ANOTHER BIT-advice please

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gwniver

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A FOLLOW ON FROM '' WHAT BIT ''

OK - so I took a break from riding and did a lot of groundwork and now I am riding again and schooling in a full cheek copper lozenge but went for a hack with a friend and it was a nightmare !! constantly pulling my arms out :(
broncing a shying couldn't what should have been a lovely hack :(:(
so he schools ok in a full cheek snaffle (still quite strong but settles down after 10mins ) but I really want to do more hacking with him and I just cant in the bit he is in :(:(so I am asking advice on what to do??
 
how old? what has he done re work? fast or slow hacking?

teeth checked?

my 6yr old was in a hanging check french link and flash nose band with my friend who backed her and rode her on and off for 3 months (she got her going and hacking out for me). she had her teeth done nearly 4 weeks ago and had 2 wolf teeth removed-i asked dentist for advice on bits according to her mouth conformation. his reply
'whatever she is happy in, I have learnt over the years that the mouth may tell me one thing by how it looks and the horse may tell me another by how it reponds/behaves'

my mare is now in a sweet iron loose ring snaffle with a lozenge and so far so good-although today was the first time she has been ridden since having her teeth done. she really was so much nicer to ride she started of heavy on my hands but they can only pull if you give them something to pull against, in this bit i was able to push her up and off my hands (with my legs) much easier and after a while she was happier to take a light contact but i had to be careful not to fix against her. she still had the flash on today but it was very loose.

bronking and shying are not going to be stopped by a change in bit anyway-have you longreined and walked him in hand him out on hacks if he is young?

get saddle and back checked and look more at getting him going forwardswhat does he do if you are doing a smart trot along the road and youjust ignore any shying?
 
As above get everything checked, is this the horse you were only asking about the other day that had just been doing ground work for 2 months? if so it is more than likely he was excited at getting out for a hack and has become bored so the more you do the better he should be, a bit will not change his way of going, that is down to working on him to educate him, he is still very young.

Having some lessons may be a good next move to get some work on his manners under saddle, get out hacking more frequently so it is no big deal for him, all young horses will look at things, ignore it and he should get less spooky, not sure about the broncing but if he was really trying to get you off he may be in pain, otherwise if just a few bounces around he is young and it is to be expected when going interesting new places.
 
Everything checked-yes the same horse but I did a lot with him before today so I don't think it is excitednesd

When I say shying I mean full gut wrench leap sideway ..... I did a lot of walking out in hand and bomb proofing
 
Sorry posted to soon
He knows this hack very well .....
I Kept my hand light but he would start jogging so I would give a half halt and he would push against my (light)hand and slow down ....I know stronger bit are never the solution and schooling only helps but for a young horse (just turned 5 if I just schooled him he would get very board with riding - I tried one RI near me and she said to senhim to her for the month at 100 pound week !!
 
Ah the tyranny of loose ring snaffle... so many judgmental people who say that anything else is cruel and too severe. I was subject to it for years and tried a bitless bridle on the advice of my OH ( she bucked me off in thanks) In the end I got a Neule Schule Tranz Angled Lozenge Universal. I use it on the snaffle ring, but its just a bit stronger than a snaffle as it has some poll pressure - just enough so I don't have a massive hauling fight when we are cantering fast. You can put the reins on a lower ring for more leverage if that isn't enough. The simple truth is that I am small and not very strong, so what is a firm hand for some is actually beyond me ( my OH is 6 foot and built like a brick house - so easy for him to say you don't need anything stronger!). It has a lozenge so it doesn't pinch the tongue and has worked well for me :o
 
ahh I would love to have a neule schule bit my buget wont allow it ....after a quick google seach it cant be much different from a dutch peanut gag ??I like happy mouth bit as I like those ...???
 
I have just changed to the neue schule trans angled universal, you can hire it for 30 days to try it first from the bit bank, google it and a video about it should be there that you can watch.
 
gwniver said:
Sorry posted to soon
He knows this hack very well .....
I Kept my hand light but he would start jogging so I would give a half halt and he would push against my (light)hand and slow down ....I know stronger bit are never the solution and schooling only helps but for a young horse (just turned 5 if I just schooled him he would get very board with riding - I tried one RI near me and she said to senhim to her for the month at 100 pound week !!
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he knows the hack with you along side his head giving him confidence, my 6yr old has never been ridden in a manege/arena/small area she has only ever been hacked out and is schooled as we go.

Everything checked-yes the same horse but I did a lot with him before today so I don't think it is excitednesd

'When I say shying I mean full gut wrench leap sideway ..... I did a lot of walking out in hand and bomb proofing' [quote gwniver]

a bit will not stop the leaping sideways only getting him out and about regularly will do that.

'Ah the tyranny of loose ring snaffle... so many judgmental people who say that anything else is cruel and too severe. I was subject to it for years and tried a bitless bridle on the advice of my OH ( she bucked me off in thanks) In the end I got a Neule Schule Tranz Angled Lozenge Universal. I use it on the snaffle ring, but its just a bit stronger than a snaffle as it has some poll pressure - just enough so I don't have a massive hauling fight when we are cantering fast. You can put the reins on a lower ring for more leverage if that isn't enough. The simple truth is that I am small and not very strong, so what is a firm hand for some is actually beyond me ( my OH is 6 foot and built like a brick house - so easy for him to say you don't need anything stronger!). It has a lozenge so it doesn't pinch the tongue and has worked well for me'[quote simbacat]

i am not against different bits but the op has a young inexperienced horse that is spooking and heavy on the hand on occasions (by the sound of it) so seeing the world and experiencing stuff is a better way forward and a stronger bit will possibly result in him expressing his nerves/anxiety in other ways-possibly bucking and or rearing
 
gwniver said:
yeah I agree with jools his spooking is just his age -
it is his leaning and jogging that I don't like
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they are possibly his age too, trying to rush past the things that worry him and leaning on your hands when he becomes unbalanced-how long has he been consitently ridden under saddle for?
 
he was backed last year ..I rode him though the summer and gave him most of the winter of .
and as I said he knows the hack and didn't appear to be worried just wanted to run
 
gwniver said:
he was backed last year ..I rode him though the summer and gave him most of the winter of .
and as I said he knows the hack and didn't appear to be worried just wanted to run
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how long has he been ridden for this year?

my girl had just over 3 weeks off work under saddle and work worked on the ground during that time, she was still on her toes for the majority of the ride as she had only been long reined out (once the day before) in that time.
 
gwniver said:
he has been ridden since start of the year apart from the last 2 months...
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i would expect to spend a few days with spookiness and rushing after that amount of time of for a youngster just get him out as much as you can and he will steddy up when the world is less exciting
 
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