Bits.......

dianchi

dianchi

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So baby pony is coming on leaps and bounds, had first lesson and instructor really please with her.

But we do have tension and bit chomping :(

At the moment she is in a french link full cheek snaffle (with keepers), her suggestion that once turning is completely established (I can do 20m circles but anything smaller/tighter is a struggle still (she is only just 4)) with a drop noseband.

Her suggestion was something like a lozenge curved mouth piece- like the team up. Now I love NS BUT I really cannot afford to splash out on yet another bit for it not to work :)
Yes I know there is bit bank but a week wouldn't really be long enough to test it, and its still £60 on a bit!

So is there a cheaper curved lozenge bit out there?!!!
 
The first thing I would try is taking the keepers off, they may be holding the bit at the wrong angle for her mouth and are not required with a full cheek unlike a fulmer.
 
I have a JP Korsteel French Link Loose Ring snaffle, it's a little more curved than your standard snaffle and sits nicely in my fussy mares mouth. She is a leaner, and this bit has changed her completely. She also foams at the mouth from the minute it goes in and is super soft. They are not expensive either so nothing lost if it doesn't work out :)
 
I use an Eldonian french link snaffle for one of my horses which is curved and the link is the peanut type so it looks like a NS bit but it was only £24, I think its called a balancing snaffle and it is on the Jeffries eldonian site, I bought it for my new horse who has such a soft mouth so I wanted something really mild and comfortable and he has been going really well in it.
 
this might be a very 'old-fashioned' suggestion, but what about just going back to a basic straightbar or single jointed eggbutt, without a drop noseband? Having links sometimes makes them mouth more anyway (regardless of the shape) in the way that the old 'keyed bits' did, and taking off the noseband means there are no restrictions to the horse accepting the bit. A very famous trainer whose name escapes me but who was well-known about a century ago considered that nosebands (other than a cavesson) delayed the horse accepting the bit. Once the horse accepts the bit properly they stop chomping.
I have used both these principles for starting and re-training numerous horses and they work for me and the horses i have ridden (although one variant is that i use a simple loose-ring if the horse leans instead) e.g. three day evented ex-racehorse in eggbutt snaffle and cavesson without martingale (old format with steeplechase) who was very fussy mouthed when she was bought aged four. This mare went best in a small bridoon eggbutt (not too thin) as she had a very small mouth so that might be something else to consider. Just retraining someones warmblood at the moment who (owing to a previous bit injury) almost panicked when a contact was taken up; much better as soon as the noseband changed to a cavesson and the bit changed to a simple snaffle.
Not saying they would work for all horses, just that this might be an option to explore and is certainly a very cheap one!!!
 
Thanks wkiki but ive tried both a straight and single and she hated both- def worse in a straight too.

Equally i have tried with cavesson, without and drop- and drop is whats she is happiest in, its not tight but when working she is settled to the contact and happy, just when not settled in the mouth when mooching.

Tension I think is mostly coming from me and trying to help/hold/support her more than she is understanding, so longer contact and slowing her down is helping there
 
Pinkvboots said:
I use an Eldonian french link snaffle for one of my horses which is curved and the link is the peanut type so it looks like a NS bit but it was only £24, I think its called a balancing snaffle and it is on the Jeffries eldonian site, I bought it for my new horse who has such a soft mouth so I wanted something really mild and comfortable and he has been going really well in it.
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Thanks this looks exactly like what i am after!
 
dianchi said:
Thanks this looks exactly like what i am after!
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I have used some of the NS bits and to be honest this is just as good in my opinion and its a third of the price, when I bought him he was ridden in a hanging cheek and I found he was not accepting the contact which is why I tried this and am really happy with it, let me know if you buy one would be interested to know what you think :)
 
The thing is she's very young so she may chomp whatever bit she has until she learns to accept it. My 5yr old was a real chomper when I bought her 5 months ago. It has decreased significantly with daily work. Some horses chomp more than others regardless of what bit.

I must say I do fancy the NS one which looks like a myler shape. Pity it's 250 quid!!!
 
FfionWinnie said:
The thing is she's very young so she may chomp whatever bit she has until she learns to accept it. My 5yr old was a real chomper when I bought her 5 months ago. It has decreased significantly with daily work. Some horses chomp more than others regardless of what bit.

I must say I do fancy the NS one which looks like a myler shape. Pity it's 250 quid!!!
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I know I just think that is silly money for a bit!
 
Pinkvboots said:
I have used some of the NS bits and to be honest this is just as good in my opinion and its a third of the price, when I bought him he was ridden in a hanging cheek and I found he was not accepting the contact which is why I tried this and am really happy with it, let me know if you buy one would be interested to know what you think :)
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Come pay day will be ordering!

Now question is loose ring or Egbutt??!!
 
don't forget that at 4 teeth are still comming through, so it might not be so much the bit but her mouth. Also at that age teeth can get sharp rather quickly. So befor you invest in a new bit consider having her teeth checked again.
 
equiblond said:
don't forget that at 4 teeth are still comming through, so it might not be so much the bit but her mouth. Also at that age teeth can get sharp rather quickly. So befor you invest in a new bit consider having her teeth checked again.
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Thanks they were done three weeks ago :)
 
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