Cobs in double bridles

[tobiano1984]

I've just started riding my cob in a double - he was going fantastically in a Pelham (for showing) so I schooled him in it for a while, really doing well. But need to be BD legal and with my instructor we decided to aim to go straight out at elementary as he doesn't work so well in a snaffle and also his bearing is apparently better suited to Ele than the lower levels..!

Anyway - I just wanted some advice on doubles as I know cobs can be a bit different to the more usual dressage types.

Firstly - what bit combinations do you find work best? We're currently in a eggbutt lozenge bradoon and a low port Weymouth. I have slight issues with working out how high to have the bits - if too high his pink lips wrinkle and rub and get sore, but too low and I don't feel like the curb is engaging properly so not sure what's best..

Secondly - how long did it take to get into working properly in a double? Perhaps naively I assumed as he was used to a Pelham (which is the same mouthpiece as the Weymouth) he would be as good in a double. No such luck! We've had nearly 2 weeks of light schooling, encouraging stretching and reaching for the contact. No issues and has nice wet mouth and doesn't back off the bits at all. But also not nearly as light and collected as in the Pelham, much more like in a snaffle 😔 I don't want to put too much pressure on too soon especially until I'm sure the bits are the right ones and correctly placed.

Any tips/advice? I've only really ridden experienced horses in doubles before so not had to worry about this stage. I'm possibly being too careful but would rather be safe than sorry! He's not strong at all (hack, XC in rubber snaffle) but just leans more on a snaffle and resists. In the Pelham (2reins, Mullen) he was soft like butter and we had super collected and medium trot, simple changes etc but in other bits he feels more like an ignorant riding school cob!! Frustrating.

Help! 😁

 

[Cortez]

Here's what I do when moving on to a double bridle: For warming up I ride first on the snaffle rein (both hands as per normal), then only on the curb rein (both reins in left hand). For schooling I use the "Russian" positioning of the reins (also the way they ride at the SRS) which is left bradoon rein and both curb reins all together in the left hand, right bradoon rein in the right hand. Not at all the normal English way of doing things I know, but it is in fact the historical ("classical" if you will) way of riding the heavier type of baroque horse, such as the best sorts of heavy cob.

 

[LouisCat]

Could the double be over bitting him. I think it can be much stronger than a Pelham. Also it'll be a very different feel for him.

Just as an aside, does his mouth actually take 2 bits comfortably. It's quite a mouthful for them. I've got a connemara who we tried a double in but it was too much in his mouth and he used to bite the inside of his cheeks terribly.

Just thinking out loud really

 

[ironhorse]

I used to hunt and compete a maxi cob for a friend and he was a dream in a mullen mouth pelham but never got on with a double - he had a huge thick tongue which I think was the problem.
When I started riding him he was in a hollow mouth loose ring snaffle which he would lean on if he felt like it! We eventually tried a french link hanging cheek which gave a little bit of leverage but was nice and light in his mouth and he went on to do some very good dressage tests in it including 7th at the national side saddle champs which was a great thrill given that most of the others were on 'proper' dressage horses!

 

[pennandh]

Cobs often have difficulty with doubles because many of them have quite short mouths and very thick tongues. That being said, my Highland (who's not exactly long in the mouth) actually goes very well in a double, though it tends to make him ever-so-slightly electric. Thinner mouthpieces might help if it's a not-enough-room problem, but you might be better off with Ironhorse's solution of a hanging-cheek snaffle for dressage and the pelham for showing.