Bits for a sensitive mouth

[Flying_Form]

I have a horse who has a very sensitive mouth and can sometimes get a bit forward on me. Just want to know if you have any ideas on a bit that is kind on his mouth but will still give me a bit of control if needed? He’s currently in a hollow mouth loose ring snaffle which he goes okay in but he’s not 100% happy - if worse comes to worse he’ll survive but just want to know what other options are out there to try?

 

[Flame_]

I have a JP curved eggbutt snaffle. It's comparatively cheap and basic as bits go, but it's done my last 2 horses and they've both had delicate, little arab mouths.

 

[paddi22]

it's well worth getting a bitting specialist and trying out a few bits while they watch you ride. a lot depends on the horses mouth type. is there much space or is it very fleshy? for any new ones I get in now, I put them in a hp relief barrel as it seems to suit a lot of types and doesn't take up much space in the mouth

 

[Cowpony]

I've got one who was constantly opening her mouth, to the extent that we got badly marked down in our first BD competition in an otherwise ok test. I've tried changing various parts of the bridle and several bits, without improvement. On impulse I bought a Shires rubber-covered stainless steel snaffle with a lozenge. I've only ridden her in it once so far, but she seems to like it......

 

[Flying_Form]

I have a JP curved eggbutt snaffle. It's comparatively cheap and basic as bits go, but it's done my last 2 horses and they've both had delicate, little arab mouths.

I was thinking of a curved bit just because he can be so sensitive! Do you know are the curved bits dressage legal?

it's well worth getting a bitting specialist and trying out a few bits while they watch you ride. a lot depends on the horses mouth type. is there much space or is it very fleshy?

He has a small enough mouth, I instinctively got a hollow mouth because I thought of gentleness but I’m thinking it could be taking up the whole space and just annoying him ??‍

 

[Flying_Form]

I've got one who was constantly opening her mouth, to the extent that we got badly marked down in our first BD competition in an otherwise ok test. I've tried changing various parts of the bridle and several bits, without improvement. On impulse I bought a Shires rubber-covered stainless steel snaffle with a lozenge. I've only ridden her in it once so far, but she seems to like it......

Did she have a lozenge before or just a normal jointed snaffle? I’ve been wanting to try a lozenge on him just to cross out a few possibilities to his discomfort at his current bit - I’m thinking it’s either the nutcracker action, the thickness, or the shape. Looks like I’m going to have to buy the whole tack shop to find out ?

 

[Ali27]

My mare used to chomp on her bit but she has been in a Hilary Vernon curved Mullen loose ring snaffle for last 8 years and loves it!

 

[Sleipnir]

My gelding has a sensitive mouth, is fussy about too much movement in it and also has a low palate, fat tongue and narrow bars. I ended up with a hanging cheek bit with a thin (10mm) myler mouthpiece. He seems to prefer the stability and that the thin mouthpiece doesn't take up all the space in his mouth, and now is quiet in the mouth and accepting the bit even with no noseband on his bridle.

 

[cauda equina]

Do you need to be dressage legal?
If not you could try a Nathe and a Kineton noseband; they worked very well out hunting for my old boy who like yours had a sensitive mouth but sometimes needed a bit of extra stoppage

 

[paddi22]

I was thinking of a curved bit just because he can be so sensitive! Do you know are the curved bits dressage legal?
He has a small enough mouth, I instinctively got a hollow mouth because I thought of gentleness but I’m thinking it could be taking up the whole space and just annoying him ??‍

I'd imagine it is something like that, snaffles aren't the gentlest bits. can you try a hanging cheek narrower bit like Aleipnir suggested, or even something like this https://www.redpostequestrian.co.uk...gdbbMBfmM08fh1jT5TG3v0pIiQTyIBpsaAlcpEALw_wcB

 

[Highmileagecob]

My cob has a very fleshy mouth, and constantly fought and worried over the bit. When my daughter was riding, we eventually found a hanging cheek snaffle with a lozenge was tolerated better than most we had tried. Around ten years ago I tried him bitless, and have never looked back. I put him in a cross under and did a little work with him to teach him the different pressure points and was amazed at the change. Unfortunately not an option for some, dressage for instance, but nothing to stop you from trying it in the menage or out hacking. Most people shudder and think it is strange, but if you can handle your horse in a headcollar, give it a try!

 

[Cowpony]

Did she have a lozenge before or just a normal jointed snaffle? I’ve been wanting to try a lozenge on him just to cross out a few possibilities to his discomfort at his current bit - I’m thinking it’s either the nutcracker action, the thickness, or the shape. Looks like I’m going to have to buy the whole tack shop to find out ?

This is the first time I've tried her with a lozenge. She previously had a single jointed and a French link snaffle. I've also tried her in a Myler ported barrel, which she didn't like, and a magic bit which was slightly better, but not much. She has a big tongue, a low palate and a very narrow jaw, so she needs a joint which isn't too wide or high, and a bit that isn't too thick.

I suggest going to horsey car boot sales to find cheap bits. You have to do a bit of searching to find what you want, but you can usually pick up snaffles for £5 - 10.

 

[Annagain]

I'm another who would recommend a bit / bridle fitter. Mine cost £65 for the consultation and we were sorted in one go. I'd already spent £50 on two unsuitable bits (second hand) before that so trial and error could have cost us far more time, money and discomfort. She did a full assessment of his mouth conformation and I was amazed when my 17hh ID got put in a 5" bit (I believe the make does come up a bit big so most people size down 1/4" in them but even so) but it fits him and he really likes it. She said he has a very narrow top pallet so the lozenge I had him in was far too big and hitting the edges of the pallet. The bit she recommended was cheap enough, not one of the really expensive ones I was expecting. She also suggested a different bridle though, again not a hugely expensive one but I wasn't expecting to change that so an extra cost.

It was a HP eggbut snaffle which looks very similar to a Myler comfort snaffle but is about 1/3 of the price.

It sounds weird but a change of bridle might help the brakes too. My old boy was very fussy in the mouth but changing him to a Micklem bridle stopped that and because he wasn't fighting the bit any more, he actually listened to it when I used it.

 

[Sleipnir]

This is the exact bit I use: