1.
Horse behavior
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Horse behavior is best understood from the view that horses are prey animals with a well-developed fight-or-flight response. Nonetheless, because of their horses are also suited to a number of work. Humans domesticated horses thousands of years ago, and they have used by humans ever since. Through selective breeding, some breeds of horses have been bred to be quite docile, on the other hand, most light horse riding breeds were developed for speed, agility, alertness, and endurance, building on natural qualities that extended from their wild ancestors. Horses instincts can be used to advantage to create a bond between human and horse. These techniques vary, but are part of the art of horse training, Horses evolved from small mammals whose survival depended on their ability to flee from predators. This survival mechanism still exists in the domestic horse. Humans have removed many predators from the life of the horse, however. If running is not possible, the resorts to biting, kicking, striking. Many of the natural behavior patterns, such as herd-formation. The fight-or-flight response involves nervous impulses which result in hormone secretions into the bloodstream, when a horse reacts to a threat, it may initially freeze in preparation to take flight. The fight-or-flight reaction begins in the amygdala, which triggers a response in the hypothalamus. The initial reaction is followed by activation of the pituitary gland, the adrenal gland is activated almost simultaneously and releases the neurotransmitters epinephrine and norepinephrine. The release of chemical messengers results in the production of the hormone cortisol, which increases blood pressure and blood sugar, catecholamine hormones, such as epinephrine and norepinephrine, facilitate immediate physical reactions associated with a preparation for violent muscular action. However, the supply of oxygen and glucose to these areas is at the expense of non-essential flight organs, such as the skin. Once the horse has removed itself from danger, the body is returned to more normal conditions via the parasympathetic nervous system. This is also known as the rest and digest state, Horses are highly social herd animals that prefer to live in a group. There also is a dominance hierarchy in any herd
2.
Cougar
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The cougar, also commonly known as the mountain lion, puma, panther, or catamount, is a large felid of the subfamily Felinae native to the Americas. Its range, from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes of South America, is the greatest of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere, an adaptable, generalist species, the cougar is found in most American habitat types. It is the second-heaviest cat in the New World, after the jaguar, secretive and largely solitary by nature, the cougar is properly considered both nocturnal and crepuscular, although there are daytime sightings. The cougar is more related to smaller felines, including the domestic cat, than to any species of subfamily Pantherinae. The cougar is a predator and pursues a wide variety of prey. Primary food sources are ungulates, particularly deer, but also livestock and it also hunts species as small as insects and rodents. This cat prefers habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking, the cougar is territorial and survives at low population densities. Individual territory sizes depend on terrain, vegetation, and abundance of prey, while large, it is not always the apex predator in its range, yielding to the jaguar, gray wolf, American black bear, and grizzly bear. It is reclusive and mostly avoids people, fatal attacks on humans are rare, but have recently been increasing in North America as more people enter their territories. Intensive hunting following European colonization of the Americas and the human development of cougar habitat has caused populations to drop in most parts of its historical range. In particular, the cougar was extirpated in eastern North America in the beginning of the 20th century, reports of eastern cougars still surface, although it was declared extirpated in 2011. With its vast range across the length of the Americas, P. concolor has dozens of names and various references in the mythology of the indigenous Americans and in contemporary culture. Currently, it is referred to as puma by most scientists, Mountain lion was a term first used in writing in 1858 from the diary of George A. Jackson of Colorado. Other names include catamount, mountain screamer, and painter, lexicographers regard painter as a primarily upper-Southern US regional variant on panther. The word panther is used to specifically designate the black panther, a melanistic jaguar or leopard, and the Florida panther. P. concolor holds the Guinness record for the animal with the greatest number of names, Cougar may be borrowed from the archaic Portuguese çuçuarana, the term was originally derived from the Tupi language susuarana, meaning similar to deer. A current form in Brazil is suçuarana and it may also be borrowed from the Guaraní language term guaçu ara or guazu ara. Less common Portuguese terms are onça-parda or leão-baio, or unusually non-native puma or leão-da-montanha, people in rural regions often refer to both the cougar and the jaguar as simply gata, and outside of the Amazon, both are colloquially referred to as simply onça by many people
3.
