bit advice required for strong 11yr old mare

[EJ87]

Hi ya i bought my 11yr old mare in may and so far we have been gettin on well but we have one consistant problem is that i find her very strong and hard to control in canter and jumping she just bombs in and out of the jumps completely out of control. we have been having lessons and she is 100% at walk trot hacking etc not spooky or anything. my instructor has suggested that i try a flash or a different bit. can anyone offer me any advice on what bit or if a flassh is da way to go. she currently is in a strong snaffle bit which came with her but she has been seen to put her tounge over the bit especially at canter regularly and tends to fling her head up alot. im just concerned that as shes 11 she will resist a new bit or flash and play up or buck me off or run off worse as im a novice rider and she is my first horse i really dont want that!

 

[BigRed]

what do you mean by a strong snaffle bit - there are many, many different types of snaffle bits.

if you have a good trainer that you get on with - ask them to suggest a different bit or noseband. personally I don't think adding a flash to your noseband will make much difference to a strong horse.

if you are a novice rider, it maybe that you are not riding well enough and that's why she throws her head up. Have you had her mouth checked to see if she has sharp teeth ?

 

[Garnet]

Checking her teeth is your first step, to make sure she is not uncomfortable in her mouth.

Many horses find cantering and jumping exciting, so your job is to make those activities part of a normal "day at the office". This is not to squash your mare's enthusiasm for jumping and cantering, but to make sure she listens to you at all times and minds her manners!

If she opens her mouth and/or gets her tongue over the bit, then a flash noseband may well help and if it is fitted correctly, I think it is a kinder solution than putting a stronger bit in her mouth. Opening her mouth is an evasion of the bit, and she will do the same whatever bit is in her mouth until she learns not to.

Then you need to work with your instructor on exercises that make cantering and jumping less exciting for a while. The dreaded turns, circles and transitions will be your best friend for a while! Work on transitions between trot and canter on a 20m circle until you can do half a circle in trot followed by half a circle in canter several times without rushing off. Then figures of eight in trot and canter with smooth, calm changes of direction and correct strike-offs onto the other rein. Ask your instructor for some more ideas to vary your work, but remember to spend plenty of time in canter and canter transitions rather than save it until the end of the lesson.

Eventually you can add a pole on the ground into your circles and then a tiny fence. Hopping over a fence every now and again should become a normal part of your everyday schooling, for both you and your mare, so that jumping and cantering is part of a normal day at the office!

I hope this makes sense - there is no instant fix, but you have a wonderful chance to work on something together with your mare, which should give you a focus for your schooling over the winter months. Good luck and let us know how you get on - your mare sounds great fun, so enjoy her!

 

[mon]

I have a Neue schule universal bit in my strong id x but few lessons transisions and light hands work well with her.phone horse bit bank up.