ahhh I despair!

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harrihjc

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Feeling a bit despairing with Flash at the mo, a few weeks ago I put Flash in his pelham for showing, after the ongoing battle with everything, and it was like a different horse, he was much more willing to go forward, relaxed and worked really nicely and round, light in my hand and didn't fight me at all! I had a jumping lesson in it and thought we had made a breakthrough as he has never gone so well, and then had our dressage lesson in it and trainer said he was like a different horse.

Then we had an issue with him throwing in dirty stops over jumps he should find easy, and also that we want to do dressage and can't do it in the pelham. So we started searching for an alternative that was dressage legal and less severe for jumping.

I am absolutely despairing, we've tried so many different bits, and he tenses, hollows, won't go forward, pokes his nose, ignores me totally, mouth open, head tilted and crossing his jaw. Even if I remove the bottom rein and curb he goes beautifully in the pelham, but a kimblewick with the same mouthpiece...nightmare!!

I've tried him in a flash and a drop, and although it keeps his mouth closed, he's exactly the same and just fights me all the way. Thought if we just kept pushing forward he'd forget it and work into the contact, but it makes no difference. He was so awful in our lesson last night we ended up putting him in draw reins, and he got in such a huff and went ok eventually, but it's no solution.

We really don't know what else to try with him, I'm feeling a bit deflated and useless to be honest. Sorry this is long and a bit of a rant, work is s**tty at the mo too and I'm a bit sensitive! Any ideas at all anybody?!
 
Is it the curb chain he likes?
We've had this on here before how Carl Hesters horse prefered the pressure on the point under the curb chain.

As for dressage get a double and learn Elementary!
 
I am presuming you have already gone down the getting his mouth and teeth checked out thoroughly and his back etc etc?
If everything is definately ok, then might be worth to try a hanging cheek straight bar snaffle. I believe these are dressage legal and would give a little bit of poll pressure, so might mimic the pelham with no curb chain (which you say seems to be ok?) The kimblewicks normally have a port in so that might be why he is objecting to that (and is not dressage legal anyway)

If that does not work, perhaps try calling the Myler people or Neue schule guys, I think they are often helpful
 
What mouth piece does the pelham have?

You could use the same mouth piece in a different form for dressage such as a hanging check snaffle or a full cheek/fulmer snaffle with the keepers for slight poll pressure.
 
Dianchi, we've tried taking the curb off and he's still perfectly happy, and when its on it's still so loose it has no action. My trainer said yesterday we'll just have to start at elementary, as he's happy enough in a double too!

The pelham has a slight port, cambridge mouth type thing, which is why I tried the kimblewick to see whether it's that that he likes, but he wasn't impressed at all!

He's had back, teeth, saddle etc checked, and all is fine.

I've tried various Myler bits, all of which he showed his obvious dislike for. We're going to try a KK with lozenge, and will try to call NS to see what they can suggest. He mouths the bit fine, so that's not the problem, but he does really chomp on it. We've tried having them higher and lower in his mouth,with no success!

How awkward can a pony be?!
 
Sounds very much like my horse in my avatar and I'm sorry to say I never found a solution. He worked quite well in a magic bit for a while but no way would he jump in it & its not dressage legal.

A Nathe straightbar worked for a while but I quite often went back to a Nueue Schule bit - Verdiband I think it was called where the bars are raised off the tongue.

Good luck
confused.gif
 
Have you tried a loose cavesson noseband. My girl was difficult to bit and I tried all sorts...was just about to move to a drop noseband and as a last ditch removed the flash, loosened her crank noseband and she completely settled. Some of the crank type can press on teeth and make them uncomfortable..I presume with the pelham you have a loose cavesson?

Its worth a try.....oh and the NS tranz link losenge is brill.
 
Dixie, another person at our yard has just got one of those, her pony is also an arse, and she said I could give that a go with Flash too and see what he thinks.

Sparklet, we have tried a loose cavesson, but made no difference. People keep telling me to just clamp his mouth shut and make him go forward and get on with it, but if he's uncomfortable that's not going to get us anywhere positive.
 
if he chomps alot try a simple straight bar for schooling - i have a happy mouth flexible egbutt and my previously mouthy horse loves it - it doesn't fiddle about in his mouth you see. Have found no need to add nosebands.

pelhams tend to be very still and stable in their mouths so maybe that is what he likes.
 
I'm going to see if I can borrow one from a friend tonight, I did try one about 6 months ago and it was a nightmare, but no harm in a second try! Weird that he hated the kimblewick with the same mouthpiece tho, I wouldn't have thought it would be much different to the pelham from the top rein
crazy.gif
 
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