megan_marie
Member
Hi,
Sorry if this is long...
So i'm having a bit of a bitting issue with my horse. He's a 16.2hh warmblood, with a slightly small dished head. I currently ride him on the snaffle ring of his dutch gag, which is single jointed. He goes ok in it, he takes a better contact once he has walk, trot, cantered etc. but he can then go to the opposite end and lean on it, or occasionally dive his head down or flick it upwards, but he doesn't do this constantly, but there is clearly some discomfort, or some kind of pressure he does not like. He hates the second ring, constantly fights with it, or overbends, so I rarely do this, only if I seriously need control, which is often when we jump, as he gets very excited and strong, but if he's calm enough to jump on the snaffle ring, I will. I do have a normal loose ring single jointed snaffle too, but the bars are thinner than those on the gag, so he's not particularly happy in this either.
I also tried a NS loose ring snaffle with a lozenge and he absolutely HATED this, was constantly chomping, biting, playing with it, and he would go round cantering with his head near to the floor, or he'd tuck his head in to his chest, and go behind the contact.
I was originally thinking he might dislike the nutcracker action of the single joint and perhaps if it was hitting the roof of his mouth causing pain, which is why he would occasionally fight with it, but then the lozenge bit had removed this action, yet he hated that more? So i'm thinking maybe it's a tongue pressure he dislikes. Would the lozenge have put more pressure on the tongue? I was thinking of hiring the bombers loose ring happy tongue bit, to see if it is tongue pressure he wants relief from, does anyone have experiences with this bit? I'm a bit apprehensive about the medium port in it? He's in a grackle noseband, although it's done up loosely which defeats the whole point of a grackle, he seems happier in it than a single cavesson, and I dislike flash nosebands. Perhaps he enjoys the grackle because the pressure is spread over a wider area, who knows? But I've read somewhere that you can't use a grackle noseband with a bit that has a port, is this true?
I'm not sure whether to try a french link, or whether he just dislikes any bit that has two joints. I haven't tried a straight bar, as i think it will be too mild for him and he'll end up leaning even more. I heard waterfords help with leaning, but he doesn't constantly lean, and I think how much that bit moves will upset/frustrate him, and he'll then be reluctant to take a contact at all.
He has had teeth, saddle, back checked and he's all ok, which is what makes me think it's a bitting thing.
Thanks in advance
Sorry if this is long...
So i'm having a bit of a bitting issue with my horse. He's a 16.2hh warmblood, with a slightly small dished head. I currently ride him on the snaffle ring of his dutch gag, which is single jointed. He goes ok in it, he takes a better contact once he has walk, trot, cantered etc. but he can then go to the opposite end and lean on it, or occasionally dive his head down or flick it upwards, but he doesn't do this constantly, but there is clearly some discomfort, or some kind of pressure he does not like. He hates the second ring, constantly fights with it, or overbends, so I rarely do this, only if I seriously need control, which is often when we jump, as he gets very excited and strong, but if he's calm enough to jump on the snaffle ring, I will. I do have a normal loose ring single jointed snaffle too, but the bars are thinner than those on the gag, so he's not particularly happy in this either.
I also tried a NS loose ring snaffle with a lozenge and he absolutely HATED this, was constantly chomping, biting, playing with it, and he would go round cantering with his head near to the floor, or he'd tuck his head in to his chest, and go behind the contact.
I was originally thinking he might dislike the nutcracker action of the single joint and perhaps if it was hitting the roof of his mouth causing pain, which is why he would occasionally fight with it, but then the lozenge bit had removed this action, yet he hated that more? So i'm thinking maybe it's a tongue pressure he dislikes. Would the lozenge have put more pressure on the tongue? I was thinking of hiring the bombers loose ring happy tongue bit, to see if it is tongue pressure he wants relief from, does anyone have experiences with this bit? I'm a bit apprehensive about the medium port in it? He's in a grackle noseband, although it's done up loosely which defeats the whole point of a grackle, he seems happier in it than a single cavesson, and I dislike flash nosebands. Perhaps he enjoys the grackle because the pressure is spread over a wider area, who knows? But I've read somewhere that you can't use a grackle noseband with a bit that has a port, is this true?
I'm not sure whether to try a french link, or whether he just dislikes any bit that has two joints. I haven't tried a straight bar, as i think it will be too mild for him and he'll end up leaning even more. I heard waterfords help with leaning, but he doesn't constantly lean, and I think how much that bit moves will upset/frustrate him, and he'll then be reluctant to take a contact at all.
He has had teeth, saddle, back checked and he's all ok, which is what makes me think it's a bitting thing.
Thanks in advance
