Bitting Help- Please

Bettyboo1976

Bettyboo1976

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Hi, I have a 14'2 large haflinger.. he is currently ridden in a gag but there seems to be no difference in brakes between top ring and bottom ring.. he also leans alot on my hands.. my 12 yr old daughter has trouble with this.. arms aching etc.. was advised to try him in a jointed pelham with roundings, which we have tried.. but he doesnt seem to like this yes its stopped him leaning but we seem to have no brakes and he keeps snatching his head..

any ideas??

thanks
 
hi, it sounds to me that your pony might be trying to escape pain from the action of these bits. if he were mine i would try him in a loose ring waterford snaffle. because this is a continuous linked bit , and has loose rings, he will not have anything to lean on. i also reccomend that you invest in some good instruction or schooling for your pony. he needs to learn that it is not aceptable to take a hold like this, but also make sure you are not fixing your hand and this will give him something to pull against. try to keep the bit gently moving across his tounge until he softens and gives to you, and when he does your hands become still and light as a reward. this will take time but it will help eventually. good luck.
 
hiya, he didnt snatch in the gag.. only started doing it with the pelham.. main reason for changing is bacuse my daughter can't hold him very well when jumping as he gets really strong, I also struggle to hold him when jumping but as i'm stronger than her Its not so bad.. It was my instructor that recomended the pelham for him.. only tried the pelham twice and decided it wasnt for him.

Not really clued up on bits and their actions , will the waterford help with the lack of brakes issues? he doesnt tank off or anything he just motors along.. ie if trotting he will just keep trotting and not stopping.. mainly for my daughter.. he seems to respect me slightly more.. we also have weekly lessons on him.
 
Hi my WB X ID did exactly the same thing, she was in a gag and just took no notice of it just grabbed it and off we went around the school.
My friend suggested a Loose ring Cherry Roller, i tried it and haven't looked back, she holds her head nicely and never leans or grabs hold anymore. Maybe try this for schooling and then the loose ring waterford for jumping. as i've bee told its harsher than the cherry roller.
 
yes the waterford will help with brakes. it can also be bought with full cheeks as this will help with steering. try to make sure that your daughter is not trying to stop him by pulling with both reins. this will just make him pull against you. sometimes though it is not a matter of changing the bit. it sounds very much like your pony does not have much respect for what your asking. your daughter needs to gain his respect. what im about to say will probably cause horror to some people but it does work. when the pony is motoring along with you or your daughter. ask twice in a nice way, keeping a contact with your outside rein, and using your inside rein to stop him. if he does not respond by the second attempt, the next thing to do is give a short very sharp pull with one rein and then release. keep doing this untill he grinds to a halt. repeat this exercise everytime that he does not respond to what you are asking. make sure that you immediately give the hand forward after every sharp pull. eventually he will make up his own mind that it it much nicer to actually respond to the first asking nicely, as he will start to know what is coming if he does not respond. this may sound a horrible thing to do but it really wont cause him any problems. i have used this method for several strong cobby types and it literally took two half hour sessions to get the result of them responding to my requests to stop or slow down. good luck
 
I'd steer away from a jointed pelham with roundings, you will give very confused signals with one of those.

Try a straight or ported pelham and two sets of reins by all means.

Have you tried the dutch gag with two sets of reins, you get a much better result this way as you can work on the snaffle ring and then just use the gag ring when necessary. I tried this with a cob that tended to take off and it worked a treat. She took up and worked into the contact better in the snaffle but I had the bottom ring for extra brakes.

If he tends to lean on the hand and fix on the bit then a twisted snaffle may help. They aren't nearly as harsh as perceived but the twist stops the horse fixing on the bit itself.

Have you watched the horse from the ground when he tanks? Does he open his mouth or cross his jaw? You may get better results from a change of noseband than a change of bit. It always amazes me the difference a flash or drop can make to the way a horse reacts. A stronger bit will do no good if the horse is resisting by opening its mouth or crossing its jaw.

The other thing to do is to learn to ride a downward transition through your body rather than your hand. I used to ride a mare who had serious braking issues and she would come back to walk from her rushy trot much better on no contact through just slowing the rise and using the body.

Good Luck.
 
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