Bitting Advice From the More Knowledgable

[Vixxy]

My 16hh Dutch Sports Horse continually fuses and chews on his current bit a simple snaffle and is mostly above the bit when ridden he does drop his head sometimes but it is very hit or miss. He is lunged 3-4 times a week with side reins on the higher d's of roller and always comes down nicely of his own will and has a great top line and neck. Why wont he come down easily when ridden?

I am thinking along the lines of a Myler low port comfort snaffle with a hanging cheek or the Myler Triple mullen, after reading advice on the myler bit bank page, what would you recommend?

 

[the watcher]

I have used both the bits you describe with success, most horses seem to be comfortable in them and work nicely. Certainly they are available for trial here, don't know if it would be as easy for you get hold of one to try there.

They do come up on ebay as well

 

[Dressagebabe]

Hi,
You need to have a look at the type of mouth your horse has, if you open his lips at the side see if his tongue is bulging out from where the bit sits in the area without teeth, if so then he has a fat fleshy mouth, if the tongue is well between the teeth and jaw frame then he has a slim, narrow mouth. Both these mouths do not find it comfortable to have a bit with chuncky bars no matter how mild the bit is, for this reason a Myler comfort snaffle is great as the bit bars are very narrow allowing the horse room. This is the problem I had with my Warmblood, he had a Neue Schule snaffle but he constantly raised his head above the bit, he has been in the Myler loose ring comfort snaffle for about 4yrs now and he is a totally different horse. I also have an Anglo which tend to have a dished head, these horses dont like a bit with a nut cracker action as they have a low pallet and the jointed snaffle, termed as mild can actually be quite severe on a this type of horse so again I change him from a french link to a Myler fixed ring comfort snaffle and he is so quiet in his mouth now and wanting to seek the bit down whereas he used to go right behind the bit when in a happy mouth of standard hollow mouth french link. Hope this helps you.

 

[kerilli]

first, i'd get his teeth checked by someone very good.
perhaps he hasn't learnt to work through to the accepting hand correctly yet. you say he works in an outline "of his own will" on the lunge, but he doesn't really if you are using side reins, he works to them... if you take them off, does he stay in an outline?
the sprenger one with the lozenge in the middle (which i have)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=190154568358
is a lovely bit, will give lots of comfort room, and a clear message from the hands.

 

[angiebaby]

I have just started to use a Myler MB02 which is an eggbut comfort snaffle with hooks, my tb x has started to drop his head out hacking ( still goes up occasionally) but when doing transitions he keeps it down now. I have been using it for 2 weeks, and the improvement in the school has been good too

 

[sam72431]

I also have a dutch warmblood sports horse type who sounds exactly the same goes down for a few srides then comes up, very frustrating, also the same as you with lunging even working on a contact without side reins sometimes, apparently dutch warmbloods have very fat tongues so they are hard to bit, my warmblood has a hanging french link snaffle, they like french links as it gives them more room, we are now riding her in a nathe snaffle with great success now doing about a lap or two without coming up! It is however in her head as her teeth and everything are fine she has obviously been scared by a bit in the past and the nathe is teaching her not to be scared and go on to a contact!