bitting issues

[Janette]

Hope some of you experts out there can help.

My mare is a 10 year old 14.2, coloured native - think of a black and white dales pony and you have an instant picture. I like to do a bit of showing, a bit of dressage - stuff where there is not such a high risk of falling off ( I'm a bit old for falling off, and tend to go SPLAT, rather than bounce up again!

)
Star is extremely fussy in her mouth, and at first, would only tolerate a mullen snaffle. A single jointed snaffle hits the roof of her mouth, and a french link was the work of the devil! I got her going in a mullen Myler, with the side movement and thought we were ok.
I moved yards to a dressage based yard, where the Yard owner who teachs and schools, put Star back into the Aurigan training bit - and she liked it. Amazing! For showing, she suggested a rubber coated pelham and this is where our trouble began.
In the ring, she leans on the pelham and pulls like a train. Somebody suggested trying her in a double set to stop her leaning, I would be able to ride her off the snaffle, but would still have the curb and she wouldn't lean on it. Well she hates it and is tense, shortened and choppy in it.
Since this happened, Star gets bolshy and argumentative in the Aurigan bit after about 20 minutes work.

I'm going to put her back in the myler today, for home, but am stuck as to what to do when we go showing.
I have tried a happy mouth pelham, which was terrible. The only ones which we seem to get away with are the metal mouth mullen, and a ported show pelham, but these are frowned on by the Yard owner as 'harsh'.

Is it possible to horses to suddenly just 'dislike' a bit?

I feel totally confused by the whole bitting issue, and suspect that my recent expenditure might be responsible for the exotic holiday our local saddler is able to suddenly afford

 

[Christmas_Kate]

I'm assuming everything else is fine? Teeth? back? saddle?


Personally I'd try the ported show pelham, and not worry what YO thinks. It's not her horse, she doesnt ride her. Ride in what suits you both, not what suits someone else.

Or try a bit bank, they'll be able to advise you and lend you bits until you find one which suits. If you're 100% she's in top notch health wise then yes, they can go off bits. I think a few members on here have found that, and that alternating bits seems to be the only way.

 

[rubyred]

Myler do a pelham with a mullen mouth piece

 

[Frankstown]

[ QUOTE ]
Myler do a pelham with a mullen mouth piece

[/ QUOTE ]

And a ported pelham

 

[flyingfeet]

I am sorry but your yard owner sounds like a total muppet!

You need to find a bit your horse likes and sod what others think! A slightly ported pelham offers a little tongue relief and is not harsher than a mullen or rubber types.

The trouble with rubber coated, vulcanite and happy mouth pelhams is that they are fat (21mm+), you horse sounds like it is lacking in space and has a sensitive tongue.

You need to find a relatively thin pelham, and you could consider a lozenge pelham or barrel mylers if you want to avoid the leaning (if she will tolerate it).

French link moves too much for her, so find a 'tight' lozenge, which probably means going down the expensive neue schule / sprenger version (ours is schulung so has more movement)

However if they go well in the mullen or ported do you really need another bit??

 

[rubyred]

sorry ment with independant side action like snaffle already happy with. Totally with cotswoldsj. Let your horse tell you what bit

 

[Janette]

LOL CotswoldSJ

- no she's not a muppet, but I think she's always dealt with horses that tend to 'follow the rules' and have horses that are well brought up and are nice people.

Star on the other hand, if she were human, would be caught repeatedly smoking behind the bike sheds, Potential GCSE A* material, but skives off, avoids work and uses her intelligence in the wrong way. A bit of a chav/thug really.

Anyway - enough of the character analysis.

I think you have hit the nail on the head, with the description of her mouth, and I'll go back to the solid mouthed pelhams and see what happens.
Incidentally, I had a good look at the saddle today, and it seems to have dropped at the front, so I've taken it in for re-stuffing.

Thankyou for all the help

. I'll keep you posted.