bitting q - baucher waterford - leather curb??

A

almorton

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 March 2008
Messages
1,071
Location
GreyGates Sport Horses Lancashire
www.greygatessporthorses.co.uk
i have one of my mares in a hanging cheek waterford (neue schule)
I am reluctant to change mouthpiece as she really accepts it well considering the mouth problems we have had (! story for another day!!) but i could do with a few more brakes out jumping.

does anyone see any reason why i couldnt put a leather curb strap on the top cheek ring?
i thought this may give me a little extra, i dont want to resort to a true gag as i think she likes the action of a hanging cheek, and for the first time in 18moths she is settled in the mouth in this bit!
any suggestions / critique etc welcomed!
by the way, she is rising 5yo, near on 17hands, big warmblood mare, plenty of bone. darco x concorde.
im 5'5'', 9 stone and have arthritis in my hands, hence the waterford as she cant get hold, not because she is a naughty strong horse!

so, what do you guys think?

laugh.gif

any other ideas?
confused.gif
 
Sounds very similar
wink.gif
Sounds worth a try otherwise I would get hold of one of the universals in the waterford and put a curb on that?
smile.gif
 
It may make a little difference but contrary to popular belief, hanging cheek snaffles do not exert a lever action when the reins are pulled. The extra strap may make the bit even more stable in the mouth but I am not sure what benefit that would have for a strong horse.
 
Agree bearskin, however, it would stop any rotation in the cheek, and so offer a small amount of curb action... but yes it wouldnt be a huge amount.
 
katb - yeah think we are singing from the same hymn sheet so to speak! lol. im not sure she would accept the amount of movement the universal gives but its worth a try! open to any ideas!

bearskin - yes i completely agree! i only need a tiny amount more brakes tho. i cant go stronger in the mouth piece as she refuses to drop her head and throw a shape in anything else, i think she likes the fact that the hanging cheek lifts in her mouth and takes the pressure off.

so what do we think? would it give me a touch more, and worth a try, or is not worth upsetting her? (precious ginger that she is!
mad.gif
) or should i go straight to the universal? im just worried that may be too strong. she has BMW brakes upon takeoff if i have too much in her mouth!
grin.gif
grin.gif
 
You can always try it and see - there are more things in heaven and earth.

Two points, though. The curb will not sit in the "groove" the way a curb on a leverage bit will, as that's obviously not what those rings are designed for. And a Baucher doesn't have any leverage, sorry. In order for that to be the case, the "pull" of the rein would have to come below the fulcrum, which is the mouthpiece. There isn't any poll pressure. The reason it's designed like that is to "lighten" the bit in the horse's mouth so that it doesn't rest on the bars/tongue as in an ordinary snaffle. So putting a curb on would actually limit that factor. That said, again, you never know and weirder things have happened.

Another option would be a ring with "hooks" like Mylers and similar have. That would fix your rein slightly below the fulcrum and their designed to accept a curb strap as possible addition if the regular gag action is not sufficient. Even that level of leverage is surprisingly effective - good and bad sometimes!
 
this was suggested by a nice person via pm!
http://www.ridingbitz.com/product_detail.cfm?id=A1863
anyone tried this before?
how strong did you find it?
Compared to a normal waterford?
basically, i need to ensure i get 5 not 4 1/2 in a 5 stride distance, 6 not 5 1/2 in a 6 etc!
im not miles out, the brakes are just on a go slow!
or i need more weetabix
grin.gif
 
A curb strap on a baucher would only stop the bit from being pulled through the mouth, unless you could find a way of making the rein catch further down on the ring (tape??)

However if you only need a 'little' extra, how about a beval?

Bev_TongueS1.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top