Bitting and bridle advice please!

C

CBAnglo

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Since bringing my horse back into work this year after a tendon injury, I have found him to be quite fussy in the mouth again. He is currently only being hacked a couple of times a week and lunged once and lightly schooled once.

Current bridle is a Kieffer ergonomic with crank noseband and flash and ridden in a loose ring single jointed snaffle. Horse will only be lightly schooled and hacked due to tendon and other ligament problem (no jumping).

He was ridden by previous owners in a 3 ring gag on bottom ring with running martingale (!) primarily for sj - they had quite hard hands and he had a tendency to run off with them. He is very adverse to any kind of poll pressure.

I tried a drop initially with a french link and we had an "incident" and then the drop with a dr bristol and we had another "incident" so we changed to normal noseband and flash (he was getting his tongue over the bit and taking off).

I then tried a myler which he detested and managed to break my finger when lunging (I lunge off the bridle).

We switched to the jointed snaffle and he started to accept a contact and work with a relaxed jaw. We changed his bridle to the one with a crank and he was completely the same (crank done up loose like normal noseband).

But now coming back into work he is very fussy again - he constantly grinds on the bit and opens his mouth trying to get his tongue over. He works well once he has warmed up, and he is a lot better since coming back into work, but when I take his bridle off he holds his tongue from one side to the other which is completely new. Teeth done by dentist last month, back checked by chiro at the same time and I fit his saddles so everything else has been covered. Chiro said this is the best he has seen him in 2 yrs, but I have decided to try a new bit but which one?

Also, I have bought two other bridles - a jeffries IR and an albion KB - I was going to try both with current bit, but think maybe the problem is really with the bit and I should try to eliminate that first, before switching bridles?

Sorry for the essay - have been thinking about this for the last 2 days as he rubbed the side of his mouth on the weekend doing a spinning hissy fit and I think it is time for a change and was thinking along the lines of a sprenger. I didnt want to change while he was still being brought back into work, but now I think I have him working reasonably well enough to be able to tell a difference in his mouth and it not just being a "brought back into work" issue. Having always used mylers for everything else, it was so easy!
 
Oh hun, is this for Dyls?? I had the same problem with Lotto and found changing from a kieffer to the albion as it is so padded on the head and nose it helped with pole pressure. I also had him in a lozenge bit and changed from a loose ring into a d ring (I still have it if you want to try it?) he was really good with that, I also tried him in a nathe straight bar when he was funny with the joints and the metal in his mouth. I still have that too if you want to try it. They are expensive but well worth it.

Personally I don't like mylers none of my horses have liked them.

Let me know if you want to try any of mine before you buy.
xx
 
Hi M

No - its for the other one. D pony loved his myler from Day 1. Everything else I had was either in a myler or a french link without any problems, its just this horse being difficult.

Will try the albion tonight then with existing bit and see if he is happier. I honestly thought I had cracked it with current set which worked for the best part of a year! If any of your bits are a 5 1/2 I might have to borrow them!

How's H? will reply to email as well.
 
My horse is fussy like yours and settles well with the IR bridle. He seems very sensitive and I wonder if a bit with a french-link or lozenge would suit him better?
 
Hi

Thanks for the suggestion. I did originally try him in a french link about 3 yrs ago but had absolutely no control, then tried a dr bristol and he chucked rider off an bolted so we decided to go back to a single joint. I then tried one of my mylers on him, a level 1 wide barrel and he freaked again on the lunge breaking my finger, and then ridden he chucked the rider off and bolted.

I could try his IR bridle with existing bit (bought it ages ago but it matches his jumping saddle which now no longer is needed so never ridden in it) and possibly a french link on the lunge to see if he will go bonkers again. reluctant to actually ride him in a french link unless he is ok on the lunge due to the above!
 
