Advice pls horse putting tongue over bit..help!

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1Lucie

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A month or so ago i started having dressage lessons with my hors. My instructor removed his flash saying he didnt need it and was only clamping his mouth shut.

Around about this time, he has started to do v small rears, bucks after mounting and walking about 10steps (he rides beautifully after). He has also become stronger.

I have been trying everything to discover the problem and have contacted both my back lady, teeth man. He is visably well and v happy!:rolleyes:

Today, when he was being an absolute horror on hack (good as gold until he decided he had enough and wanted to go home). Backing up and threatening to rear. i bumped into a fellow livery who noted that he is putting his tongue over his bit. He then put is tongue back under.


Help!!!!
Could this be causing the problems?
How do i overcome this?

For info he is an 8year old Irish Draught Cross who was green in the schooling dept. He is normally pretty quiet :rolleyes:
 
If all the problems started after taking the flash off then put it back on and see if they all stop again!
 
My boy used to do this. He too is and IDx and he has an enormous tongue and seemed very uncomfortable in his mouth. We tried dozens of bits until we found one (well 3, for different things!) that he doesn't fight and is happy in. He has a myler mullen mouth hanging cheek snaffle for flatwork; a hanging cheek waterford for hacking and a waterford dutch gag (with 2 reins) for exciting stuff. Although most see a waterford as harsh, he's much more comfortable in it as it's less rigid that a jointed bit. Liekwise, the mullen mouth is shaped around his tongue so he has more room for it. A singe jointed bit was the worst for mine, he would hit the roof (almost literally!) in it. :eek:

I had him in a flash too and have taken it off. What I have found is that the bad bits are worse, but the good bits are much better! The bad episodes are getting fewer and further inbetween - except yesterday's dressage when we was a total w****r:rolleyes:
 
Your being too heavy handed. Put the flash back on if you want, but keep doing what your doing and he will find some other evasion, which will be bucking or rearing as a general rule.
Leave the flash off, and learn to be light and ride with feel.
 
hello,
My youngster was putting his tongue over the bit aswell. i tried him in a myler and never had a problem since. try it it's amazing.
 
I work on a training yard and sometimes the young horses will do it, we just carry on working them and don't do anything different, they often find the experience not very nice and usually put their tongue back as it's not comfortable with it over.

What makes the problem worse is getting off the horse and putting the tongue back etc as you could be teaching them a way to get out of work this way as everytime they put their tongue over you will stop and sort it out giving them a break.

But in your case it sounds like the quick fix would be to put the flash back on.
 
yannialice said:
hello,
My youngster was putting his tongue over the bit aswell. i tried him in a myler and never had a problem since. try it it's amazing.
Click to expand...

Ooh i think i may have one of those somewhere. I did try with flash back on and he seemed fine but was looking for possible alternatives.
 
Yes it was amazing.
He is a welsh cob and has a giant tongue and just got a bit hoppy when he got his tongue over. Put him in th myler and he was relaxed and responsive. It has been brilliant and is dressage legal.
I got the sort of beginner schooling one as he is a baby, they come in different gradings.
I don't like flashes as i would only use them on a bolting horse that takes the bit. Horses that get their tongue over the bit tend to like to play with the bit and if you let them play they work much softer and then your hand automatically become softer.
It's a lovely feeling.
if I could figure out how to stop the wahoo bucks in stubble i'd be a millionaire!!!!! good luck let me know how you get on. xx
 
I'm with your RI, I hate to see horses with their mouths clamped shut, when the only reason they open them is because of discomfort in the mouth. He should not be able to get his tongue over the bit, try putting it up a hole. Then as others have said, it would be worth trying a few different bits, in different materials to find one he is comfortable in. You can hire them from a bit bank.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I'm with your RI, I hate to see horses with their mouths clamped shut, when the only reason they open them is because of discomfort in the mouth. He should not be able to get his tongue over the bit, try putting it up a hole. Then as others have said, it would be worth trying a few different bits, in different materials to find one he is comfortable in. You can hire them from a bit bank.
Click to expand...


Thank you, i will try putting it up a hole tomorrow and see how that goes! Failing that i will try the myler.

Fingers crossed i can get to bottom of it!
 
I came across a site which was so informative called dressage bits and it explained what every different type of bit did and what you could use for different problems please search it and read it you could find a bit that your horse could move into to make him happy.
 
Agree with pearlsasinger, & meantime if you are worried about it happening on a road etc, try a drop noseband. He won't be able to open his mouth far enough to get his tongue over, but it won't interfere with normal movement. Although long term its not the solution. I also find most horses who mess with bits like copper rollers.
 
I solved it with my boy by having him in a slightly low fitting mullen mouth snaffle with a loosely fitted drop noseband. Everything was loose enough to let him sort himself out when he did it. Gradually he got the hang of things and *touch wood* the problem seems to have gone away.

He started having problems when he had major teeth issues as a youngster. I tried just about every bit I could find along with every noseband. If I tried to force things he just went up in the air and freaked. Finally, I took him bitless for a couple of years to let him forget it all then started again with the mullen mouth.
 
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