Biting advice please

[Sarja]

My 8 year old daughter has a gypsy cob on loan, he is a lovely boy but we’re having a few issues with bits, he doesn’t seem entirely with any of the bits I’ve tried so far ( hanging French link, Mullen loose ring, Wilkie copper lozenge) he often will try and get tongue over bit and snatch reins down, I appreciate we may need to try several bits but can anyone suggest ones to try?

 

[Sarja]

*entirely happy*

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Its difficult to give you advice without knowing what your horse doesn't like about the bit. What did his owner ride him in, how old is he? Is the bit sitting correctly in his mouth? When did he last have his teeth checked, when was the last time he didn't try to snatch at the reins or has he always done it since you've had him and how long for? (Sorry, that was a lot of questions!)

It is probably best to start with a lesson with an instructor who can take a closer look and provide advice. Alternatively it's probably worth a chat with the Bit Bank.

Good Luck.

 

[HashRouge]

I used to work with a young horse who always got his tongue over the bit. He had a gigantic tongue (honestly!) and used to play with the bit quite a lot, so his tongue always ended up the wrong side. He had a spoon bit (should come up if you google it) that was great, especially when he was younger, as playing around with different bits didn't help. He eventually was okay in a pelham but had to have a flash noseband just in case! I'd certainly recommend a spoon bit, even if it's a temporary measure while you're trying out other bits, because he won't be able to get his tongue over it and at least your daughter will be able to get on with riding. I'd try a flash too - depending on what the issue is, this may even solve the problem as he may be less inclined to play about with his bit if he can't open his mouth as wide.

 

[Sarja]

Thanks for your replies, I’ll have a look into the spoon bit, I think the rein snatching is just evasion as my daughter little and he knows he can unseat her! She’s had a lesson this morning and rode him really well, he stopped snatching at reins after about 10 mins so hopefully we can sort that out with time, I think the bit thing might be because he’s a total fidget bum! He’s always nibbling or chewing at something!!