly at the frame of your horse. Look at use of muscles, and if the correct ones are activated and pulsating. 
It’s not about a high head, low head, round neck, short neck… it is all about engaged hind legs with energy flowing through the back to your hand.

Yes, the bit and bridle can influence this, so be aware that if you are training to activate the correct muscles, but the reaction is not following. 
Then you need to have this checked in detail too. 
Just a small foot note, if your horse has issues caused by problems in conformation, or slight injuries. Then this of course cannot be fixed quickly by adapting the tools.
We are not the quick fixer, we help with the whole picture. Long term, not short term.