The Integrated Horse

14/07/2023

I have just seen a post from a bitting expert who suggested that you use fulmer keepers on a full cheek bit.

Please don't.

The orientation of the bit in the horse's mouth alters when we take the slack out of the rein. They rotate around their bore axis from the initial angle into the working angle. The direction of rotation differs between a loose ring and a fixed ring bit.

A fulmer bit is a modified loose ring bit with elongated sides which act against the horse's lips. Because it is a loose ring bit it will rotated clockwise (when viewed from the near side) into it's working angle taking any tension off the fulmer keeper.
The keeper is used to stabilise the sides without having any effect on the designed action of the bit.

A full cheek bit is a fixed ring bit and will rotate anticlockwise into it's working angle when the slack is taken out of the rein. Adding a fulmer keeper to this bit will alter the action of the bit, creating poll pressure and potentially block rotation. This is particularly significant for bits designed to offer the smoothest profile to the horse's mouth when they rotate into their working angle, for example the NS tranz angle lozenge.

Below fulmer on left, full cheek on right

07/07/2023

My chariot has just arrived 😊
Time to take the dogs for a walk whilst The Isle of Mull gets ready to turn around and take us to work 😊
I can live with this kind of commuting

16/06/2022

"Disobedience isn't disobedience. It's a signal.

Its information the horse is giving us about something in the environment it is not comfortable with, for what ever reason."

This is a great conversation about allowing the horse to have a voice in their interactions with us.

The discussion is between coaches & explores issues around training, competition and the structure of sport, but the themes expand into all our interactions with our horses.

When it comes to bit and bridle fitting, a key element of my job is to listen (with my hands and my eyes) what the horse is trying to say and then be the voice for the horse.

I hope you find this as thought provoking as I did.

Welcome to the third episode of the River Tiger Podcast. In this conversation I am co-hosting with Stuart Armstrong (The Talent Equation Podcast) and...

05/06/2022

A bit that fits is essential for horse welfare and good communication with the ridden, driven or led horses. The bit causes pressure on the sensitive structures of the horse mouth. The aim of this study was to investigate variation in oral dimensions related to bit fit in adult horses and ponies and...

25/06/2021

So pleased to be able to share this news 😊 Please give us a like and share

Hello 👋

Welcome to…

The Association of Professional Bit & Bridle Fitters (APBBF)

The APBBF is a not-for-profit membership organisation for professional bit and bridle fitters.

You can find out more about the APBBF at www.apbbf.org

Give us a 👍 or ❤️ to welcome us to the world 🙂

11/04/2021

I have just watched the lecture and can't wait foe the Q&A tonight. I highly recommend this webinar🙂

How much affect is Mandible position having on posture?

There has been much exploration of late into the importance of recognising posture in our horses, in both my recent webinars and across social platforms. We have discussed how this even affects hoof morphology.
We tend to look at the horses trunk and look for pathologies and dysfunctions that may be a causation. Rarely, but increasingly, do we look at the horses skull, mandible and dental occlusions.

There have been clear links in literature between dental occlusion, neck position and the knock on effects into the rest of the body.
Sambataro et al. (2019) stated that mandible position was strictly related to trunk posture.

Kibana et al. (2002) stated,
"lateral imbalance of the occlusal support could
promote imbalance in sternocleidomastoid muscle
activity, causing lateral bending of the neck. It is suggested that there is a close relationship between occlusal support and head
posture."

What does this all mean for posture and musculoskeletal health?

This Fri and Sun Dr Gellman will delve into this world with over 2 hours of lectures and a live Q&A. The Lectures can be watched at your convenience too!

join us at this link.

https://fb.me/e/55zMJhpm3

24/03/2021

I am really looking forward to this webinar. Everything is connected - that's why we need an integrated approach to horse care 😉

Are we missing a vital but perhaps abstract factor in our horses performance?

Although there is limited study in the horse, we can extrapolate links between the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ), dental occlusion and posture.
Balance and posture have been shown to be influenced by TMJ function (Buisseret-Delmas et al. 1999).
How your horse chews has knock on effects into its neck (Eriksson et al. 2000) and this will have continued influence on the rest of the musculoskeletal system.
Domestication and human influence will commonly create changes to the natural alignment of horse teeth, this will result in neurologic adaption, cartilage and bone remodelling in the TMJ and
concurrent functional changes in the entire stomatognathic system (Piette 1993, Esposito and Leisman 1993) a neurological system
that governs balance and equilibrium (Read 2020).

And we know that posture directly affects hoof morphology.

In a paper on neuro dentistry Sylvia Read outlines the common changes after correction of these issues.

"These include improved posture and muscle development, increased proprioception through optimal balance, corrected postural changes, refined body movements, increased resistance to
injury, a more calm and relaxed behaviour, enhanced mastication and digestion, less temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) sensitivity, a happier, healthier companion and increased tooth life."

All of this will of course lend itself to improved performance.

Join me and Dr Gellman in this upcoming webinar where she will delve into the depths of dental influence on posture. link below.

https://fb.me/e/55zMJhpm3

10/03/2021

Tonight's cpd. Despite all the other downsides, events going online due to lockdown has been brilliant 🙂