Advice on Bits

[Jacqs]

Hi
I have a cob who can be very strong ridden with other horses, he likes to be out front which is fine but has been known to take off! Brakes are faulty. Ridden in a snaffle he ignores me and leans on the bit! I have tried various cheek pieces (eggbutt, hanging cheek & beval/wilkie) and always go for french link or peanut in sweet iron!
The only bit he seems to respect is the dutch gag ridden on the second ring but I worry it is too severe!
He is very heavy on the forehand and poorly balanced due to lack of schooling! He has been ill for over 2 years and just coming back into work, I feel I need to build some muscle etc hacking before I go back to the school and lessons! He was strong before he got ill so this isn’t something new, the bits I tried were before his illness.
I want something kinder that will stop him leaning on the bit so less poll pressure but still get him respecting my aides! I feel like I am having to be very heavy with my hands and that upsets me tbh! I rode him on the snaffle rings yesterday and he was a git, I swear my arms are longer now!
I have been looking at the myler bits snd wonder if they might be a better option but have no idea what cheek piece to use! My aim is to get him comfortable in the mouth and lighter in my hands yet still have brakes! He doesn’t cross his jaw or get his tongue over the bit so no issues with that! Any advice much appreciated!

 

[cauda equina]

A Kineton noseband with his normal snaffle might be worth a try

 

[ihatework]

Caveat, this is primarily a schooling and education issue, need to get more rear wheel drive rather than front wheel.

But I live in the real world and cobs can be tanks! I have friends really into cons and generally they are pretty amenable to Mullen mouth Pelham’s, so that would be my first try

 

[be positive]

Caveat, this is primarily a schooling and education issue, need to get more rear wheel drive rather than front wheel.

But I live in the real world and cobs can be tanks! I have friends really into cons and generally they are pretty amenable to Mullen mouth Pelham’s, so that would be my first try

I agree but will add use two reins and try to school him out hacking on the top rein with the bottom kept as an emergency brake, over time you may well find he can go back into a snaffle but there is no shame with using something stronger for hacking and changing to a snaffle for arena work once he is fit enough.

 

[Jacqs]

Caveat, this is primarily a schooling and education issue, need to get more rear wheel drive rather than front wheel.

But I live in the real world and cobs can be tanks! I have friends really into cons and generally they are pretty amenable to Mullen mouth Pelham’s, so that would be my first try

Thank you! I agree I need to getting him working from behind and get him back in the school but he needs some basic work hacking so getting him up & down hills first! He is very much your typical cob in most respects! Lives for his stomach, opinionated and yes...he’s a tank?

 

[Jacqs]

T

I agree but will add use two reins and try to school him out hacking on the top rein with the bottom kept as an emergency brake, over time you may well find he can go back into a snaffle but there is no shame with using something stronger for hacking and changing to a snaffle for arena work once he is fit enough.

Thankyou! I have a problem with dexterity so am not confident I can be effective with double reins! Tbh it is one of the reasons I have avoided the pelham so far but I know it’s a popular bit for cobs! I do wonder if a pelham might be kinder than the gag but know its not as effective with roundings rather than the double rein!

 

[be positive]

T

Thankyou! I have a problem with dexterity so am not confident I can be effective with double reins! Tbh it is one of the reasons I have avoided the pelham so far but I know it’s a popular bit for cobs! I do wonder if a pelham might be kinder than the gag but know its not as effective with roundings rather than the double rein!

It is not so much which is kinder but which will give you control without losing the ability to school him and encourage him to come off the forehand, gags generally give control but allow the horse to drop into a false outline and not lift through the shoulders so can be detrimental to your schooling and you can end up relying even more on the reins.
I would tie the bottom reins in a knot and leave on his neck where you can pick them up if required and use them literally as a brake, a bit crude but if he does get rude it gives you the control when needed and you only have to hold one pair the rest of the time, it is what I have done with similar types and they soon learn the brake is there so tend to become easier.

 

[little_critter]

Would a kimblewick help? only a single rein and a similar action to the pelham but a bit milder.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

If I were you, I would put 2 reins on your gag bit, one on the snaffle ring and one on the curb ring. Ride with 2 reins, use the snaffle rein as normal but when he starts to lean, bring the curb into play. I had exactly the same problem with my Draft mare, who had run away with her previous owner. I got a NS Universal and used 2 reins, that arrangement worked a treat!

