Bony spurs on bars in mouth

[horsegirl]

The dentist came out today and said my horse has bony spurs on the bars in her mouth and this is why she carries her head to one side and does not like to turn one way. I currently have her in a happy mouth Pelham but normally I jump her in a waterford gag. we are working on having more control and stopping with a lighter aid but in the meantime it is the only thing I can stop her in when at shows. Any suggestions for a bit that she might be more comfortable in and that I might be able to stop her?

 

[Jennyharvey]

To be honest, im not too suprised he has bone spurs if hes a strong horse ridden in a waterford. They really are awful bits. Bone spurs dont heal well. They may get less painful, but they do remain. The best way i feel is to remove the bit, as any bit that applies pressure the the bars will hurt the horse. Or at least use a bit that relieves bar pressure completely.

It sounds like the horse needs reschooling to not be so strong, and you must also learn not to pull. Go to an instructor who can help train you and your horse and a very light contact, especially for jumping. Even if you were to train your horse correctly with a bitless, you would have plenty of control for jumping, without risking hurting your horse's mouth. Either a bitless bridle, or a hackamore, althouth hackamores can be very sever on the horses head, and a better bridle for retraining would be a Dr Cooks, or a sidepull bridle.

If you want to continue to ride in a bit, just be aware of the pain that this can cause him with bone spurs, at least till it stops hurting him. Even tho it can still flare up if the bars get abused.