Child on pony - need slightly stronger bit temporarily, ideas?

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mystiandsunny

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Wilkie snaffle? Previous owners used a Dutch gag. Son is small but with good balance and steady hands. Pony is v strong even with me (lightweight small adult) if nervous or over excited. Rest of the time she is an angel.

I am working with son and pony to sort out her confidence off lead and to add some schooling, he is also learning when and how to act to diffuse the situation. This is going well but in the meantime I would prefer to have a slightly stronger bit, rather than to have to use a normal snaffle more strongly and bruise her mouth. I would also like to find something he can use out hacking in the summer, when he will need to steady/stop a very excited pony in a straight line (currently turning her when she doesn't listen, which works well if you have the room to do so!).
 
rara007 said:
How old is child?
Click to expand...

He is 4. Hence me being rather hesitant about finding anything stronger. He can trot/canter with no hands though (no reins until he could!) so is secure and not using the reins for balance. He has very gentle hands and when settled she stops beautifully with a little rein pressure. Not really happy though with 'give with hands then pull back suddenly and hard' which is currently the only way to steady her in canter. Today was much better than previous days, so we could carry on as we are, just want to protect her mouth as much as possible. Hence this post.
 
I'd suggest either a Kimblewick or an Uxeter, the Uxeter has more points of rein attachment though.

I'm glad you are a sensible mum who is concerned both with the childs safety and the comfort of the pony.
 
There are so many different bits and bitting solutions these days. It would probably be worth speaking to the Bit Bank. They should be able to recommend something with a mouthpiece that suits both pony and rider.

For what it is worth I'm a fan of slotted kimblewicks too. Myler do a very nice one which discourages leaning as the mouthpiece is mobile. But there is a massive range of bits out there!
 
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