09/13/2026
Full video on my YouTube channel
A spade bit doesn’t make a horse light. Proper communication does.
One of the things I wish more people understood about the spade is that proper bridling matters just as much as proper hands.
A spade is not something you simply put in a horse’s mouth, pull the cheek pieces tight, and go ride.
When a horse is properly prepared for a spade, the bit becomes a very subtle communication tool. The goal isn’t to use the mouthpiece to create a headset, slow a horse down, or make the horse “give.”
The goal is feel, balance and communication.
And that conversation starts before you ever pick up the reins.
A properly fitted bridle should allow the spade to sit correctly in the horse’s mouth without being pulled down into the bars or hanging so low that the horse can interfere with it using the tongue.
You also don’t want the bridle adjusted so tightly that the horse has no room to comfortably carry the bit and respond to it.
With a spade, placement matters.
The mouthpiece should be positioned where the horse can comfortably carry it, and the cheeks, curb chain and headstall all need to work together. The curb chain should be adjusted correctly so that when the reins are engaged, the bit can rotate and give the horse a clear signal without immediately becoming a hard, restrictive pull.
And here’s the part that gets overlooked:
The horse should be able to carry the spade without constantly being managed by the rider.
A finished bridle horse doesn’t need someone hanging on the reins to keep the bit in the right place. He should understand how to carry himself, maintain his balance, and respond to the smallest change in the reins.
That is why I get a little nervous when I see people treating a spade like it is simply a stronger version of another bit.
It isn’t.
The spade is a signal.
It can communicate a change in balance, a change in direction, a shift of weight, or a request for a particular response with incredibly small movements.
But for that signal to mean anything, the horse has to understand the language first.
And the rider has to be quiet enough to speak it.
This is also why I don’t believe a horse becomes a bridle horse because someone puts a spade in its mouth.
The bit is not the education.
The education is everything that happened before the bit ever got there.
The hackamore taught the horse to listen.
The two-rein teaches the horse to carry himself while learning a new language.
The spade becomes the refinement of that conversation.
If we skip the education and go straight to the equipment, we’re asking the bit to do a job it was never designed to do.
And no piece of equipment can replace feel, timing, balance and preparation.
The goal isn’t to make the horse afraid of the bit.
The goal is to make the signal so clear and familiar that the horse can respond to it without fear, resistance or confusion.
That’s the beauty of a well-made bridle horse.
The reins may move inches.
The response can be a whisper.
And if you’ve done your job correctly, the horse has been listening long before you ever picked up the reins.
Watch the full video here ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://youtu.be/GS_baHAfCtA?is=kvWfDFpDdvCgqygm
