Bitting predicament for jumping and XC

Angua2

Angua2

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I have a bitting predicament. My girl has a small lower jaw and a big tongue, so I have found that french links that are not too chunky are the way to go. This is fine for schooling and so far jumping in an arena, but I have the age old problem of outside of an arena, with any form of jumps in sight she is very strong.

I have had her in a 3 ring french link korsteel gag with roundings but she hates it. I am not sure if it is the action or the fact that the mouth piece is slightly curved and a little chunkier than her current snaffle.

So out of the millions of bits out there what would be the best. I have wondered if a pelham would be good but then I was also wondering about a waterford.:confused:
 
what about one of the american gags, you can get them with central lozenge & would give you the leverage for brakes if needed. but she would proberly be easier to stop once she has been ridden it it a time or two & felt that you can stop her.

Good luck.
 
I would seriously consider her usual bit where she is happy and responsive and maybe some sort of bitless worn at the same time to give you backup. Obviously, she would have to be 'taught' the meaning of the bitless before you could use it effectively - might just work!
 
wizzybit said:
I would seriously consider her usual bit where she is happy and responsive and maybe some sort of bitless worn at the same time to give you backup. Obviously, she would have to be 'taught' the meaning of the bitless before you could use it effectively - might just work!
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Now that is a thought, I do have a kineton noseband somewhere!

Aoibhin, that is a thought..... I started looking at some an the tom thumb caught my eye....
 
Angua2 said:
Now that is a thought, I do have a kineton noseband somewhere!
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Kineton solved my bitting problem. My mare is too strong xc in her normal waterford - she doesn't put head up or down, just tanks. The kineton just encourages her to back off a bit but she is still happy in her mouth and takes me into jumps nicely.

My mare didn't like gags or pelhams either, so it was the best option for us :)
 
If she doesn't get on with the ring gags, I'd be trying a tom thumb / jumper bit next. There are quite different in action so you can pick the head up.
 
Angua2 said:
Now that is a thought, I do have a kineton noseband somewhere!

This is what my research says about the kineton noseband.

"The Kineton Noseband


A kineton/puller noseband.

There's an odd looking noseband called the Kineton noseband, or the puller noseband, that is not very common in the dressage world. It originated in the racing cirquit, for use on pulling horses or horses that would go out of control at higher speeds. If you read older english books about tack and this one surfaces, it will invariably be called "sharp" and "harsh". Why, it doesn't say.

I think they have actually only "figured out" that it is harsh without even trying it. The logic is this: Since it stops hot pulling horses from running away with their riders it must be incredibly harsh and sharp, because it can accomplish what a thin, twisted scissor pelham cannot. It must be incredibly sharp.

A kineton/puller noseband.

It is not, of course. Somehow, some very eloquent writers of books seem to be of the "car mechanic" mentality, that if the brakes don't brake enough to keep you on the road, we need to put more power into the braking system, not more finesse into the steering. This is not how it is with pulling or rushing horses, especially I would say, thoroughbreds! They pull because of fear, pain, excitement or sheer drive to win (they do have that, you know). I mention fear and pain first, because those are the exclusively most common reasons horses pull in general. Now what can hurt, and what is it they are afraid of? Spurs and whip? Mostly not. It's the bit that hurts and scares them.

A kineton/puller noseband.

The kineton noseband is an efficient way to stop the bit from hurting the mouth if the horse trips or jerks his head or seeks too heavy support or whatever. Because it moves the pressure away from the bars and onto the nose. It has a restraining function on the nose of the horse, like a hackamore without leverage. The regular, especially the drop noseband, has the same effect on the head of the horse, only, it applies its pressure via the lower jaw (which is pulled back and pulls the cavesson back which pulls on the nose). Only, the metal bit puts pressure on the bars, which can hurt. And if you pull alot on the reins, it can hurt alot. Pain. Rushing and pulling. Vicious circle.

The kineton can be adjusted so that most of the traction from the reins be taken up by the noseband, or less, or hardly anything. It can also be adjusted so that it is so short that it pulls the butts of the snaffle forward towards the nose, and thus inverts the V or U shape of the snaffle in the mouth. This is NOT how to use it.

Used in a correct way, it can help hot, rushing, sensitive horses from fearing the bit, and it can also help horses who open their mouths against a conventional noseband, because they feel them around their heads. Here, there's no chin strap, and nothing to open against. I've used this noseband successfully on many hot/unstable horses, and earned their trust and calm."
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