Bitting Advice

Tempi

Tempi

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Morning all
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Those of you who saw my picture of Archie in PG wil know that he was off to have his teeth done last night as i was really worried about him.

Anyways, good news is that there was nothing serious wrong - as i was really worried it was wolf teeth or an infection. His teeth were very sharp (he only had them done 3months ago, my EDT was shocked at how fast they had grown) and he had chipped a tooth which had left a jagged edge. So hes now got lovely smooth teeth again.

One very interesting thing we discovered was that when my EDT put pressure on the bars of his mouth he tilted his head - the exact problem im having when riding. When we just put a straight bar through his mouth and added pressure he was fine.

So EDT has suggested i look at taking him out of the KK hes in as it is obviously contributing to my head tilting problem - i guess some horses go well in them and some dont. So im looking at straight mouth pieces and either D rings or and Eggbut.

Ive found this but have absolutly no idea about Myler bits
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ive heard a lot of people say how great they are, and i was just wondering if anyone uses this bit? I can get it on trial which i thought i might do, as it saves me forking out if it dosent work.

My other option is the NS Comfort Snaffle - but ive seen they had a product recal on them a while ago, so im not too sure. Does anyone use one?

Any advice welcome (just to add i cant have a bit with poll pressure, and i dont like single jointed or happy mouth bits, also it has to be BD legal).
 
I dont like the mylers with the eggbut cheek, much prefer the full cheek with the comfort mouthpiece and all of ours go well in it, including two of ours who have a tendancy to head tilt.
Otherwise, a straight bar nathe can be brill, had some that love it.
 
I cant use a nathe on him as he really chews the bit, and i dont think he would get on with one. And i dont want full cheek either as they can cause poll pressure and he is very sensitive in that area. Also hes not keen on pressure on the side of his face - and i think a full cheek would put too much pressure on. (im fussy i know, but so is he!)
 
My old horse, a big sharp and sensitive TB went very well in that myler mullen mouth, I tried it following a recommendation from a friend who was using it on her medium horse who also went really well in it. Definitely worth a try, especially if you can find it on loan from a bit bank
 
Hmm well, then thats a tricky one!
Gaby has one of those mylers (unless she has sold it...) so you could nick hers. I just havent ever got a nice feel in the mouth with the eggbut design.
 
thank you for that - did you use it all the time on your horse? I was just reading on the Myler site that one bit is used for schooling and then a different one for competing, you don't have to do that tho do you? Surely using the same bit all the time dosent matter?

(like i said i have no idea about Myler bits!)
 
to be honest i tried a couple of mylers and found them to be nothing special. they helped a bit with what i needed and they may very well help you but i personally think they are a bit overated and now my girlie is ever so happy in her full cheek snaffle. so the trial is prob a good option
 
I just borrowed it from my friend for flatwork/lessons and competing and then just hacked in regular french link.
My friend however rides in it all the time (and still does, 5 years down the line!)

It's just a case of playing around and seeing what suits, my TB was awful in the loose ring myler comfort snaffle, it's amazing how much difference subtle changes in bits affect some horses.
 
Thank you again
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I think Archie's problem is partly the loose ring in the KK - so im hoping this change will make him accept the bit better and relax more, as he obviously dosent like the action of the KK either.

Bloss on the other hand goes really well in her KK and always has done.
 
Hi hun, I had Hannah in the Myler Comfort Snaffle for quite some time before changing her into the KK. Hannah went really well in it, but when it came to doing elementary tests she started to lean on it a little bit which is why I looked at the bits with a lozenge in them.

What size mouth is Archie? I don't know where my Myler is but if I can find it you are more then welcome to try it before buying one. However, I did buy mine from Gill's Bit Bank and she offered at 14 days trial (as do Derby House I think) for an extra £10 which was worth it because I tried two and sent one back after the trial period.

My Myler also had the eggbutt cheek pieces, but the mouth piece is VERY thin indeed, so if he needs a thicker bit then it could be worth looking around a bit.
 
The Myler and NS versions are very similar, but the Myler mouthpiece is thinner, which is actually better for fussy mouthed horses as it is more ergonomically comfortable as takes less room up in the mouth. They are definitely worth a try, alot of horses go very well in them
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Tried Myler bits twice, once was a for a feature for HORSE magazine and I took Trooper and Jack to it. It was when they were first intoduced to this country and it took place at Merrist Wood in about 2002.
Trooper went round with his gob wide open and his tongue hanging out. It was awful esoecially when they kept asking if he felt better - er not really no!
They put Jack in a bit with a rope noseband but he was no different and so couldn't jusitfy spending £65 when a £14 snaffle had the same effect plus I could use it for dressage.
Second time my sister bought one for her new horse last year. It was the mild dressage legal snaffle and he just went really behind the bit and tucked his nose in. So we swapped back to NS lozenge which he was really happy in.
Not really a fan but every horse is different so Archie may be totally different.
 
thats what i thought - as he dosent like too much in his mouth it might be better as the Myler is thinner.

Trying to organise a trial on one now, but the phone number is engaged at the moment!
 
Thanx hun - im going to try and organise a trial on a Myler - Archie is 5 1/2. I dont think il have the problem of him leaning as he is generally quite light infront, apart from when hes trying to eat his bit
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Im hoping the Myler might stop him doing this.....
 
P_G - i have a Myler comfort snaffle (loose ring) which you are more than welcome to try if you want. (I'll not be needing it for a while while my monster is out of action). PM me if you want it.

x
 
The other thing I found with the Myler is Hannah kept getting her tongue over it because she was busy fiddling with the rollers
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So she had a flash put on because of this.
 
I do like the Mylers, and at a time when Asti used to bolt at jumps with me - oh yes I *did* occassionally jump! - and used to lean a lot, I got a ported egbutt cheek for her, but with the rein slots - not dressage legal obviously. It worked wonders with her but after a while she started to lean on that too. She's the other way to Archie in that she's better with a loose ring I've found, but she hates straight bars or single joints - not fond of the tongue being squashed with straights and has a low palate.

Ive now got her in a curved mouth french link with a loose ring and its spot on for her - so really the waffle wasto say experimenting is good.

What I was going to suggest - if you aren't liking loose ring and people have had issues with eggbutt cheeks and he doesn't like full - what about D ring? Yu can get them in a D ring cheek style.

Do you want to borrow my Myler book? It does the rounds! Can pop it in the post for you if you want a good read up on it all? Was interesting stuff...
 
thank you for the offer of the book - i shall see how we get on trial wise with this one, and then if i decide its not right i shall take you up on the book offer!!
 
I know!

Never tried it in Grace, may give it a go although she goes really well in the KK at the moment. But I do like the action the Myler offers... Then again, I'll have to hinf it
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Hannah will probably be put in it when she comes back into work as she seemed to like it when I used it before.
 
Where did you manage to get one on trial? Gill's Bit Bank used to be my local but she is now out of business apparently.

Thanks
 
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