Mine is also very fussy and hated Mylers. I have only found two bits he will accept; a very very thick hollow mouthpiece loose ring with a French link, and a straight rubber Pelham. I think the latter helps as he tend to throw his head up, and Pelhams have a lowering effect. The only connection I can see between the two is that they both have a very thick mouthpiece. When I have tried a thinner one of any sort, he hated them.

I use the loose ring for schooling and the pelham for hacking and jumping as he can be strong, and this gives me a lot of control but is still a gentle mouthpiece.
 
Thanks - I did think about a pelham. Was thinking rubber mouth jointed? not sure if he would try to take hold of a mullen mouth as I also tried him in a mullen mouth gag at one point and he seemed to fix on the bit - didnt hack him in it, just schooled him in it a couple of times. The pelham is the last mouthpiece left to try I think.

I tried a hollow mouth snaffle but he has a very small mouth and not much room between the bars so he couldnt actually close his mouth properly over the bit.

M - can I borrow all of your 5.5" bits that you arent using please? I think I am going to have to play around with bits and bridles.

I also wanted to try a sprenger as they have quite thin ones which will fit in his mouth - any suggestions anyone?
 
I think it's the curb chain on the pelham that helps me with control as his head is lowered. It's a shame if you can't fit the bit in; perhaps a jointed one would be better than as they tend to be thinner in the middle and the thickest part is against the corners of his mouth.

When I was first messing around with bits I tried a happy mouth straight eggbutt snaffle which he quite liked. Have you tried the happy mouth bits either as a pelham or with a link? This might give you a warmer, gentler bit but I think they are a bit thinner than the rubber or mullen mouthpieces. Sadly though, they don't look very nice...

http://www.frogpool.com/product-5540.htm
 
In regards to the bridles, I have to say I was always very sceptical about what difference they made! However, my mare has been ridden in an Albion from day one of having her, until I sent it away for a week, so rode in my old bridle. She was tense, fighting against the contact etc for that week, but I just thought she was being awkward. Got a KB back this weekend, and voila, a soft, relaxed pony again! SO I do think the bridles make a difference, and ADORE my albion.

Bit wise, I would try a Myler or JP single jointed. It gives a little bit more room in the mouth. EIther that, or a Hippus. Both have got small or non existant joints in them, so are more comfortable.
 
yes the straight bar gag was a happy mouth - I dont think he has a problem with metal, I think it is the amount of room he has in his mouth. Very small, and not much room between the bars. Think you are right about the jointed, and thinking back that was my reasoning when we changed to the jointed about 18 months ago.

He tends to evade by coming behind the bit, he quite quirky when I think about it and write it out. I guess I sort of deal with things when I am riding him so havent really analysed all the issues. Have never really bothered too much about looking at bits before - usually use a myler or otherwise standard french link!

That pelham doesnt look too thick actually - might try and measure one to see how thick it is (trip to the tack shop required now I think!)
 
I'm off Thurs and Fri so will jot down what I have and you can try them. I also have a pelham by neue schule http://www.equichoice.co.uk/acatalog/Neue_Schule.html and if you click on the pelham it shows a pic of the NS Tranz Angled Lozenge Elevator too which I also have. the pelham we used for Max but he didn't like the curb and we never tried the elavator. See how the bridle change goes and let me know what you fancy trying x
 
Yes, I thought the same about bridles, but he is such a sensitive thing I noticed a big difference when I swapped his stubben to a padded Kieffer.

I got the KB last week but havent had the chance to try it on (not even sure it is the right size as got a full but think he might be more of a cob) so I think I will try that with the current bit.

Tried a myler (normally my go to bit) and he absolutely hated it. Will look at JP and Hippus as well - thanks for the suggestion.
 
thanks M that would be great.

D has a grackle - maybe I should try that? I even contemplated trying a drop again (except I got rid of the stubben as was clearing out all the unused stuff - figures I might actually need it again!)
 
What about a bridoon type of bit? They have small narrow mouthpieces and perhaps a flash or dropped noseband.

Also as others have said the NS bits are a good choice to investigate.
 
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