cant find a suitable bit!!

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sjjcc

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my horse has always been fussy in his mouth, he has a three ring gag in at the mo but it was making the corners of his mouth sore even thou it was a normal metal. its healed but now i dont know what to put in him any ideas?? hes not strong but has gone ridgid before in a straight bar. does anyone kno if a different type of metal would be any better or does anyone kno if there are any good websites for bits that actually tell you what the bits are good for as i cant seem to find any!!
 
I gave up and went bitless. Obviously, if you compete in certain disciplines this isn't possible, but it works for us.

What about a rubber or vulcanite bit? Or a Happy Mouth?
 
sweet iron bits will help the horse to mouth i believe due to taste

rubber and plastic are good if ur horse doesn't like the coldness in the mouth


copper is supposed to be warmer in the mouth as well

(dont hold to this as its only what i think i've been told)

i'd probs try a happy mouth loose ring with peanut joint as its nice and soft and maybe put bit rings on to prevent pinching!

Good luck in ur bit hunt!

p.s ask staff in ur local saddlery as they mite be able to help u!
 
I had a horse with a very fussy mouth. I also sort of gave up and hacked him out in a hackamore but obviously had to event in a bit. I had him in the mildest bit possible, a straightbar nathe and sometimes a Neue Schule - but he didn't really like any.

Good luck in your search.
 
A 3 ring gag made Finn very fussy and cut the corners of his mouth. I put him in a happy mouth full cheek snaffle just while the corners of his mouth healed and he really liked it and wasnt as strong as he was in the gag. Also he much prefers a french link/lozenge in the middle.
 
NS bits are fab!
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sjjcc, it won't be the metal that is making the corners sore, it will be the fact that he is pulling against you, in which case you need a bit with a different action, so you don't need to pull, or a lot more schooling.
there are loads of different types of bit, but what your horse needs depends on how he pulls (head up, head down, leaning, backing off bit, running through bit?).
sprenger, kangaroo bits and others are horse-friendly 'tasty' alloys which a lot of horses get on really well with. plastic and rubber mouthpieces aren't necessarily nicer or softer. tbh a lot of it is trial and error, because what suits 1 person's riding style so works on a particular horse, might not work for that horse with a rider of diff style and strength.
 
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sjjcc, it won't be the metal that is making the corners sore, it will be the fact that he is pulling against you, in which case you need a bit with a different action, so you don't need to pull, or a lot more schooling.
there are loads of different types of bit, but what your horse needs depends on how he pulls (head up, head down, leaning, backing off bit, running through bit?).
sprenger, kangaroo bits and others are horse-friendly 'tasty' alloys which a lot of horses get on really well with. plastic and rubber mouthpieces aren't necessarily nicer or softer. tbh a lot of it is trial and error, because what suits 1 person's riding style so works on a particular horse, might not work for that horse with a rider of diff style and strength.

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I agree. You also need to look at your horses mouth conformation before deciding on a bit. Very few horses go well in a dutch gag anyway. Usually because the rider is only using one rein, which is not how they were designed to be used. Many also have a fat mouthpiece and combined with a single joint and the massive poll pressure they are a recipe for a fussy horse because of the discomfort they cause.
 
Have you tried rubber bit guards just to see if it's pinching where the rings run through? Mine was forever cutting his lip and I've found (finally) the solution in an unjointed, curved, ported dalehead bit. Even if he pulls it has never re-split. I spoke to Heather at neue schule and she suggested a swales pelham but I thought that would be too severe. I happened to see my bit on ebay (it's a Hilary vernon one) and it's been a godsend. That said, I still need bit guards as the sliding cheek can pinch a bit - he has very fleshy lips so I don't blame the bit design as he loves the sliding cheek!!
I'm suggesting the bit guards as you say your Horse isn't strong. Normally splitting is caused by them pulling (as was the case with mine). The other thing to check, might be obvious, is that your bit is the right width. I would not suggest plastic or rubber as neither encourages a wet mouth and cause far more friction that metal.
See if you can borrow some other bits to try. A good place to start would be a lozenge of some sort on a fixed cheek (like an eggbutt, full cheek or D ring) which solves the potential problem of pinching by the loose ring.
 
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