 

[scruffyponies]

Kimblewicks are a much underrated bit. They look tidier than a pelham, and achieve much the same result.
Their mullen or low port unjointed mouthpiece seems to be acceptable to most cob and chunky pony types, and it encourages them not to set their neck solid, like they so often do with a snaffle.

 

[Annagain]

If I were you, I would put 2 reins on your gag bit, one on the snaffle ring and one on the curb ring. Ride with 2 reins, use the snaffle rein as normal but when he starts to lean, bring the curb into play. I had exactly the same problem with my Draft mare, who had run away with her previous owner. I got a NS Universal and used 2 reins, that arrangement worked a treat!

This. Yes it's a schooling issue but out hacking you need to be safe. If the gag works, keep it. I found a (waterford as he hated jointed bits, even with a lozenge) gag with two reins and only using the bottom rein as an emergency brake worked wonders with my very strong, on the forehand ID. With lots of work, we eventually ended up hacking in a mullen mouth snaffle. I used synthetic reins as the bottom rein as they're easier to knot and the different feel made it very clear which ones I was using!

 

[Cortez]

I find that most cobs (and lots of other horses too, as a matter of fact) are much happier in curb-action bits (this is not how gag bits work, BTW). The suggestion of a kimblewick is a good one if you are not that dexterous with two reins, or even better an utoxeter which has the slots on the rounded part of the "ring". Use the lowest slot.

 

[Jacqs]

It is not so much which is kinder but which will give you control without losing the ability to school him and encourage him to come off the forehand, gags generally give control but allow the horse to drop into a false outline and not lift through the shoulders so can be detrimental to your schooling and you can end up relying even more on the reins.
I would tie the bottom reins in a knot and leave on his neck where you can pick them up if required and use them literally as a brake, a bit crude but if he does get rude it gives you the control when needed and you only have to hold one pair the rest of the time, it is what I have done with similar types and they soon learn the brake is there so tend to become easier.

Thats a brilliant idea, wouldn’t have thought of that! Thank you! I did wonder if the gag was making things worse so that makes sense! Thanks again

 

[Griffin]

I always say this for any bit query but get a bitting expert out. I used Horse Bit Fit (who were excellent) but I am sure there are others. You get to try out several different bits and it saves you money in the long run. Best of all, you will end up with a happy horse.

 

[Jacqs]

Would a kimblewick help? only a single rein and a similar action to the pelham but a bit milder.

I hadn’t considered a kimblewick as I haven’t had any experience with them! Would you say they are worth a try before going down the pelham route? I like the idea with the Pelham that I only need to bring in the curb action as & when needed but am I right in thinking you get the leverage of a curb all the time on a kimblewick?

 

[little_critter]

Yes, I guess you do get the leverage all the time with a Kimblewick, just not as much as you do with a Pelham.
I was reading that if you get a kimblewick without the rein slots you can use the position of your reins to affect how much leverage there is (high hands = less leverage, low hands = more leverage)
I started jumping my horse in a kimblewick but I'm actually finding it too much bit for him, he's reluctant to go forwards into it (and I'm keeping the contact feather light). He's not actually that strong, I just need something I can use as emergency brakes because he can get over-reactive sometimes. I might take a step back to a wilkie.

 

[Fjord]

My mare would tank me regularly and would also headshake in a bit, despite regular teeth checks. I was using a pelham with 2 reins and still she was fighting and the occasional lack of brakes was knocking my confidence. In the end I tried a hackamore and the difference has been remarkable. She no longer pulls and I have brakes. Fjords can have a fleshy mouth so I think this might have been a problem. So my advice is don't completely rule out bitless, as sometimes it can work. Whatever you try, stay safe!

 

[CavaloBranco]

Years ago I had a mare that was strong XC and went to an event rider for schooling. She had access to many, many bits but the one my mare went sweetly in was a vulcanite kimblewick. I bought one and never looked back.
It's an expensive business trialling bits. Do you have a friend who has a bag of bits? Most of us seem to have one lurking in the tack room.