Bitting Advice

Tempi

Tempi

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Morning All
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Id like to pick your brains on my Archie monster
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Hes currently in a Myler Mullen Barrel with eggbutt side bits. Now this worked well to start with, and it makes him lovely and light infront - when hes accepting it
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When hes not hes a gobby little b*gger and will stick his head up and hollow. He will also open his mouth, even tho hes got a drop noseband. He sets his jaw against me aswell.

He was in a KK Ultra, but this was no good as he just spent his time grinding it and leaning on it.

Ive got a lesson with my trainer tomoro so im going to be discussing bits with him, but i wondered what your views where.

Im personally wavering to the fact that its just a phase hes going through - as when hes soft in it he goes beautifully and is so light in front it gives a really amazing feeling. Also since putting him in it hes now gone from getting 6s in his walk work to 7s/8s as before he spent his time grabbing hold of the KK and crunching on it!!

Any bit suggested mush be dressage legal, and must have either eggbutt or 'D' rings. No full cheeks, hanging cheeks and no poll pressure, oh and nothing with a single joint.

Hes been in every noseband aswell - plain loose cavesson, flash and now a drop.........I never do my nosebands up tightly before anyone asks!!
 
From watching him at the weekend I can see where you are coming from. On the whole he seemed to accept the Myler well but he did tilt his head every now and again.
Quite possibly just an evasion phase, but have you had him checked out for blind wolf teeth?
 
sorry - forgot to mention, he had his teeth done 3 weeks ago. Everything was fine, except he had chipped a tooth where he had been grinding on the KK - thats why i then changed to the myler as my EDT suggested it.

Yes - he does head tilt - my EDT/Physio have also said it might just be that hes expecting something to hurt even tho it dosent?
 
oh and just wanted to add that Kay (other trainer) dosent seem at all worried about the head tilt/mouth open business and says he will get over it. She thinks the myler is a good idea for him.

Perhaps im just too neurotic
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Am going to ask Andrew tomoro aswell and see what he thinks.....
 
strangely enough i had exactly the same problem, munching on the kk, trying to open his mouth (he wore a drop too) and i went back to the kk and put on a caveson and it was like a miracle he's never gone better, no munching and no jaw opening. i even take him xc in this get up which is saying something as he used to be so strong i used to use a long shank myler! give it another go you might be surprised.
 
I used a waterford snaffle to stop my boy leaning he is back in his KK snaffle now for dressage but I XC a nd SJ in waterford still. need to check if its dressage legal cant get on BD website at the mo - typical
 
i know you werent - sorry didnt mean it to sound funny (if you get what i mean!!!!)

I think maybe im worrying too much about nothing tbh! It probably is just an evasion hes going through as like i said above when hes relaxed into it its a thousand times better than the kk.

I might try him in just a loose cavesson and the myler tonight.....(with my drop to hand if things get too crazy!!)
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I use the same Myler bit (but with loose rings), and I find that while it works brilliantly for a few weeks, the horse seems to get accustomed to its action. My trainer advised me to rotate bits every three weeks or so. I alternate between the Myler and a Neue Schule Verbinded bit, and this seems to work quite well. My horse can be extremely gobby and horrid and alternating the bits seems to keep him on his toes. Oh, the KK didn't work for me either.
 
I am the same as madmare... the Myler worked for Hannah initially, but then she started leaning on it and became so used to it that we started having mini battles. Have you tried a Neue Schule? They are like the KK but finer so i would think they would not be able to grind on them. I had the verbibend one for Han and it worked really well because she couldn't get hold of it the same.
 
I went through a stage last year with mine when he had his bit changed all the time as something else would crop up - evading, leaning, gobby etc but he has really changed shape and muscled up this year and seems a lot more settled in his mouth. I think if you are asking them questions in their ridden work the mouth is the easiest place to evade. I think it sounds a phase and as he is young and big like mine that it takes them a while to grow in strength.
 
good reply Lec - i think he is using it as an excuse to evade as like you said its the easiest place for them to evade. Before he was evading me by napping and rearing - now he knows he cant get away with that i guess this is his alternative solution!

I will try alternating bits as Becki and MM suggested - a lot of people seem to do that. i might alternate him with his waterford and see how that goes. I know its not dressage legal but it might be worth schooling him in it for a couple of weeks at a time when im not competing on the weekend, to keep him on his toes.
 
Yes, I agree alternating bits really works well. Flo has about 5 bits that I alternate (straight bar pelham, loose ring lozenge snaffle, eggbutt french link snaffle, myler high wide comfort snaffle with hooks and an american gag with lozenge). I know shes not a dressage horse, but it does work really well and stops her leaning and fighting the bit, as if I use one bit for too long she gets used to its action and then starts evading it.
 
Neue Schule Verbinded bit, works a treat as far as my boy is concerned, together with flash. He use to open mouth and evade without flash and try to get tongue over the bit when asked a little more......he froths and mouths well in it.... I think you may do well in one??? I did not opt for a KK because I could not afford!!!!! My boy did lean on his bit but alas training did help.... when we fit bits unfortunately many do not look in the horses; gums, tongue, flesh, roof of mouth etc..... but I am sure you have done this already!! Neue Schule bits have worked very well for me and half the price of KK!!
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