bits - copper roller snaffle vs tom thumb

wench

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Went to first hunter trial with horse on friday, he was rather strong, and really had to pull him to stop.

He is fairly soft mouthed, but i would like something that would pull him up a bit.

I have a copper roller snaffle, which I havent tried yet, but I have read they can be quite severe... which is not something I want to put in his mouth, with out trying something else.

I was wondering about a tom thumb bit, and they are less severe than the copper roller??? I have read they are good for tbs, he is a very fine tb x.

Secondly, do you have to use the tom thumb with two reins, or roundings?
 

lorenababbit

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when you are talking about a tom thumb i presume you mean a pelham with very short cheeks as you are also talking about roundings. i think it deoends what he does when he gets strong. if he already leans down a pelham wont help you need to raise the head therefore a snaffle of some sort better maybe. pelhams will nealy always lower the head and often encourage horse to take contact particularly if used with roundings as then they have a rather sloppy action that many horses like but can encourage them to get heavy in front and 'bore' down on the hand.
we use a roller snaffle on a couple of ours, they dont seem to get hold of it i think it is quite a good bit for horses that just take a bit of a hold without a particular head carriage problem. cherry rollers or waterfords much more severe.
as for using two reins, that really is the correct way for riding in any pelham but are you comfortable with two reins? roundings mean you cant use the bit with quite the same finesse and changes the action a little. if you are going that way you might find it better to try a kimblewick first.
 

wench

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This is what I mean by the tom thumb bit example

He doesnt lean all that much, just doesnt listen when I try to apply the brakes
 

wench

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which beval bit do you mean? the one that looks similar to a snaffle with loops in the cheek pieces?
 

Thistle

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We use the one you have described with a lozenge mouthpiece, it gives a little leverage but not too much. For SJ the reins go on like a snaffle, for SJ they go in the loops, that way we don't have to change the bit between jumping phases in a ODE.
 

Thistle

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We use the one you have described with a lozenge mouthpiece, it gives a little leverage but not too much. For SJ the reins go on like a snaffle, for SJ they go in the loops, that way we don't have to change the bit between jumping phases in a ODE. For another horse which is stronger i have tries the cartwheel bit with flat rollers.
 

Ponieszzzz

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hi
One of my horses who is very strong is ridden in a Tom Thumb which can be a little severe. I swear by Scourier bit and I have not had a horse which has gone bad in this. It’s a type of snaffle but gives you a little more control it’s just brilliant! It’s also known as a Cornish snaffle !
 

FourLeafClover

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hi
One of my horses who is very strong is ridden in a Tom Thumb which can be a little severe. I swear by Scourier bit and I have not had a horse which has gone bad in this. It’s a type of snaffle but gives you a little more control it’s just brilliant! It’s also known as a Cornish snaffle !
This thread is nearly 14 years old ?
 

nikkimariet

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when you are talking about a tom thumb i presume you mean a pelham with very short cheeks as you are also talking about roundings. i think it deoends what he does when he gets strong. if he already leans down a pelham wont help you need to raise the head therefore a snaffle of some sort better maybe. pelhams will nealy always lower the head and often encourage horse to take contact particularly if used with roundings as then they have a rather sloppy action that many horses like but can encourage them to get heavy in front and 'bore' down on the hand.
we use a roller snaffle on a couple of ours, they dont seem to get hold of it i think it is quite a good bit for horses that just take a bit of a hold without a particular head carriage problem. cherry rollers or waterfords much more severe.
as for using two reins, that really is the correct way for riding in any pelham but are you comfortable with two reins? roundings mean you cant use the bit with quite the same finesse and changes the action a little. if you are going that way you might find it better to try a kimblewick first.

IME waterfords aren’t severe as a mouthpiece, they just prevent most horses from grabbing.
 
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