Facebook Finds, gearing up for 2025 season & more!!

I am really loving making these "Guiding the Cowgirl" blog posts!! 

I wanted to share my success with buying equipment on Facebook. I am apart of quite a few Facebook groups that pertain to horses. Mainly barrel racing. I have purchased quite a few items in the past. 

Recently, I have been thinking about purchasing a new bit for Fury. As hers is a locked 3-piece 8inch shank with a chain in the middle. It can be a severe bit if used incorrectly or on the wrong horse. Fury is not super light in the face, so she tends to need something with a little more bite. However, since I am going to start entering her this season, I wanted to have something that gave her a little bit more time to react. I love the mouthpiece that I have on her, but I would like a similar bit without the locked portion. So, I have been searching around. I find it difficult to spend a couple hundred dollars on a bit... so I haven't purchased one yet. 

However, I did find a 2-piece draw gag in one of the Facebook groups I am a part of. It has an adjustable headstall, and I paid $30 with shipping. So, I consider that a win. I haven't had the chance to use it yet. I am hoping it helps with collection. I also have a bit that I am borrowing from one of my friends that I will try on her. 

I always find it fascinating to listen to trainers' opinions on bits and how they use them in their programs. For instance, some trainers will choose a bit to put on every horse that day. They expect all of their horses to tolerate and work in any bit. Others stick to the same bit at all times. Sometimes they go between a work bit and a bit that they only use when they compete. I don't have an opinion on that. 

I try to stay with what works. But it's also okay to experiment. 

For the barrel racers out there, you probably know who Josh Andrews is. He is a trainer and has a saddle company. I was watching one of his TikTok's where he was discussing bits and what his favorites were. He said that he doesn't worry too much about what the bit is supposed to do, he more so tries to find a bit that fits his hands. Hearing him say that really helped me. There are so many bits out there and it can be quite overwhelming to do research and decide what to use. There are also a lot of opinions about "good" or "bad" bits. I like the approach that he has to finding bits that work. It takes the technical stress out of the equation. 

This thought process has seeped into other parts of horse ownerships for me. I used to and still struggle with being a perfectionist. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be the best at everything I do. But with that mindset can also come perfectionism, that leads to stress. In the past, I have let myself become so fixated on making sure that everything is perfect, that I forgot that the point of all of this is to have fun. I would suck every ounce of fun out of it in pursuit of a goal that didn't even fulfill me. I have been working on reminding myself that it is okay to have fun. It doesn't need to be perfect! 

I find it funny because when I take that approach to riding, I often have a MUCH better ride. The horse I am riding seems to enjoy it more, and I find myself fulfilled rather than stressed. As many of you know, horses can feel every emotion we have. They know when we are upset with them or stressed about outside factors. We have to be aware of how our thoughts and energy is reflected on them. 

 

With that being said, I am gearing up for the 2025 season with one goal in mind: to have fun! Yes, I want to see progress as I have every year. But, this year, I want progress in the form of a healthy mindset and fast & correct horses. 

 

 

Remember, Just Ride Your Horse. 

 

-LD