[drivingpairs] Achenbach aka 'holding the lines in one hand'

One of the ways I learned to understand what 'on the bit' really meant was by 
putting a pencil in my mouth, both ends sticking out the corners of my mouth.   
My driving instructor did that.   Then he tied a piece of string to each end of 
the pencil and he asked me to hold the pencil with my lips.   Weird, huh?   
Then he proceeded to 'cue' each side of the pencil ('bit') to show me what the 
horse  feels and how the bit actually works in the horse's mouth.   It also 
gave me insight into how much contact I had with my horses.

The idea, he told me is to get your horse(s) to hold onto the bit, so that he 
can feel your cues.   If the horse is in fact holding onto the bit and you have 
nice contact, your slight loosening of the rein on the right side, will make 
the horse naturally move to the opposite side....that is, "he'll follow the 
bit".   Remember, the pencil?   Loosen the string on the right side, and the 
tendency is to go to the left if you are doing it correctly.   

We used to practice driving toward a perpendicular fence.   As we'd get closer 
to the fence, the horses ears would start 'wiggling' as if  asking me, 'which 
way are we going to turn?'   When the horses would start turning in one 
direction, I'd cue them into the opposite direction, by moving the lines in the 
opposite direction of the turn.   This does two things:   It teaches your 
horses to wait for your cue.   And, if you're holding the lines in one hand, it 
teaches you how to make the turns 'Achenbach style'.   

I never learned what driving Achenbach meant until recently.  But I learned the 
technique early on, when I first started driving a pair.   What you are doing 
when you drive Achenbach, is 'tightening one side of the bit and loosening the 
opposite side'...equally.   Assuming the horses are on the bit, they will 
follow your cue.   The pressure and lack of pressure are equal if both lines 
are held in the same hand.   Your turns will be smother this way and I think 
your horses will be happier.   

Having said all this, it's not as easy to do as it is to say or write about it. 
  Takes lots of practice.  IMO this is a better way to drive, either single or 
in a pair.   Driving more than I a pair?   I have no clue....haven't been there 
and haven't done that!  and don't plan to anytime soon.  

Incidentally, every time I have given riding lessons, I started by putting a 
pencil in the student's  mouth so they can understand what the bit does and how 
your hands affect it's movement.   Another very good source for understanding 
what 'on the bit' means is Deb Bennett's "Secrets of Conformation" books (I 
think that's the name).   I think the three books were printed by Equus 
Magazine while she was writing for them.  Don't now if they're even in print 
anymore.   I believe Achenbach makes it easier for the horse to want to 'get on 
the bit' because the tension is always even and smooth.   That isn't always the 
case when there's a rein in each hand.    

Working animals usually know their jobs so well, they follow by habit or by 
voice.   A Mennonite friend told me of an instance when his dad was in the 
field working, when something broke on his horse-driven machinery.  He told the 
horses to 'whoa', hopped on the bus as it went by and went into town to buy a 
replacement part.   When he came back his horses were waiting for him.   

While driving working animals doesn't require the same type of efficiency as 
competition or pleasure driving, especially if you go out on the road,  it all 
depends on what you are trying to achieve and what your driving goals are.  In 
my view, Achenbach and 'getting your horses on the bit' go hand in hand.   Hope 
this helps someone.  

Helen

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