Bit suggestions Part 2

[chestnut cob]

So...have now tried horse in an eggbut french link (yuck, leaned on it and hurt my arms), a sweet iron loose ring french link (likes the metal but isn't comfortable in it, canter work horrid and just wants to overbend in it), and finally gone back to his normal Myler Comfort Snaffle (likes to grab hold of it and lean if poss).

I need something dressage legal - normally I'd be thinking waterford snaffle so he can't lean on it, but can't dressage in that.

Can I point out....has just had teeth done and saddle refitted/reflocked, is not in pain, is not a mare in season, hasn't just moved yards or changed feeds, or anything. he's just being gobby.

Any suggestions as to what I can try? Needs to be something quite thin as he's got a fat tongue. he HATES single jointed snaffles, just stands on his back legs, have also tried hanging snaffles in the past and he hates those too. am running out of ideas!!

 

[the watcher]

Can you not just get the Comfort Snaffle without the hooks, I have one we use for dressage but use the one with hooks for everything else. Bizarrely they seem to go lighter in the dressage legal one than the one with hooks

 

[flyingfeet]

Might be unhelpful, but mine leaned in a lozenge baucher and overbent and hollowed in a Neue Schule tranz lozenge, positively hated a Neue Schule verbindend.

After trying loads of bits (see the website!) found out he loves a plain nathe bit, which I wasn't expecting as he has quite a fat tongue.

 

[chestnut cob]

He's in the one without the hooks. I've had him in it for 2 years with no probs then changed him to a french link recently because hehad starting leaning and taking hold a bit (on instructor's advice). Didn't go especially well in french link either, so I put him back in the Myler last night and it was just horrid - heavy, leaning, generally gobby.

 

[chestnut cob]

No, that's great. Off to have a look now!

 

[Castlecourtdaisy]

Perhaps practise releasing the contact on and off etc and other exercises to ask him to carry himself would help?

I know your instructor suggested you change your bit (and s/he probably knows more than me), but if he was fine for two years in it and you're having problems now, are you sure it's not just a training problem?

 

[chestnut cob]

Yep, doing all that. Have also tried just dropping him when he leans, have done loads of turn on the haunches to get him to take his weight behind and not on the forehand. Lots of transistions, never do the same circle twice as he needs to be kept busy, lots of small circles, walk to canter, canter-halt, trot-halt-trot, etc.

Bit of history....horse has been lazy and not off the leg for a while. Diagnosed with breathing problems - basically when he goes in an outline, his soft palate collapses into his airway, blocking it. So for a long time he didn't really work in an outline, and certainly not consistently, because he couldn't. All of that time was spent getting him in an outline in the first place, until I found out it was a physical problem. Have had it operated on and it's now fixed. I now don't have a problem getting him to come into an outline, just that now he's realised he's expected to stay there he's saying he doesn't really feel like it. For the first time ever really, this horse is having to learn to maintain a consistent contact and outline. Bearing in mind he's had a long time of not having to maintain an outline because he couldn't, he's having to relearn everything he's learnt over the last few years. So what I have now is a horse who's realised he can breathe, but doesn't really feel like working

The leaning is his latest evasion in his book of evasions and avoidance techniques - as I said, it's not a pain related thing, he's just a Welsh cob!

So it's a training problem in the fact that he doesn't want to do it, but not training in the sense that he doesn't know how to. Plus in a waterford snaffle, which he can't lean on, he goes brilliantly, just not in anything dressage legal....

 

[Castlecourtdaisy]

Ahhhh Welsh cobs. Love 'em!

Shame about the waterford. How about something with a slanted lozenge? Perhaps not quite a Dr Bristol but they have similar ones with a little less angle that aren't quite as harsh.

 

[chestnut cob]

It's amazing how much people suddenly understand when you say it's a welsh cob!! In any other type you'd be looking for something to be wrong, when it's a welshie, it's just a "welsh thing"

I'm not really keen on trying bits with lozenges as he doesn't really seem to like the french link.

I might actually do a couple of weeks or so in the waterford to try and get him to soften a bit, then go back to the french link again and see if there's any change. Problem is his head is full of jumping ATM (we jumped out and in of the arena today!)

 

[Castlecourtdaisy]

Just as well he isn't a mare, you'd be in for a world of pain then lol

Good plan, if he gets used to being soft and light on that bit, his memory (both mental and muscle!) might kick in so he'll be automatically light. When are you planning to do your next test?