Bit rubbing on cheeks?

[Laurax94]

My horse is in a 3-ring gag on the second ring. He goes amazingly in it but recently bits around the corners of his moutn have been peeling. Is the bit rubbing the sides of his mouth or is this normal this time of year as the other horse on my yard has the same thing happening? Is there anything I can do if it is the bit?

 

[DuckToller]

My horse had this problem - the skin around the mouth gets very creased when the reins are pulled and the bit rotates. Check the fit of the bit - it might be a little large so there is too much sideways movement.

When you next tack up, play around with the reins and bit and see what is causing the problem - I found moving the noseband up helped, as the skin was getting caught between the metal of the ring and the noseband but only when the reins were pulled tight.

I couldn't stop the problem completely so went back to a hanging snaffle, although a little bit of skin peeling does happen with some horses, so maybe try some cream first and give it a few days to heal before you next ride?