One of the terms used to describe what a horse does with the bit is “spit the bit.” This happens when a horse takes the bit and runs through it or just plain ignores it. A horse will get excited during the run and begin to shake his head and fight to get into the position they want to be, without responding to the bit or rider. They take the control out of the rider’s hand and try to do it their way.
Patrick Smith, on a segment of Total Team Roping, said that he always wants his horse ready to respond to his hand. He does exercises to keep his horse “in his hand.” He does this by starting a run and if the horse gets strong and takes the bit he will immediately pull the horse up and turn him the opposite way to get the horse back into his hand. By stopping the run, it takes away the determination of the horse to be in control.
I’ve been experiencing this with a young heel horse. He will remain calm and cool following the mechanical dummy and the slower cattle. However, as you encounter some faster hard-running cattle, he will “spit the bit.” He will make a run or two on fast cattle and remain in my hand pretty well. But as the pressure increases and he anticipates the next run, he will come out of the box and begin to shake his head wanting to be in control. His actions can cause him to come up in the front end or miss the corner, making the catch difficult.
Head horses will do the same thing. They are encouraged to break hard and then shut down as they approach the steer. Quarter horses really learn to love the sprint. That’s what they are bred for and they do it well, but in their excitement they easily learn to run through the bit or “spit the bit” and make it difficult to get a nice horn catch. All good ropers know that it is very important to keep that horse in your hand to accomplish our purpose.
Horses that are “spitting the bit” and shaking their heads keep us from roping our best. This is such a great illustration to be able to visualize how God wants us to be in His hands. He asks that we humble ourselves under His hand so that He may give purpose to our lives. On a more personal note, Isaiah 49:16 says “See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;” this implies more than surrender to Him but a reminder that He loves each one of us personally. Don’t “spit the bit,” give in to His hands. Rope great!
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