Bit advice for young strong horse

[jude62]

Have been recommended to try a Nelson Waterford Gag with our new young ISH who is fine out in the open (done a lot of hunting) but tanks off in the menage going into canter in flatwork or after a jump. No brakes or steering & head so far tucked under he could clean between his legs! Leans on the bit & pulls my son's arms out of his sockets. Haven't come across anything like this before and wondered if anyone had any experience of this bit & what the results were? Out hacking & on the ground he is a truly fab well behaved horse.

 

[JanetGeorge]

I'd ignore that advice! A young horse who hacks out well and plays up in the manege either hasn't had much experience in the manege - or has been badly ridden in the manege! Take him back to basics - forget the jumps, try to work in walk and trot only for a few weeks, then introduce canter.

 

[be positive]

That's a fairly drastic measure for what is a schooling issue, if the horse was strong hacking or hunting then it may be suitable but I would be looking at getting a decent instructor and plenty of basic schooling before resorting to a bit of this type, it is not going to be easy to ride correctly in a gag and may prove difficult to transfer back to a snaffle if you want to do any dressage in the future.

 

[jude62]

Thanks for posts so far. I know we have our work cut out but think he will be worth it & not aiming to do anything other than schooling & lessons for the winter. We have limited opportunities for schooling & one place we have has wide grass verge round the menage hence him running out. Was trying to find something to curb his enthusiasm in the short term so my son (who hates flatwork & just wants to do the adrenalin pumping stuff!) will work with him happy that he has some control and the horse will start to pay some attention to him. He is only 14 and still is on a learning curve himself but has no fear (unlike his mother!)

 

[Wheels]

How old is this horse? He sounds immature and like he would benefit from some steadier work rather than a harsh bit. I think if your son doesn't have the experience or the time / patience to deal with this properly I'd be looking for a temporary rider who does.

 

[showpony]

Defo a good instructor and back to basics! My daughters pony is very keen and zippy and can be prone to tucking head down and pulling but as her instructor is teaching her he can only pull etc if given something to pull against... So mini has been learning about half halting and at times dropping the contact.. Also lots of work on downwards transitions aswell both when pony being ridden and on the lunge..