difference between a french link gag and a snaffle gag?

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EJ87

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I currently ride my girl who is very strong in a happy mouth snaffle gag on the 2nd ring and it seems to have made her move controllabke speed wise but she will do alot of head flinging throughout our session and will shake her head when asked for canter. do you think its the nutcracker action that is causing this and would a french link suit her better? dont want to compromise on control though as she can gallop off with u very quick when excited.
 
Def nutcracker action can be a big problem for alot of horses, I know that neither of ours can tollerate it as they just don't have a high enough pallate and will react in the way you describe. I would def try a french link, you shouldn't loose any control but should wind up with a happy and more comfortable horse. Worth bearing in mind aswell that the poll pressure caused by the gag can also make a horse fling it's head around, so something to consider too if a french link doesn't solve this issue.
 
French link doesn't have a nutcracker action, but from your previous posts I still think the 'holding her on a tight rein' is the more likely cause. Please stop skirting the main issue & get a good instructor, they will be able to advise on the best bit to use when they see you.
 
I assume you mean a single-jointed gag, as a gag cannot be a snaffle bit, it's one or the other. A gag can have a French-link mouthpiece, or a snaffle can have a French-link mouthpiece.
Many horses dislike single-jointed mouthpieces, as they can poke the soft pallet, which is painful. A single-jointed gag bit ridden on one rein is particularly likely to do this, especially if on a tight rein. If you watch someone else riding this way, you will see what I mean, the mouthpiece tips as the rider pulls the rein, A gag is better ridden with 2 reins IMO.
As someone else said, you really need a good instructor's input.
 
I have taken a few lessons now with an instuctor and its him that has told me to hold her on a tighter rein to gather her canter and stop her bombing off which does work but now has caused the head flinging and shaking and was just wondering if a french link and still held on a tight rein would be best for her and me. but i will ask his opinion when i see him again tomorrow.
 
Forgive me if its just the way you've worded it, but I'd be very dubious of any instructor who thinks a tighter rein is the solution. Half halts, transitions, using your leg, getting her working over her back to name but a few things are what you should be focusing on, not holding her head tightly.
 
littlelegs said:
Forgive me if its just the way you've worded it, but I'd be very dubious of any instructor who thinks a tighter rein is the solution. Half halts, transitions, using your leg, getting her working over her back to name but a few things are what you should be focusing on, not holding her head tightly.
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Worth bearing in mind that sometimes a rider does need to pick up the reins more, letting the reins get longer and longer is a fairly common problem, without seeing the op ride we can only guess on what is going on, so prob best left to the instructor who can actually see her ride!!

I would def change bit op, a single joint bubble gag is pretty harsh and alot of horses would have an issue with it. Does anyone on the yard have a french link you could try in the school to see how your horse feels about the mouthpiece before shelling out on a new bit? No need to canter in it if you don't feel confident about breaks lol!
 
The pony- see where you're coming from entirely, hence the reason i've suggested an instructor several times rather than specific exercises.Based on the ops previous threads, tightening the rein without using the leg is never going to be constructive for the op to stop a horse pulling & shaking its head. Obviously if her instructor is mentioning these things too & its just the ops phrasing then no harm done.
 
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