Endurance riding
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Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races. It is one of the international recognized by the FEI. There are two types of long-distance riding, competitive trail riding and endurance rides. In the United States, most endurance rides are either 50 or 100 miles long, shorter rides, called Limited Distance rides, are organized for new riders to the sport or young horses being trained. However, LDs have evolved into a competition of their own, in more experienced riders. There are also longer, usually multi-day, rides as well, as with human marathon running, many riders will participate to improve their horses personal best performance and consider finishing the distance with a proper vet completion record to be a win. In the USA, the American Endurance Ride Conference sanctions endurance rides, in the UK, Endurance GB is the governing body. Winning riders can complete 100-mile rides in 14 to 15 hours, any breed can compete, but the Arabian generally dominates the top levels because of the breeds stamina and natural endurance abilities. Endurance rides and races can be any distance, though they are rarely over 160 km for a one-day competition. Organized endurance riding as a sport began in 1955, when Wendell Robie. They followed the historic Western States Trail and this ride soon became known as the Tevis Cup, and it remains the most difficult of any 100-mile ride in the world because of the severe terrain, high altitude, and 100-degree temperatures. Endurance riding first was brought to Europe in the 1960s, before the ride, horses are inspected by a veterinarian to ensure they are fit to perform in the ride. Riders may be given a map or GPS waypoints for the course, which shows the route, the places for compulsory halts, the trails frequently are marked with colored surveyors tape ribbons at regular intervals with additional ribbons or small arrow markers at turns in the trail. The ride is divided into sections, with different names, depending on sanctioning organization, after each section, horses are stopped for a veterinary inspection, where they are checked for soundness and dehydration, with their pulse and respiration taken. The riders time keeps running until their horses reach the required target, any horse deemed unfit to continue is eliminated from further competition. After the veterinary inspection, the horse must be held for a hold time. If the veterinary inspection is on the rather than at base camp, ride management usually delivers to the inspection location a cache of riders personal gear, food. While riders may compete without additional aid, sometimes referred to as riding cavalry, in upper level competition this is particularly important to efficiently prepare the horse for the vet as well as care of both horse and rider during the mandatory hold times
4.
Riding aids
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Riding aids are the cues a rider gives to a horse to communicate what they want the animal to do. Riding aids are broken into the natural aids and the artificial aids and these are the aids which the rider possesses on their body, and should be used for the majority of the cues to the horse. Overuse of any aid can be detrimental to the training of the horse, the natural aids include, Leg Hand Seat Voice It is important to remember that the aids are used in a spectrum, from very light to very powerful, depending on the response desired. A very sensitive horse may readily jump forward from light touch of the leg, additionally, an aid from canter to walk, for example, will use slightly more restraining aid on a particular horse than that horse would need going from canter to trot. Positioning of the legs, seat, and hands are used in a spectrum according to the individual horse. In all cases, good training aims for the horse to be responsive at the slightest cue and this is one reason why better-trained animals can be harder to ride, as they will respond to the slightest movement or shift in weight made by the rider. Therefore, they take any mistake made by the rider as a cue to do something. Riders must therefore be sure that any perceived disobediences are not actually caused by their own doing, good training of the rider will aim to produce someone with an independent seat, meaning someone who is able to give the aids independent of each other. Only then will the rider be able to start to influence the horse in such a way to help it. The leg, along with the seat, should be the main aid for the horse and it has a great deal of control over the horses hindquarters, and is used to cue the horse to go forward, increase impulsion, step sideways, and correctly bend. It is the primary driving aid, both legs in a neutral position, applying equal pressure against the horses sides, generally asks for an increase in speed or an upward transition. Depending on the level of restraining aids, the leg can also ask for an increase in impulsion, for collection, or even for the rein back. To ask a horse to back up, a rider simultaneously uses soft rein aids to keep the horse from stepping forward and it is incorrect to ask for a rein back by pulling or jerking on the reins. One leg in a position, or slightly back from neutral. One leg further back, in a passive role, and the other leg in a neutral position. This is also important when cueing for movements that require bend, such as the half-pass, one leg farther back, with the other leg in a neutral position, both actively encouraging the horse forward, will usually aid the horse to canter. The horse will pick up the lead opposite the leg that is further back, the hands communicate to the horse through the reins to the bit. They have the most control over the head and shoulders
5.
