advice needed on bits

S

sarah67

New User
Joined
6 September 2007
Messages
4
Visit site
I have a 3 year old who iv broken in and bin riding for a few months now.hes a lovely lad and dnt realy do any thing wrong but by good god hes strong.in general i can cope with it but when i take him to common rides or fun rides i cant stop him when he bombs off.he is currently in a rubber pelham with chain and roundings.i thot about a dutch gag maybe? also iv just read some thing about using double riens with these aswell,some thing ive never heard of before.any suggestions or advice?
 
I'm sure lots of people more qualified than me to help will be along soon... but IMHO I wouldn't be riding him in company at his young age, unless it was walk/tiny bit of trot. Sounds like he's got very excited (understandably) and needs lots of slow steady work to settle him down. I'd be very concerned about riding a 3 year old in a pelham or gag, generally youngsters are started in a type of snaffle, and stay in that or similar through their young education. Once his mouth is made ie when you have schooled him to be soft and responsive to your gentle but firm aids, if you still need a stronger bit then rethink. I helpful point when breaking in a youngster is to use a neckstrap, and teach them that when it is pulled on, they slow down or stop. This will save his mouth a lot. If you need more advice (and advice from a forum is limited, as we don't know the whole scenario) maybe a local horse person/instructor could help? Good luck with him!
 
he really should only be in light work at 3 yrs old... he's still a baby, really. he should have lots of holidays and only gentle work, not every day, and not for more than about 1/2 hour really. he may not look it, but his body and mind are immature.
i agree with lucybruckner... he shouldn't be in a pelham. because horses bear down on them, and you can get a lot of leverage pulling to try to stop, they can cause a lot of damage to the mouth, even though they look so round and gentle.
he needs gentle reschooling in an arena or small area where he's less likely to tank off (ideally without other horses to set him off!) until he listens to your aids and is easy to stop. the neckstrap advice is very good too.
 
i thought horses had to be 4 or over to do fun rides.
i`m quite horrorfied that you have a 3yo in a pelham but that`s only my opinion.
if i was you,i would get some pro help if i was not sure
shocked.gif
 
I agree with everyone else, a 3 year old is still a baby, and at this age should not be introduced to situations where he will learn to become strong.

You just carry on and you will be responsible for producing a young horse that you will have difficulty controlling and no one will be able to control.

I say this because I have seen it happen time and time again and the horse then ends up in a can of dog food ! All becuase the rider was in too much of a rush in the training department !!!!!!

A riding session at his age should not last longer than 15 mins.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top