Bit / schooling advise needed for horse that chomps & leans

mollywestern

mollywestern

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Wondering if anyone has any advise.

My 5 year old ish mare constantly chomps on the bit. Also leans, won't keep her head still & sometimes grinds her teeth. She's had her saddle checked, her teeth done and had a mctimoney practioner check her and was all 100%. She's ridden in a hanging cheek jointed snaffle with a copper mouth piece. Does anyone have any advise on a bit I could try or something I could try when schooling?

Thanks in advance!
 
My first thought is she is not right through the poll, suggest that you get a second chiro out to look her over. If she pulls back at any time, get her checked immediately. Pulling back is the prime cause of poll problems.

Teeth grinding is a sign of tension/pain so when it happens consider what has just happened, what were you asking her to do.

Bit wise, mine finally went best in a shaped sweet iron eggbutt.

Also ask equine dentist to check for blind wolf teeth. Has he discussed your horses teeth with you? Mine has one that sits at the wrong angle and develops sharp edges on both sides. Vet missed this and only rasped the inner edge, leaving the outer edge sharp.
 
I think I will get someone else out to check her over & try a few different bits.

She was sedated when she had her teeth done so she could be done properly and I was told everything was fine, no issues at all.

She chomps on the bit & moves her head constantly so I wouldn't say that's related to asking her to do anything but I will try and see if doing anything in particular makes her grind her teeth. She's only just coming back into work so she's not having hard work at the moment.

Thank you for your help
 
Mine will wiggle her head sometimes and grind at the same time when I don't have enough leg on. Once I've got her backend really powering, the front end lifts up and she carries herself rather than leaning on me.

Have you have a decent instructor come out to teach you and see what's going on? My trainer is fab on the ground and will hop on to see if it's me or her sometimes. It makes the world of difference.
 
When you say a jointed snaffle, so you mean single jointed? If so many horses find these uncomfortable. Depending on the conformation of your horse's mouth, she might be better with a bit with a link. If you are trying new bits, I suggest you start with a French link hanging cheek - just change one thing at a time. If you have a local tack shop which runs a bit loan service, that will be very useful, as you might need to try different bit shapes and different metals/materials to find what your mare is most comfortable with.
An instructor is a good idea as well.
 
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