Horse teeth
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Horse teeth refers to the dentition of equine species, including horses and donkeys. Equines are both heterodontous and diphyodontous, which means that they have teeth in more than one shape, a fully developed horse of around five years of age will have between 36 and 44 teeth. All equines are heterodontous, which means that they have different shaped teeth for different purposes, all horses have twelve incisors at the front of the mouth, used primarily for cutting food, most often grass, whilst grazing. They are also used as part of an attack or defence against predators. Immediately behind the front incisors is the space, where no teeth grow from the gums. This is where the bit is placed when horses are ridden, behind the interdental space, all horses also have twelve premolars and twelve molars, also known as cheek teeth or jaw teeth. These teeth chew food bitten off by incisors, prior to swallowing, in addition to the incisors, premolars and molars, some, but not all, horses may also have canine teeth and wolf teeth. A horse can have between zero and four teeth, also known as tusks, with a clear prevalence towards male horses who normally have a full set of four. Fewer than 28% of female horses have any canine teeth and those that do normally only have one or two, and these may by only partially erupted. Between 13 and 32% of horses, split equally between male and female, also have teeth, which are not related to canine teeth. Wolf teeth are common on the upper jaw, and can present a problem for horses in work. They may also make it difficult during equine dentistry work to rasp the second premolar, horses are diphyodontous, erupting a set of first deciduous teeth soon after birth, with these being replaced by permanent teeth by the age of approximately five years old. The horse will normally have 24 deciduous teeth, emerging in pairs, and eventually pushed out by the permanent teeth, as the deciduous teeth are pushed up, they are termed caps. Caps will eventually shed on their own, but may cause discomfort when still loose, for instance, in Shetland ponies the middle and corner incisor tend to erupt late, and in both draft horses and miniature horses, the permanent middle and corner incisors are usually late appearing. Horse teeth often wear in specific patterns, based on the way the horse eats its food, as with aging through observing tooth eruption, this can be imprecise, and may be affected by diet, natural abnormalities, and vices such as cribbing. Equine teeth are designed to wear against the tooth above or below as the horse chews, the upper jaw is wider than the lower one. In some cases, sharp edges can occur on the outside of the upper molars and these sharp edges can reduce chewing efficiency of the teeth, interfere with jaw motion, and in extreme cases can cut the tongue or cheek, making eating and riding painful. In the wild, natural foodstuffs may have allowed teeth to more evenly
6.
Whip
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There are also whips which combine both a firm stick and a flexible line, such as hunting whips. Certain religious practices and BDSM activities involve the self-use of whips or the use of whips between consenting partners, misuse on animals may be considered animal cruelty, and misuse on humans may be viewed as assault. Whips generally are used on animals to provide directional guidance or to encourage movement, some whips are designed to control animals by imparting discomfort by tapping or pain by a full-force strike that produces pain compliance. Some whips provide guidance by use of sound, such as cracking of a bullwhip, other uses of whips are to provide a visual directional cue by extending the reach and visibility of the human arm. In modern times, the stimulus is still used in some animal training. The whip can be a tool to back up riding aids when applied correctly, particularly when initial commands are ignored. However, many competition governing bodies limit such use of whips, overuse improper use of whips may be considered animal cruelty in some jurisdictions. Whip use by sound never or rarely strikes the animal, instead, the sound is loud enough to affect multiple animals at once, making whip-cracking more efficient under some circumstances. This technique can be used as part of a response, with sound being used first prior to a pain stimulus being applied. Whips used without painful stimulus, as an extension of the hand or arm, are a visual command, or to tap an animal. The crack is thus a small sonic boom, Whips were the first man-made objects to break the sound barrier. But any design can be banged against another such as leather boot to make a loud noise. Short, stiff crops often have a leather popper at the end which makes a particularly loud noise when slapped against an animal, boot. Stockwhips, including bullwhips and the Australian stockwhip, are a type of single-tailed leather whip with a long lash. Stockwhips are primarily used to make a cracking sound to move livestock away from the sound. It is generally not used to strike an animal, as it would inflictexcessive pain and is difficult to apply with precision. The Australian stockwhip is said to have originated in the English hunting whip. Today, it is used primarily by stockmen, unlike the short, embedded handle of a bullwhip, the stockwhip handle is not fitted inside the lash and is usually longer
7.
