This message is from: Starfire Farm <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Yes, Crown Jewel does train their horses to ride and drive "bitless." Their situation is unique and it seems, from reading their articles, that they put a LOT of time and effort into first training them, then keeping their horses well trained. They are very in tune to when their horses start to "take advantage" of their bitless training with their guests and they "tune them up" using the training methods that they have learned and have modified to suit their needs.
Nahman Korem, owner of Crown Jewel, wrote an article about their training, which you can read in the Fall 2007 (most recent) issue of the Herald.
Personally, I would not even entertain the idea of driving my horses "voice only" anywhere around here, as our property is not as secluded as theirs. We live in a rural setting, but it is still a sub-division with plenty of cars, dogs, trucks, etc. passing by. I would never consider taking my horses out in public hitched "bitless." Too much liability. I have been exploring my own version of "liberty" training and have ridden my horses down the road with only halters and leadropes on, but would never take them down the road without some kind of restraint. Too much liability if something should happen. On our own property, however, it's another story! ;-)
I believe that Crown Jewel has the advantage of being remote, that the horses know their surroundings very well, that they are well trained, they work hard when they are not being used with their guests (plowing, hauling, etc.) their training is well maintained and they are Fjords with very good temperaments.
My two cents worth, anyway. Beth jen frame wrote:
This message is from: "jen frame" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I just learned about Crown Jewel from one of your posts. I went to the website and they are doing something that fascinates me: they are driving their Fjords bitless! Does anybody else on this list drive bitless? If so, how is that working out for you? Don't worry! I will not start driving my Fjord bitless! I recognize that she and I are both green at driving, and I am being extremely careful. I am just extremely curious about it. I ride my Tennessee Walking mares bitted for most of their training sessions, and occasionally bitless with a great side pull that I have (not a hackamore, which can be very harsh). My mares go great bitless, but become dull after a few weeks, so I go back to the bit to reinforce their training. I like it that I can go bitted or bitless. I have always wondered if anybody drives bitless, and the people at Crown Jewel are the only ones I have ever heard of. Anybody else out there doing it? Jen The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
-- Starfire Farm Beth Beymer and Sandy North http://www.starfirefarm.com The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
