Bitting advice please

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MICHAELA8228

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Any ideas?

I have a 12 year old welsh x tb mare who's currently ridden in a bog standard eggbutt snaffle. The problem is I get the impression she is never really settled in her mouth. We generally start the ride off fine but after a time she starts to grind her teeth and open her mouth a lot and move her head about. She has a fairly sensitive mouth but is quite strong too, so I need to keep a contact when I'm on her (sadly minimal loose rein work for me :-( ) I've had her teeth check and rasped, her mouth isn't sore and tack is all well fitting.

Any advice or suggestions to a different bit welcome.........
 
Loose ring french link- the single jointed snaffle has a nutcracker action which hurts the tongue (to test it lay the joint across the inside of your elbow, bend your arm to enclose the bit- like the horses mouth does- and then pull on the rings as if you were pulling the reins- it dsig in and it hurts
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!) The french link lays more gently on the tongue (so will stop her fussing) and the loose ring may help stop her leaning and getting strong
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I had a clinic with Hilary Vernon who was really interesting and she offers email advice. I'd suggest your mare could be strong because of the bit, horses often run into pain. My chappie is really fussy and sensitive and Hilary recommended a bit with no moving parts, which is better for fussy mouthed horses. Might be worth a try! Its a minefield though - I've so many bits I don't know what to do with them!
You could also try a bitless bridle (in a safe place) to see if you have the same problems - so then you can rule out the bit.
Good luck!
 
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