Bronc riding
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Bronc riding, either bareback bronc or saddle bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding on a horse, that attempts to throw or buck off the rider. It is recognized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the International Professional Rodeo Association, two organizations that strongly promote the event in the United States are the Worlds Toughest Rodeo and the Championship Roughstock Challenge. Each competitor climbs onto a horse, which is held in a pipe or wooden enclosure called a bucking chute. When the rider is ready, the gate of the chute is opened. The rider attempts to stay on the horse for eight seconds without touching the horse with his free hand, on the first jump out of the chute, the rider must mark the horse out. This means he must have the heels of his boots in contact with the horse above the point of the shoulders before the front legs hit the ground. A rider that manages to complete a ride is scored on a scale of 0-50, scores in the 80s are very good, and in the 90s, are exceptional. A horse who bucks in a spectacular and effective manner will score more points than a horse who bucks in a line with no significant changes of direction. Bareback and Saddle bronc styles are very different, in saddle bronc, the rider uses a specialized saddle with free swinging stirrups and no horn. The saddle bronc rider grips a simple rein braided from cotton or polyester, the rider lifts on the rein and attempts to find a rhythm with the animal by spurring forwards and backwards with his feet in a sweeping motion from shoulder to flank. The rider leans back and spurs with an up and down motion from the point of shoulder toward the rigging handle. Bareback bronc riding began to develop as a professional sporting event around 1900. The riding equipment used during that era varied, in some cases, the rider simply held onto the horses mane, called a mane-hold. Others held a loose or twisted rope tied around the horses girth, the original one-handed rigging was made by Bascom from a section of rubber belting discarded from a threshing machine, with the entire rigging - the handhold and the body - all made as one piece. The handhold was folded back and riveted to the body of the rigging. This rigging was first used at the Raymond Stampede in Alberta, Bascom then refined the design, making his second one-handhold rigging out of leather and rawhide. Sole leather was used for the rigging body, strips of leather, with rawhide sewed between, were used for the handhold with sheepskin glued under the handholds to protect the knuckles, this arrangement became known as Bascoms Rigging. Honored in several Halls of Fame, Bascom is now known as the Father of the Modern-day Bareback Rigging, variations of Bascoms rigging are still used in rodeos today
8.
Show jumping
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Show jumping, also known as stadium jumping, open jumping, or simply jumping, is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are seen at horse shows throughout the world. International competitions are governed by the rules of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, Show jumping events have hunter classes, jumper classes and hunt seat equitation classes. Hunters are judged subjectively on the degree to which they meet a standard of manners, style. Jumper courses tend to be more complex and technical than hunter courses because riders. Courses often are colorful and at times, quite creatively designed, hunters have meticulous turnout and tend toward very quiet, conservative horse tack and rider attire. Hunter bits, bridles, crops, spurs, and martingales are tightly regulated, formal turnout always is preferred, a neat rider gives a good impression at shows. In addition to hunters and jumpers, there are classes, sometimes called hunt seat equitation. The equipment, clothing, and fence styles used in more closely resemble hunter classes. Jumper classes are held over a course of show jumping obstacles, including verticals, spreads, the intent is to jump cleanly over a set course within an allotted time. Time faults are assessed for exceeding the time allowance, Jumping faults are incurred for knockdowns and blatant disobedience, such as refusals. Horses are allowed a number of refusals before being disqualified. A refusal may lead to a rider exceeding the time allowed on course, placings are based on the lowest number of points or faults accumulated. A horse and rider who have not accumulated any jumping faults or penalty points are said to have scored a clear round. Tied entries usually have a jump-off over a raised and shortened course, and the course is timed, if entries are tied for faults accumulated in the jump-off, the fastest time wins. In most competitions, riders are allowed to walk the initial course, going off course will cost time if minor errors are made and major departures will result in disqualification. The higher levels of competition, such as A or AA rated shows in the United States, or the international Grand Prix circuit, present more technical and complex courses. Not only is the height and width of an obstacle increased to present a challenge, technical difficulty also increases with tighter turns
9.
