Bit Help!!

J

JTK16

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Hello,
My 16.2hh Andalusian x hates bits, at the moment he is in a simple french link snaffle. I am very light with my hands but as soon as there is any contact on the bit he starts chucking his head around and opening his mouth. He has previously been ridden in a bitless bridle which was better but he only listened to it if he felt like it and plus i want to now go out and compete in BE so i need him to accept the bit. Before i owned him he was ridden in a double bridle at the age of 4 so I'm not sure if this has permanently put him off bits in general. I have had the vet and dentist check him over but there was no problems. He is such a lovely boy and this is his only fault but I don't know how to help him. If anyone knows of any ridden exercises, groundwork techniques or different bits to try i will really appreciate it.
Thanks :rolleyes:
 
I rode mine in bits for years but one day realised he was unhappy about the whole thing. I ditched the bits and used a Dr Cooks bitless bridle which he is better in. However I do classical dressage and there are just some 'conversations' that you need to have with the horse in a bit that you can't have in a bitless so I am now back on the hunt for something I can use alongside the bitless bridle when I want to. I have decided I am going to try either a nathe or sprenger duo, which aren't metal and are the white flexible material. Whichever brand I pick I'm going to try the straight mouth version which we haven't ever used before in any material. I decided this because I think these are nicer than metal and my boy hasn't got a lot of room in his mouth for joints etc so these ones have quite thin mouthpieces which I feel he may like and the stability of not having any links/joints. Only problem is the price! Looks like I better get saving!
 
Did your horse come from Spain? Quite often if horses are more used to being ridden in curb bits they can object to the snaffle quite strongly; the snaffle is not the "nice" bit that so many people think it is and can be a nasty, dulling, pinching thing, especially if the horse is quite sensitive to the aids.
 
Cortez said:
Did your horse come from Spain? Quite often if horses are more used to being ridden in curb bits they can object to the snaffle quite strongly; the snaffle is not the "nice" bit that so many people think it is and can be a nasty, dulling, pinching thing, especially if the horse is quite sensitive to the aids.
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No he was produced in the UK as far as i know he was started in the snaffle but was later moved to a double bridle.
 
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