Bit advice - very mouthy horse

[Jericho]

My mare who I have only had a few months seems to be very mouthy with her bit, constantly chewing despite light hands and contact. She is in neule schule loose ring copper nugget (sp?) currently. Someone said to me that the mouthy is good as means she has a loose jaw but after watching her on video today she seems quite fussy to me when she picks up the contact. Teeth / back / saddle all checked a month or so ago. I hesitantly say that it doesnt seem a discomfort thing more like she is just being a bit evasive as she will work lovely for short periods. She is rather full of beans at the moment due to the grass which is giving her a cheeky misbehaving streak. Thought it might be worthwhile asking for a bit of advice to see what others could suggest. She is not strong at all but will lean in trot when hacking out if she wants to up the tempo! I am very much for the softly softly approach so what would be a less fussy option for her??

 

[Enfys]

Have you tried any other types at all?

I have a gelding here that chewed on a jointed bit all the time, after much experimenting ,rubber, happymouth, link, peanut, waterford, filet baucher, loose ring, eggbutt, fulmer, french link etc, etc. (Thank Heavens my tackshop does a trial or return!) It seems that he prefers a straight ported bit rather than a jointed. He is still a nappy sod but he doesn't fuss with his mouth anymore.

 

[Dressagebabe]

Before you start trying lots of different bits you need to assess what type of mouth she has ie narrow & thin fat & fleshy! What breed is she? If you pull her lips apart gently can you see her tongue bulgeing out of the side of the mouth where her teeth are absent - if so then she has a fat, fleshy mouth, these do NOT suit chunky type bits, the older type neue shule are too chunky for this kind of mouth, If she is TB, Arab or Anglo then she will possibly have a shallow pallet (the more dished head the lower the pallet) in this case a single jointed snaffle is not good or any other bit that works with a nut cracker action as it will hit the roof of her mouth with even the lightest of contact. I have an Anglo that was going through the same problems as your horse, he came with a peanut lozenge happy mouth which he was fussy with so I tried him in a french link but this had the same effect, I then tried my other gelding's bit, he is a Holstein x ID Middleweight whom has a fat, fleshy mouth and wont go in anything other than a Myler Comfort Snaffle. Since trying it with my Anglo he has been a different horse, no chomping, hanging or going behind the bit, he is as quiet as anything and seeks the contact straight away, this all happened from the minute I put it in. Luckily I have 2 of these bits one with a fixed ring and the other a loose ring so I didn't have to buy another one but believe me they are very superior bits and you can often pick them up on ebay for 1/3 of the price. Hope this is of some help to you.