Airs above the ground
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The airs above the ground or school jumps are a series of higher-level, Haute ecole, classical dressage movements in which the horse leaves the ground. They include the capriole, the courbette, the mezair, the croupade, none are typically seen in modern competitive dressage. They are performed by horses of various riding academies such as the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and the Cadre Noir in Saumur, the levade and courbette are a particular feature of the Doma Menorquina, the riding tradition of the island of Menorca. There were originally seven airs, many of which were used to build into the movements performed today, there is a popular conception that these movements were originally taught to horses for military purposes, and indeed both the Spanish Riding School and the Cadre Noir are military foundations. However, while agility was necessary on the battlefield, most of the airs as performed today would have exposed the vulnerable underbelly of the horse to the weapons of foot soldiers. It is therefore likely that the airs were exercises to develop the military horse. Horses are usually taught each air on the long rein without a rider, however, each movement is meant to eventually be performed under a rider. The pesade and levade are the first airs taught to the High School horse, in the pesade, the horse raises its forehand off the ground and tucks the forelegs evenly, carrying all weight on the hindquarters, to form a 45 degree angle with the ground. The levade was first taught at the beginning of the 20th century, unlike the pesade, which is more of a test of balance, the decreased angle makes the levade an extremely strenuous position to hold, and requires a greater effort from the horse. Therefore, many horses are not capable of a good-quality levade, the levade is also a transition movement between work on the ground and the airs above the ground. This gives the viewer the impression that the horse appears to sink down in back, the position is held for a number of seconds, and then the horse quietly puts the forelegs back on the ground and proceeds at the walk, or stands at the halt. The levade is considered to be pinnacle of collection, as the horse carries all weight on the back legs, and has an extreme tucking of the hindquarters and coiling of the loins. In the capriole, the jumps from a raised position of the forehand straight up into the air, kicks out with the hind legs. It requires a powerful horse to perform correctly, and is considered the most difficult of all the airs above the ground. It is first introduced with the croupade, in which the horse does not kick out at the height of elevation, but keeps the hind legs tucked tightly under, the horse is then taught the ballotade. In this movement, the hind hooves are positioned so one can see its shoes if watching from behind. When the horse demonstrates proficiency in the ballotade, the capriole is introduced, in the courbette, the horse raises its forehand off the ground, tucks up forelegs evenly, and then jumps forward, never allowing the forelegs to touch down, in a series of hops. Extremely strong and talented horses can perform five or more leaps forward before having to touch down with the forelegs, the courbette, like the capriole, is first introduced through the easier croupade
10.
Olympic Games
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The Olympic Games are considered the worlds foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years. Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894, leading to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. The IOC is the body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure. The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in changes to the Olympic Games. The IOC has had to adapt to a variety of economic, political, as a result, the Olympics has shifted away from pure amateurism, as envisioned by Coubertin, to allowing participation of professional athletes. The growing importance of mass media created the issue of corporate sponsorship, World wars led to the cancellation of the 1916,1940, and 1944 Games. Large boycotts during the Cold War limited participation in the 1980 and 1984 Games, the Olympic Movement consists of international sports federations, National Olympic Committees, and organising committees for each specific Olympic Games. As the decision-making body, the IOC is responsible for choosing the host city for each Games, the IOC also determines the Olympic programme, consisting of the sports to be contested at the Games. There are several Olympic rituals and symbols, such as the Olympic flag and torch, over 13,000 athletes compete at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in 33 different sports and nearly 400 events. The first, second, and third-place finishers in each event receive Olympic medals, gold, silver, the Games have grown so much that nearly every nation is now represented. This growth has created numerous challenges and controversies, including boycotts, doping, bribery, every two years the Olympics and its media exposure provide unknown athletes with the chance to attain national and sometimes international fame. The Games also constitute an opportunity for the host city and country to themselves to the world. The Ancient Olympic Games were religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, competition was among representatives of several city-states and kingdoms of Ancient Greece. These Games featured mainly athletic but also combat such as wrestling. It has been written that during the Games, all conflicts among the participating city-states were postponed until the Games were finished. This cessation of hostilities was known as the Olympic peace or truce and this idea is a modern myth because the Greeks never suspended their wars. The truce did allow those religious pilgrims who were travelling to Olympia to pass through warring territories unmolested because they were protected by Zeus
11.
