Does anyone use a myler combination??

[Cherico87]

Hi Everyone, im new here so this is my first post - a friend recommended the H&H forums to me, she is a regular visitor!

I have recently bought a new horse, bit of a problem horse, his last owner could not cope with him and was barely riding him, think he may have scared her a little. Part of his history is unknown... think he may have been allowed to get away with a lot and maybe scared a few people along the way... Previously owned by a BSJA home, sold to a family as an Aff SJ horse for daughte (not in passport) for quite a high price... a few years later he is bought from a dealer. How he ended up their who knows!

In the canter he was inclined to shoot off like a rocket, the only way of stopping him was to be very strong and rather harsh and virtually to sit him on his bum! He is not hard mouthed - quite the opposite, although when using the reins his head came higher and higher and he'd just run through it like a loon. Partly he seemed scared, partly he seemed excited. When you'd finally stop he would be trembling.

I have spent the last 8 weeks in the school - and he now has a beautiful canter when he canters and doesnt charge off!! He has not charged off in a while now - draw reins have helped lower his head and they are rarely needed now.

I know that he can jump, he has BJSA winnings etc but i cannot risk taking im into competition and losing him in the ring. He is rather excitable, out hacking even on his own, when in canter he is excitable - i am now able to stop easier although he still trys to hit me in the nose a bit with his face out hacking!

I have been looking around for bits on sale at the moment, i need something that is going to help me keep his head down... or discourage him from throwing it up. He has been in an american gag before - previous owner located some history from the last owner in passport - she jumped him in an american gag, grackle noseband, cavesson noseband and a standing martingale - from this i am guessing he has always been a bit of a handful

He does work better and is less tense when his face is not strapped down! On the flat in the menage he is ridden in a loose ring sweet iron snaffle and a loose cavesson noseband and there is no problems.

I have looked into the myler combination and it seems to tick a few boxes - but is rather expensive and there doesnt seem to be many reviews about it! If anyone uses one or has a horse that sounds similar i would be grateful for your comments / suggestions!!

 

[JenHunt]

I have a myler combo that I don't use any more as I don't really need it now. I used it for XC as Ron liked to run through my hand and then I lacked steering. He learnt to just jam his head down and ignore it though (but I think that's him rather than the bit though). BUT it got the message to him that I needed him to listen to me on the XC course and we now go in a myler snaffle. He's getting better all the time with schooling too.

the one thing I would say is that they're quite different in the hand compared to almost any other bit I've ridden with. You need to learn to take the contact and release the instant you get a response, which isn't necessarily ideal when you're not riding western and you're used to the constant contact.

 

[zoon]

I find they tend to lose their effectiveness over time. Myler being an American company, has designed this bit to be used in the western style of riding - with little or no contact until needed. If ridden with an English contact the horse gets no relief from the nose pressure and gets used to it. my horse was ridden mainly in a german hackamore, so it worked fine for him as I was used to riding without the contact you'd ride with in a normal bit. Didn't use it for long though, went back to the hackamore in the end.

have you considered a kineton noseband? Fitted correctly and used with a snaffle they can be very effective. It won't apply the constant pressure on the nose like the myler combo will

 

[Puddock]

I've ridden in them a fair bit. My instructor uses them on her horses (none of them could be classed as "difficult" though, due to the amount of work and schooling she has put into them). They all go beautifully in them. I wouldn't say they are as severe as a lot of people think they are, they just work in a slightly different way to what most are used to. Jenhunt is right though, it's difficult to describe, but the contact does have to be slightly more "elastic" - ensuring the instant release is there when necessary. My own boy has a naturally high head carriage and is ridden in a pelham with two reins. Personally, I prefer the way that the contact feels in the pelham, but that may just be through familiarity, as I haven't ridden in a myler for a while.

 

[Old Bat]

I have used a myler in the past for a very strong cobby type and would echo zoon's experience, the effect wears off after a time if you try to ride in a conventional contact. Its a principle of release and reward and when used correctly is very effective. Just a thought though, if he has been running through his canter and chucking his head up it sounds as if it might be a pain response...have you checked his teeth, back, saddle fitting correctly?

 

[Elsbells]

I use a Myler high port eggbutt snaffle that I borrowed from a friend and it works a treat on my once headshy, giraffe, .....oups sorry, X BSJA mare. I can now see over her head now whilst riding

I found the more I strapped her down and the more gadgets I used, the worse she became. I have though considered the combination, but to be honest the high port snaffle suits her so well, I don't think there's a need to change over.

Well done you for getting so far

 

[Kokopelli]

I think their good bits but the really force the horses head down and you need to release with the reins rather the do one long pull (but you should do this anyway )

However, I find the American gags are just as good and have pretty much the same effect but way cheaper, afterall you don't wanna spend £90 on a bit that your horse may not even like. My horse responded to the American gag a lot better then the myler and I only use once a month to get him to respect me and then he's fine in a loose ring snaffle as he respects me

 

[ace87]

I use one on my BIG young chappy and to be entirely honest it's a real god-send.

He is incredibly sensitive in the mouth, I was running out of options to try to bit him and the bitless bridles I tried were useless on him. So I got a Myler Short Shank Combination.

Now I have a very soft, horse, who listens to what's being asked. He's never pushed to work 'on the bit' but naturally now holds his head just slightly above the verticle and pushes forward underneath himself from behind. Prior to this he would be inclined to rush when stressed and he has a tendancy to run away from pain - so when pressure built up in his mouth from a bit he would try to get away from it.

I ride with very light hands, do lots of give and re-take rein and let him find his own balance point between his nose and his mouth and he seems very happy in it. I'm never worried about the severity of it as I never EVER hang on it or jab him with it.

It's nice to have my horse underneath me now where I want him and not have him rushing off below me and a battle for control and I think he agrees it's nice to have a comfortable mouth. Ideally I will wean him back into a snaffle for dressage but he's only young and I'd rather use the Myler to teach him all my aids and what he's being asked to do, establish them with the myler then start swapping back to something dressage legal.

In short (sorry for the essay!) in the right hands, it's fabulous. In the wrong hands it's hideous.