Close-up of LG on Escalante..his story

When I got Escalante he was a 5 year old stud, who had bred. He looks courageous and imposing and behaves quite self-assured, but when you watch him a bit on the pasture, he does not feel comfortable in the role of leader. He started under saddle and was a beautiful ride because he naturally carries himself very  nicely and comes easy from behind. He has a tendency though, to curl up behind the bit so to avoid contact. The emphasis of our work is to get him to stretch and accept the bit and to relax and communicate. I think we have made great progress, since we are now working on left and right bend in a straight line, and outside and inside bends around corners. He is still very sensitive in the mouth, but if handled gingerly, he is a pleasure to ride and school...I like the feel of the LG and there is no noticeable difference in the contact, yet the idea that is mouth is quietly closed is a beautiful one for me and I think that the next videos will be more revealing as to the positive and negative points of this particular bitless bridle.

Escalante in LG - The discussion is on the table...

What do you want to accomplish with your horse? If you want to ride in dressage you HAVE to use a bit. Can you train bitless and then show with bit? How does it effect training time and thouroughness?...Is a bit in sensible hands a better more refined connection to the horse..."I can feel him better when I have contact to the mouth?" Is the foreign object in the horses mouth a hindrance for concentration and a physical handicap? Who should ride bitless and who should not? Heavy-handed vs light...What is the difference in a runaway situation???
How about what do you want to accomplish by riding treeless saddles? Are they more comfortable for the horse? Can you train treeless and then show with tree? Someone wanting to buy my beautiful classy Niedersuess dressage saddle, made in Austria (Medium tree?)

In sensible hands all horses have a better time both under saddle in hand and in mouth? That does not require a condition to ride with double bridle if you want to compete. In the best case scenario proper training includes proper training of the rider and time.

What about this image: "If I know how to lift properly with my upper legs through knees instead of my back, I can lift 40 pound bales all day long...therefore no alternative ways of lifting shall be developed..."

Or "If we allow for bitless riding in dressage competitions and something happens, it will be used by the opposition to prove their point, that bits are required for safety of rider. Therefore we will not allow bitless riding in dressage competitions!"

OR: Is the mere fact, that severe bits and ports have been used for 100's of years, reason to oppose bitless riding?"

MUSTANG ECO TOURS EXPEDITION INTO SAND WASH BASIN 9/26-30

..We have locked down a week for the WildHorse Expedition into the Sand Wash Basin Horse Management area west of Craig Colorado. Autumn will be a target due to cooler temps and foals being in weanling age. Since there is no roundup planned for the Sand Wash and the HMA has had substantial expsoure from photographers, painters HSUS and other research organizations we hope for a popular turn out. The weeklong event will include horse camping against the Vermillion Bluffs and we are counting on workshops for photography, painting and also education and field trips. Some of us will bring our  mustangs (a long all day ride is planned for Wednesday the 28th  - even some sandwash mustangs) some come armed with camera and brush. THIS IS NOT A CATERED EVENT.  Participants will donate their talent and time for the benefit of education and promotion of the RENEWABLE RESOURCE HORSE, the american mustang. Logistics dictate some structuring and coordinating.
If you are interested in participating please call Gabriele Moritz: 970 224 5035

ARAGON V - SPANISH MUSTANG - MUSTANG ECO TOURS>>>>

Photo by Melody Perez (www.runninghorses.weebly.com)

GETTING ON WITH THE LG - we are preparing for Mustangecotours...

The revamping of tack, if one has more than one horse is always a challenge. I have reached a milestone with mine and transitioned to bitless bridles and treeless saddles. Here are my choices and why:
I have 6 mustangs without withers...they are shortbacked (except for Silhouette) and go in several different disciplines. I like dressage, jumping, also trail and endurance. Sometimes I go with minimum equipment sometimes I like to take saddle bags and supplies for the trail. I abhor heaving a "Klotz" onto my horse just to add my own weight and then completely loose all feeling for the movement. I do not use a HORN, I do not need breast color, tail-keeper, martingales or backstraps. I like to see my horse...more than just the ears. The mouth of the horse is sensitive, since I don't jog with a spoon in my mouth, I do not ask my horse to perform with a metal linkage/port in his mouth either...

I ride in a 15inch Bob Marshall treeless sports saddle with a grandeur pad (also a skito pad). The saddle is superlight and I feel the horse, It is warm and has attachments for saddlebags if so desired. It fits ALL my horses, sometimes I change the pad. The conclusion I came to is that the saddle is secondary to the pad, especially in treeless. So for spine clearance I want a 3/4 inch temperfoam buffer between the saddle and the horse, heat will compress that some, but when I take the saddle off it is still a beautiful distribution of weight.

I ride my horses in an LG-Zaum, developed by my friend and Mustang-rider Monika Lehmenkuehler in Germany. She has been advocating this bitless alternative for more than a decade now and it is the closest approximation to the Snaffle (two-point contact and three point pressure) and elegant to boot. It took me a while to work out the kinks like the clip-ons that fit best and the adjustments for the length of the headstall etc. but I thing today I got it. (Picture)

In addition I ride in a classic  "ansur" saddle and a modern "Freeform" (both treeless)
and I also like a basic sidepull and sometimes go out in a jumping hackamore.

ARAGON V WITH THE BITLESS LG-ZAUM AND THE BOB MARSHALL TREELESS SADDLE

My horses are usually barefoot and I do not overvaccinate. They are kept outside eating grass and herbs (hope less of the bad weeds) and they don't wear clothes. I wash once or twice a year, otherwise elbowgrease makes them shine and gives me a workout. I ride every day and I take them for long walks on long lines...I am not afraid to put females with males and would love to see more stallions ridden. I discourage breeding in a world of TOO MANY EVERYBODY and after my last adventure, the EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER I now look forward to encounter on my next adventure, the MUSTANGECOTOURS EXPEDITION to the SAND WASH BASIN WILD HORSES west of Craig Colorado.

RED FEATHER LAKES COLORADO IN JULY...MUSTANG ECO TOURS....

We are planning a horse-camping expedition to the SAND WASH BASIN WILD HORSE range in Sept. Located west of Maybell, west of Craig, west of Steamboat Springs, this is a wonderful prairie bordering the Vermillion Basin - the HMA (Horse Management Area consists of approx.160 000 acres public land managed by the BLM and is home to approx 240 mustangs).

We will haul into the HMA and set up camp and then ride out for mustang viewing and photography. Nancy Roberts (Who has been documenting this herd since 2009) will be our guide and we will have Melody Perez (Fine Art Painter) for a photo workshop. You can bring your own horse or if you enjoy walking come without...For more info please contact Gabriele Moritz www.mustangecotours.blogspot.com or FB Gabriele Moritz.