Bitting advice, please

[metalmare]

Hi,

My new pony has been sent with a single jointed loop ring snaffle. When I tried him he was in a Waterford.

For general schooling the snaffle is okay. He's great out hacking in walk or trot if on the roads, but as soon as he is on grass he gets very, very strong. He speeds up in trot, runs into canter and then runs faster and faster.

Now I normally love a fast canter on a hack but this boy has no brakes! It takes several hundred yards to pull him up and I have to really hang onto his mouth, which I hate, as I always strive to ride in a light contact.

I realise this is a schooling issue and he needs half halts to rebalance and engage his quarters, but i'm not going to achieve any half halts in this bit!

I love the pony, I love hacking and I'm up for a bit of a challenge, but what bit would people recommend to allow me more control so that I can half halt and begin to reschool him using a light contact instead of having to pull.

Someone at the yard suggested he goes back into a waterford.

Thanks

 

[ThePony]

depends on his mouthshape really. Alot of horses and ponies really don't have a high enough palate to deal with a single joint well. For starters I'd try a french link (the lozenge gives less tongue pressure than the link, some seem to prefer less pressure), does anyone on the yard have one you could borrow? If not then I'd try one from a bit bank and see what he thinks, otherwise you could wind up with rather an expensive box of bits!!

 

[metalmare]

Yes, I can see this becoming a bit of trial and error. I may try a bit bank, as there aren't many ponies on the yard, so unlikely to be many bits to borrow.

 

[Tammytoo]

If he is used to a Waterford, I would use that for hacking so you have some brakes. For schooling purposes I would use a French link or lozenge link - this is more comfortable as it doesn't hit the roof of the mouth and moulds more round the tongue rather than the single nutcracker action which can hurt the roof of the mouth. As you get more control you can gradually phase out the Waterford for hacking (in theory!)

Good luck!

 

[metalmare]

He didn't actually have the Waterford for very long I don't think, at the point at which I tried him and I'm not sure he looked very settled in it, but I'm willing to give it a go.

He has also been in a Pelham in the past, although the lady who's selling him says she wasn't keen on that.

I can imagine that the single jointed snaffle is probably having the opposite effect if it's banging the roof of his mouth when I try and bring him out of canter, although I think he is running for the sheer joy of it, more than anything else

I was forewarned that he is a strong pony, which is fine, I just need to find the right tool for the job, as it were.