crossing jaw and/ or tongue over bit.suggestions please.

charlie76

charlie76

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Our new horse has learnt to do this and we are trying To solve it.
He came To us with this problem.
Have had dentist and he had a wolf tooth removed that Was hurting him and was probably the cause of the evasion in the first case.
We now need him to realise it no longer hurts and reverse the resistance however he is struggling to understand and is either crossing his jaw or trying to get his tongue over the bit.
When he crosses his jaw he is very difficult to stop!
Also had his back checked
Any suggestions?
 
Have you considered the size and shape of his tongue, some horse have very fleshy tongues which leave little room for bits. Equally some can horses have quite thin flat tongues. They then try and evade through crossing the jaw and or tongue out or over. It might be worth having a look and exploring different types of bits and see what he is most suited to or prefers.

I have found a Mexican high ring grackle was really useful for one of our older horses who had a history of crossing his jaw and flopping a tongue out. We also played around with bits and found he was happiest in a bridoon snaffle.
 
Thanks. I have been playing about with bits. The dentist had a look at the conformation of his mouth and tongue and suggested a eggbutt snaffle with a double joint. I put him a french link and he wasn't much better. At the moment I have him in a Myler comfort snaffle but he seems to find that even easier to get his tongue over due to the straightness of it.
I ride him in a flash noseband and I have tried him with just a cavesson but he still does it.
I have a mexican grackle, will try that.
My other thought was a drop.

The evasion has def come from his teeth issue as he was even worse before the wolf tooth removed, he would refused to trot and canter up and down on the spot crossing his jaw and getting cross. He now no longer does this but the mouth issue is a concern.
 
The high ring will stop crossing from the top of the jaw so should help to minimise crossing from the source. I found a drop made him very heavy in the hand where as the grackle made him much lighter. He was also better for having a lozenge in the middle. He was very frustrating as if you chopped off his tongue he was the picture of balance and harmony. With his tongue out he got hammered by judges! Interestingly he was worse in a Myler.
 
I think this one is worse in the myler. Will def try the grackle- thanks! He will be an event horse so will be able to wear it.
 
I was going to suggest having his back done, but as you said you've already had this done.

My mare was doing exactly the same, crossing her jaw, getting her tounge over the bit, We believe now its because of the saddle (causing her pain through her back)

Hope you find a solution, sorry I cant be of any help

x
 
Many horses that put their tongue over the bit are better with a happy mouth - either eggbutt or with cheeks. However it is a question of what suits each horse - a demi-anky works with some and a thinnish eggbutt can also work as long as it sits fairly snug each side. I also find a lozenge better than a french link if a double joint is what suits. A mexican grackle helps a crossing jaw and many horses are more comfortable in that than a flash. A micklem bridle is well worth considering as well - they can be much softer and more accepting in their jaw in one.
 
I had a horse that would constantly open his mouth and/or put his tongue over the bit, would always really fight with a flash/grackle on, I was advised by a dressage trainer to let him fight it out until he 'gave in' (gave up?)
However after reading a post on here regarding horses with large tongues that are in constant pain from pressure from a conventional shaped bit (he was in a kk ultra with a lozenge) I tried a myler ported bit and he was a different horse, totally settled, never opens his mouth, no flash or grakle required even when jumping.
 
My daughter had this same problem with her horse. He was worse in the Myler because of how they sit in their mouth. The bit curves round at their lips and tends to sit slightly further forwards in their mouth which makes it easier to to get their tongue over as they don't have so far to pull it back. (Sorry, if that might take some imagination to understand!)


*At least this is what the bit people told my daughter
 
Off topic but did you ever find out what caused the problem with your ponies that you said was similar to atypical myopathy. I hope all the others stayed healthy.
 
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