Bitting help please!

[little_pink_piggies]

Hi,

Have a 16.2 primitve rising TB 10yo who we bought in august last year...

he came with his "rubber dummy" which is a really really bendy rubber snaffle (think breaking in horses), which originally he did all 3 phases in, but now he does his dressage in a fat eggbut snaffle which seems to work...

however he used to not be a particularly strong horse and the rubber dummy was fine (jumped around gatcombe intermediate etc in it) but he's starting to become a much stronger muscled horse and while I can still ride him in his dummy, I would like to find something else to give me a bit more of a say!

he won't jump in a metal snaffle at all, seems to want to bury himself in the bottom of the fence and then jump it about 4 foot too big! (see pic, only attempt xc in a metal snaffle, bearing in mind thats 3'6!)

have persisted with the snaffle adn it doesnt get any better... (I'm not jabbing him in the mouth when he jumps honest!) Someone suggested that I try an english hackamore and he absolutely hates that

So just any other ideas basically? or somewhere where I can get a really bendy rubber hanging snaffle or fulmer perhaps? I have tried rubber coated/happy mouth/nathe bits, all of which have the same effect as the metal bit!

 

[Saf]

Wow at that photo

stunning

 

[Weezy]

Talk about being launched into orbit

Have you thought about trying a kineton noseband with his dummy?

 

[Asimmons]

Wow! That's some jumper you've got yourself there! We ran my ISH Grade A speed horse in a plastic loo roll (well, that's what it looked like!) xc and he stopped leaning or pulling or going up as he did with metal in his mouth..

 

[Tiffany]

What about steel bit covered in rubber - not sure what you call them but my last mare (TB) had a straight bar one and it's the only bit she went well in. Fabulous photo by the way

 

[Thistle]

Have a look at the Sprenger duo bit, it's the softest and bendiest of the hard plastic bits, way more soft and bendy than a nathe.

Perhaps you need to be looking at nosebands as well like weezy suggested, so you can spread the pressure around his head, not just his mouth.


They do it with different rings too.


http://www.sprenger.de/hs/abt_reit/neuheiten/spoga08deu.pdf

 

[KatB]

I had this problem with my boy, and swapped his bendy nathe loose ring snaffle for a cartwheel version, so I have a small amount of gag action just to back him off. They also do a universal option in the nathe mouthpiece (bendy dummy material!) So far have found it to give me enough control to be comfortable, without backing him off. Also have goodsteering in it as it effectively have "full cheeks" at the side. Worth a try

 

[LEC]

What about a rubber pelham? If you look carefully you can get them as flexible like an ordinary rubber bit but obviously with a pelham action. I looked into these for my horse who is very fussy in his mouth. Also maybe try a vulcanite pelham?