Horse back riding question?

Question

My trainer is trying to teach me to ride "on the bit" what does that mean?

Answer 1

is that using a bit? I don't know. Are you using a bit when you ride now?

Answer 2

On the bit means that you're supposed to always have contact with the horse's mouth.  You're not supposed to pull, but you should have contact... feel the horses mouth in your hands.

Then you need to get the horse to round himself up.  He should bend at the poll and rest his head down on the bit.  When your horse rounds up on the bit, he'll carry himself properly.  If your horse's head is up and he's not on the bit, he'll hollow out his back.  You'll feel the difference in your seat when your horse gets on the bit.  

You've probably heard someone tell you to ride from your leg to your hand.  A lot of horses stay behind the bit... that means that you're not pushing them enough with your leg onto the bit.  The forward propulsion comes from your leg... you catch the horse's energy with your hand... you should always have a little bit of both to make the horse round up onto the bit.

I learned best through seeing, so here's a couple of pictures...

These horses are not on the bit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/geraser/515... (see how high the horse's head is and how the girl looks like she's sitting in a dip in the horse's back)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marie-jp/47... (this rider has contact with the bit, but the horse has not rounded himself... the rider should squeeze with his legs and wiggle his fingers a bit to get the horse to settle his head down and round himself so his shoulders and withers are the center of his balance)

These horses are on the bit:

http://www.terres-de-vacances.com/fr/ima... (this one is actually a little bit overbridled, but it's one of the best pictures that I could find)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/harfang2/23... (this one is excellent)