Bit advice

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Debb

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People do not shoot me as I know very little about bits. Iv got a cob mare who's 4. We was having problems steering while in the school and she would tank off in an open field. I spoke to our local tack shop who sold us a kimblewick with the ported mouth piece. This solved the steering straight away in the school but when out in open spaces cause her to thrash her head and open her mouth we went back to the tack shop who said use a standing martingale and a flash strap, she has also started bit chomping 😣
She's had a full MOT and everything is fine with her so it must be all the gear she's now wearing.
My question is what bit would people recommend and would you use a flash strap with it?
 
Your tack shop are selling you bits of kit to fix a problem that really is a schooling issue and requires a trainer or instructor to help with not just sticking on various bits and straps so the poor pony cannot move.

She is only 4 so very green, has possibly had little to no proper education, I would recommend finding someone to come and help you with schooling her rather than using short cuts that are probably going to do more harm than good in the long term if you and the cob have no idea of what each bit of kit is supposed to be doing, steering issues are due to lack of balance more frequently in a young horse and while a stronger bit may help as you are now finding she is not happy being strapped down and the bit may be uncomfortable especially now you have a flash on.

Get a good instructor to go back to basics, get rid of the flash and martingale, possibly go back to a snaffle at least for schooling and learn how to get her going properly, it will be worth it in the long run when you have a nicely educated, well balanced cob that is working happily with you rather than being forced to cooperate.
 
I agree this is a schooling issue, definitely. You need to school out hacking as well as in the arena. Most importantly vary the pace at which you work in open spaces, do not always canter because that is how they learn to start tanking off every time their hooves touch grass. For schooling you could try a snaffle with cheeks or a D-ring snaffle to help with steering. If your cob dislikes a single jointed snaffle try a French link mouthpiece or a lozenge. I would not use the martingale or flash noseband for arena work. For hacking you need control so stick with the kimblewick, martingale and flash if that set up is working. It is possible the business of throwing the head around is an attempt to evade the action of the stronger bit, same with opening the mouth. Both actions will result in the rider momentarily having less control. Out hacking it is more important to have the horses obedience than to worry about what tack is used to achieve it. You need to be safe. I think you need lessons too though because it is better to ride from your legs and seat with the hands as back up and you sound as if you could be riding mostly from your hands. At the end of the day you are never going to win a tug of war with a cob :D so it is best not to rely on such basic methods. You will get there and have a sweet riding horse but it will take time and effort on your part. Lots of cobs have quiet temperaments and so are never schooled at all. Someone puts tack on, goes hacking a few times and then sells the horse as a fully broken in quiet riding horse. Often sold to a novice rider who has no idea about schooling either and only hacks. Not much can be done with a 3yr old anyway they are not strong enough so it is for you to start the schooling now. Good luck :)
 
Firefly9410 said:
I agree this is a schooling issue, definitely. You need to school out hacking as well as in the arena. Most importantly vary the pace at which you work in open spaces, do not always canter because that is how they learn to start tanking off every time their hooves touch grass. For schooling you could try a snaffle with cheeks or a D-ring snaffle to help with steering. If your cob dislikes a single jointed snaffle try a French link mouthpiece or a lozenge. I would not use the martingale or flash noseband for arena work. For hacking you need control so stick with the kimblewick, martingale and flash if that set up is working. It is possible the business of throwing the head around is an attempt to evade the action of the stronger bit, same with opening the mouth. Both actions will result in the rider momentarily having less control. Out hacking it is more important to have the horses obedience than to worry about what tack is used to achieve it. You need to be safe. I think you need lessons too though because it is better to ride from your legs and seat with the hands as back up and you sound as if you could be riding mostly from your hands. At the end of the day you are never going to win a tug of war with a cob :D so it is best not to rely on such basic methods. You will get there and have a sweet riding horse but it will take time and effort on your part. Lots of cobs have quiet temperaments and so are never schooled at all. Someone puts tack on, goes hacking a few times and then sells the horse as a fully broken in quiet riding horse. Often sold to a novice rider who has no idea about schooling either and only hacks. Not much can be done with a 3yr old anyway they are not strong enough so it is for you to start the schooling now. Good luck :)
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Thank you for your advice/input we haven't yet attempting hacking when I say open fields in field around the farm that she lives on. Roads are really busy with loads of blind spots where we are. We don't have a school as such it just a dance off flat part of a field which drains really well so we can ride as much as possible all year round.
 
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