Longeing
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Longing /ˈlʌndʒᵻŋ/ or lunging is a technique for training horses, where a horse is asked to work at the end of a lunge line and respond to commands from a handler on the ground who holds the line. It is also a component of the sport of equestrian vaulting. Longing is performed on a circle with the horse traveling around the outside edge of a real or imaginary ring with the trainer in the middle. The word is believed to be derived from either the French word allonge, meaning to lengthen, the phonetic lungeing spelling dates back to the 1800s, but has only become popular since the late 20th century. It is also the spelling in both New Zealand and Australia, and, since 2009, by the FEI in their equestrian vaulting rules. Longeing has many benefits for both horses and riders and it is also useful to help settle a horse before riding, especially a high-strung horse, a young horse, or a horse that has been confined more than usual. However, longeing for long periods or with the intent to tire a horse out can cause joint strain, Longeing riders is valuable for teaching, as they may develop their seat and position without having to worry about controlling the horse. The longe line is about 30 feet long, so the circle can have a diameter of 60 feet. It is usually a flat woven webbing made of nylon, cotton, in the natural horsemanship tradition, the longe line is usually made of round cotton rope, and is often much shorter, as short as 15 or 20 feet. In general, cotton longe lines are likely to burn the trainers hands than nylon. It may have a snap, buckle, or chain on one end to attach to a longeing cavesson or bridle, a chain, although sometimes used with difficult horses, has no subtlety of contact and is quite severe. In most cases, it is best to use a snap-end longe line, many longe lines have a loop handle at the other end, but this is dangerous to use, as a persons hand can be trapped in the handle and be injured should the horse bolt. The longe line takes the place of the rein aids while longeing. It can be held in a hold or a driving hold. The whip usually has a stock of 6 feet, with a lash of 5–6 feet, the whip is light, easy to handle, and well balanced. The longe whip is used as an encouragement to the horse, a longeing cavesson is the classic headgear specialized for longeing, but in modern times is not the most commonly used equipment. It is a type of headstall with one to three rings on the noseband to which the line is attached. The most common point of attachment is the ring at the top of the cavesson
12.
Gag bit
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The gag bit is a type of bit for a horse. With two sets of reins, the gag bit gives a rider the ability to use either a direct action or a gag action. In this, the gag bit is related to a Pelham bit, unlike these, however, the gag bit has no curb strap. Some styles of gag bit are integral to a bridle, known as a gag bridle. Inside the horses mouth, the gag bit may be jointed like a bit or smooth like a Mullen mouth bit. The gag bit works on the lips and poll simultaneously. The pressure on the lips tends to make the horse raise its head, Gag bits are used mainly for horses that are strong pullers or for horses that need retraining. Gag bits are most commonly seen in polo, eventing, show jumping and they can also be used to help elevate a horse that is heavy on its front end. They are not permitted at any level of dressage, since dressage riders are trying to get the horse to come down onto the bit, additionally, the horse is supposed to be completely submissive in dressage, and a gag bit gives the impression that it is not. Gag bits are occasionally seen in western-style competition, usually in the form of a sliding mouthpiece on a shanked curb-style bit. This allows for the bit to be used as a normal snaffle, polo players, who must ride with the reins in one hand and cannot make instant fine adjustments, often use a gag bit with draw reins. Gag snaffle Similar in shape to a snaffle, with a mouthpiece, each bit ring has two holes, one on the top and one on the bottom. Gag cheekpieces, made of rounded leather or of rope, are run through these holes, the end on these cheekpieces, after passing through both holes, have a metal ring to which the reins are attached. When rein pressure is applied, the bit slides upward and rotates slightly in the mouth, severity is determined by the ring size, the larger the rings, the more severe the gag. The gag snaffle includes the Balding gag, which has a loose-ring design, a gag snaffle is not a snaffle bit, although it can be adjusted to act like one if the rider only attaches a rein to the bit rings and not to the sliding gag cheekpieces. Dutch gag Also known as the Continental, Three/Four-ring or Pessoa gag, Similar to the elevator, except the cheekpieces consist of stacked rings. There is usually only one ring above the mouthpiece, to which the cheekpiece is attached, the ring below that is attached straight to the mouthpiece, and acts similarly to a snaffle. The lower ring, of which there are two, are for a second rein to be attached, and they provide the gag action
