bit advice for sensitive mare

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LadyRascasse

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right you lovely lot, need your advice again. when out hack my mare has taken to deciding when we canter/gallop. and she becomes very strong and i can't bring her back until she has done what she wants, i want to stop this cycle as soon a possible.

today i managed to keep her in control (ish) by making her work so making it very hard for her to gallop off. still trying to canter but it was very very collected (horse we were hacking with was able to trot to her canter and she is very slightly bigger)

at the moment she is in a neue schele loose ring lozenge snaffle. and this is brilliant for schooling and jumping but out hacking she has no respect. she has poor mouth conformation and is very sensitive in the mouth so i need to be very careful what i use.

i suggested a plain 3 ring gag (on middle hole) to my RI but she thought this would make her rear. she suggested a dr bristol but i think this would make her rear. we have ridden her in pelham in the past but she doesn't like this to much. and we can't use a flash or grackle due to the small amount of room in her mouth.

sorry to waffle any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

(p.s. as much as i love my neue schele bit i can't afford to buy another for such little use)
 
u will need to make her do small transitions from trot to a couple of strides of canter and bring her back to trot and collect it straight away i would try a 3ring gag and she how she does u would be able to pick one up cheap on a webbsite like this good luck x
 
Is she prone to rearing? Why do you think she would do that? How about a kimblwick - maybe even with a joint in it - you can have the option of taking off the curb chain or leaving it on.
 
Have you considered trying a Dr Cook bitless bridle - might sound daft but it worked on one of mine, he really relaxed and was very controllable, didn't look back. Sometimes it is better to go down a scale rather than up and see whether that will do the trick.
 
yes i have used a dr cook and she had absolutely no respect or brakes in that and that was only in the school.

thank you ruth, my yo has a bit drawer which is one of them really deep kitchen type drawers and it is full so i think i will have to have a rummage through that and see what we can come up with.

why can my horse be simple!!!
 
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she will if she isn't happy in the mouth. hasn't reared since we have switch to her current bit.

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How about trying a waterford? NS do one
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A kind but effective bit in the right hands. Most horses go kindly in this bit as it moulds to their mouth.
 
My horse runs through a waterford, she sounds quite similar to your mare.

Why don't you try chatting to Heather Hyde at Neue Schule.

I also found that lots of transitions were the clue - both between paces and within them. Star belted off with me heading towards the woods and a dry stone wall. Not fun!
 
What about a wilkie - slight poll pressure and they come in range of mouth pieces so you could match to what you have now. I have my tb in one and it just gives me that final say in an arguement
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I also suggest a waterford, and you don't need the NS one. They are less than £20 to buy from the normal bit companies. Our IDx mare hunts in one and she is v fussy in her mouth. She won't jump in a lovely myler comfort snaffle I bought her (because she doesn't like it
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), and like yours - is ridden normally in a loose ring lozenge bit.

They seem to work on a lot of diffent types of horses - but def worth a try as a first or second choice.

Good luck.

Fiona
 
i know you said that you cant afoord another neue schule bit, but they do a bit with the same mouth piece that you have now, but with a 2 ring gag cheek piece. you can sometimes get these on ebay....
 
tried wilkie she didn't like that, and i have tried a waterford but she leant on it, it was in the school and she is much better in her mouth now so might be worth another try.

thanks for all the suggestions,
 
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tried wilkie she didn't like that, and i have tried a waterford but she leant on it, it was in the school and she is much better in her mouth now so might be worth another try.

thanks for all the suggestions,

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Your horse managed to lean on a waterford?
 
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