Bitting Help

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ABC

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I'm sure I've posted this before but I'm at my wits end so need to ask again.

My thoroughbred is so fussy about the bit and after 18 months I still can't find him a bit that he's comfortable with.

He's had the dentist out several times during the 18 months although he is booked to come out again soon just to check, but he has previously not found anything wrong.

He has a large tongue and small mouth, but nothing extremely abnormal.

I've tried eggbutt snaffles, loose ring snaffles, full cheek snaffles, jointed, french link, lozenge, straightbar...but I've had no luck. The best one so far has been a full cheek with a lozenge in the middle but he's had that for two months now and has started messing with it.

He isnt evading, various instructors have commented he's just not comfortable. And without sound up own backside I know it's not my hands causing the problem, there are a lot of faults with my riding but I've always had soft hands and he is the same for other people.

Any advice greatly received :)
 
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I don't know about bits but my horse has the same response to bits and the only thing he will tolerate is a English hackamore , I have tried loads of different bits and bitless contraptions but he goes best in a English hack , if we really need to use a bit we would use a full cheek copper snaffle with a lozenge but he doesn't go as well in it as he does in the hack , good luck
 
Thanks. I have tried him bitless, albeit in a Dr Cooks style rather than a hackamore but I just didnt feel "safe"

I've been looking at the Cambridge "Magic" Snaffle, as well as the Neue Schule and Myler bits, does anyone have any thoughts on these?
 
I had a horse with a large tongue and small mouth and whilst he wan't fussy in his mouth he hacked out well in a Myler jointed ported snaffle - this isn't a dressage legal bit though. He also went very well in a ported 'magic' bit
 
Have you tried a mullen-mouthed bit? Or tried specifically different materials, such as sweet iron,salox etc, in case it is the particular metal which is causing the problem? I like the PeeWee bit for horses with large tongues. It isn't dressage legal but at this stage, I wouldn't worry about that, find a bit he is comfortable with and work from there.
My large-tongued Draft horse responds well to NS bits.
 
Informed design loose ring angled snaffle, the losenge lies flat along the tongue but retains the double joint, or a bomber, happy tongue snaffle, with or without rollers, provides tongue relief and minimises tongue pressure
 
gone through 20 bits in 18 months on my New Forest including sweet iron, NS and Sprenger. Have found he hates stainless steel, preferring other metals but not happy mouth or rubber. Lozenge is better than ported and too much movement sets him off, so loose ring or Myler were a no go. I finally bought a hanging cheek with lozenge and after failing with the NS (rubbed his face) and the Sprenger hanging cheek and B ring which he hated due to the angle of the lozenge, I bought an HKM hanging cheek lozenge off ebay and hes as happy as Larry. Cheapest bit ive tried. Anyone want any bits???
 
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