Bitless bridles/ palate friendly bits

[Ample Prosecco]

As some people may know from the Toby thread, he has a damaged palate. No longer painful apparently but he is super fussy and tense when you pick up a contact. I'd like to try bitless but it woulld also be handy to be able to ride him in a dressage legal bit. The choice is bewildering so does anyone have any advice?

SEL, you mentioned your pony with a damaged palate - do you have any bit recommendations?

TIA x

 

[DirectorFury]

You could try something like this https://thehorsebitshop.co.uk/product/bombers-moulded-preferred-contact-loose-ring/ - from the pictures and videos I’ve seen the centre bit is pretty thin (I.e. not tall in the mouth) and it’s incredibly flexible. It might be worth chatting it through with the Horse Bit Shop people as they’ve always been helpful for me.

Alternatively something like a rope or leather bit?

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Yes, I was going to mention a leather bit. Or Acavallo makes some sort rope looking (Alu pro I think?) bit. So those could work since they're not solid or so fixed.

I also hack and sometimes school a little in a sidepull. You sort of have to figure out what will suit best. My horse is already light, responsive, and tuned to my body so a simple sidepull is fine. He also doesn't love the "face hug" feeling of the cross under bitless bridles, and I just didn't try a hackamore since the sidepull worked.

 

[fredflop]

I’d try ringing a bit bank for their advice.

if he was generally soft to ride in a bit, a side pull is a good starter. If he was stronger, I’d try something like an LG Zaum

 

[maya2008]

In my experience, the crossunder type of bitless is similar to a snaffle - easy to get them in an outline, similar sort of brakes. Not had a side pull but have used a headcollar and that was milder than the crossunder. A mild step up from that is the flower bitless - where there is some poll pressure but you can vary it and have it almost like a side pull depending on where you put the reins. Then there’s a little s hackamore (some poll pressure but some steering also), English hackamore (more poll pressure, less steering).

I like the crossunder ones but my daughter has a flower hackamore as her pony is 13.3hh and she is six - she couldn’t pull hard enough in the milder bridle!

We use bitless because pony has a very low palate and is not comfortable in a bit. For competitions we have a very thin bit as the rubber ones were soft but too thick for her mouth.

 

[rara007]

How about either a Mullen mouth or a ‘Maxx control/turtle top/easy control etc). The maxx controls are only legal as snaffles not Bridoons but my fussy horse (had a year out at 7 following a gum infection gone bad) really likes them. They’re not as harsh as they sound! He hates mullens but that would be an obvious choice.

 

[milliepops]

bit bank is a good shout, I would also consider getting a bit fit consultation in person, the cost would be worth it to be able to ride in several bits in one day. a good consultant can save a fair bit of trial and error.

 

[Casey76]

T goes in a Transcend side cue

 

[SEL]

It's definitely worth speaking to the bit bank. I've got a WTP one coming on trial and i think I'm going to try one of the hackamore if this doesn't work.

Pony is ok in a sidepull but hangs to the right - I don't think she likes it.

Keep us posted with what you find works

 

[Taliesan]

I ride my horse in a Transcend double and he loves it as a bridle. It is classed as a side cue which is the simplest type of bitless. The way it works is by placing pound for pound pressure on the nose - there is no poll pressure whatsoever.

The easiest way to see what Toby is like in a side cue would be by clipping reins to the sides of his headcollar and try riding in that.

The other most common types of bitless bridles are crossunders and hackamores.

Not all horses like the 'head hug' action of the crossunder and they can be slow to release.

With hackamores there is a huge variety. Lots of people use the orbitless, flower and star varieties. This is because you can set them up so they work the same as a side cue or you can alter the positioning of the hackamore to add more leverage and, subsequently, poll pressure.

Quite a few people will ride in rope headcollars / bridles, which is fine, but in my opinion the pressure exerted them can be quite harsh. For example, the noseband on the Transcend is wide and padded, if I put the same amount of pressure down the reins to a rope halter the smaller surface area would amplify what is felt by the horse.

Bitless bridles are like bits in that you sometimes need to play around to see what your horse likes the most.

I'd advise starting with the simplest type (a side cue) and then moving on from there if Toby doesn't seem to get on with it.

 

[Ali27]

I’ve just had a bit/ bridle clinic with Ruth Fisher who was brilliant! Mine has a huge tongue and a low palette so although my Hilary Vernon square shaped Mullen was a good fit, I tried this bit and pony loved it! https://www.horsemanshipsaddlery.uk/ourshop/prod_5040136-HP-Lip-Relief-Snaffle-Bit.html
Ruth covers Derbyshire.

 

[Dexter]

I'd just get a bit fit consultant out. It cost me about £60 but was well worth it

 

[Ample Prosecco]

I’ve just had a bit/ bridle clinic with Ruth Fisher who was brilliant! Mine has a huge tongue and a low palette so although my Hilary Vernon square shaped Mullen was a good fit, I tried this bit and pony loved it! https://www.horsemanshipsaddlery.uk/ourshop/prod_5040136-HP-Lip-Relief-Snaffle-Bit.html
Ruth covers Derbyshire.

Frustratingly I've been waiting for her to come out for months! I'll prompt her. X

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Plenty of choice out there! So I'm sure we can find something. The difficulty is that I can ride on the buckle and he will still suck back and throw his head up if I transition to trot. He will do it in a cavesson on the lunge too. It's become an anticipatory behaviour. Or a habit. He's in walk 90%+ of the time at the moment. I might give the walk work another month then start trying to sort out the trot.
He doesn't suck back or throw his head out hacking but not sure how to get a BitFit consultant to try out lots of bits on a hack! The 30 day trials would be better for that but costs could mount if I dont find one quite quickly.
Maybe the bit is the final piece of the puzzle once he is straighter, stronger and more comfortable working correctly. I need to sort that out first.

 

[Dia]

I love my Transcend it seems to have transformed my bit-hating horse. I had a bit consult out and tried 7 different bits. She was the same in all of them (lip flapping, head tossing, evading, head high, tense). Totally different and much happier in the Transcend.

 

[scats]

I tried Polly in an orbitless which you just attach to your normal bridle.

 

[GreyMane]

https://markrashid.com/rockin-s-snaffle/

Would be interested to know if anyone has tried the "raised" version of this:
Lower on the tongue/palate, port lies back, action goes "open and back" rather than "closed and up"
Don't know about dressage legality

 

[Casey76]

https://markrashid.com/rockin-s-snaffle/

Would be interested to know if anyone has tried the "raised" version of this:
Lower on the tongue/palate, port lies back, action goes "open and back" rather than "closed and up"
Don't know about dressage legality

Definitely not dressage legal.

Unless the horse has his head on the vertical, this will be a very aggressive bit. The tongue will roll up into the port, driving the cannons down onto the unprotected bars. As the port isn’t fixed, there is a lot of potential for the tongue to be squeezed and pinched with direct rein pressure.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

That is a raised Rockin S Snaffle. It is not an aggressive bit at all. It is meant to be very comfortable in the mouth as it opens and lays flat rather than closing and pinching. I've got one and need to dig it out from somewhere.

There's a thread on it here:

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/rockin-s-raised-snaffle.483772/

 

[SEL]

I tried Polly in an orbitless which you just attach to your normal bridle.

I've just been lent one of those so will try it out this week