Dressage bit

H-J

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What dressage legal bit would you suggest for a large strong horse who is soft in the mouth when he gets warmed up but can be tense in the mouth to start with and finds it difficult to relax over his back and become light enough in the mouth to turn easily.

He jumps in a 3 ring sweet iron jointed snaffle at the mo and goes well in that.

Are sweet iron bits ok to use??
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I have a v large chap 17.2hh who I compete in dressage with- he is also v soft in his mouth however being so large it has taken time to get him balanced and find a bit that he is happy in as he has a small mouth- I have tried him in a french link hanging cheek, which he went ok in but I think was a bit strong. I now have him in a Sprenger kk aurigan bradoon- he loves this bit and goes really well in it and really froths up his mouth in it. I started my other horse in it when he also was a youngster and he liked it very much!... good luck.
 
Sweet iron bits are fine, or any material so long as the bit is entirely of the same material, ie. no copper rollers/strips.

Have you tried a hanging cheek snaffle? That would be abit like riding on the snaffle ring of a gag although it is slightly less mobile, it's a bit stronger than a standard eggbutt or loose ring snaffle and is perfectly legal for dressage. You can get lots of different mouthpeice types and materials for it so couldexperiment to see what works best.
 
Are waterfords dressage legal? RC level only.
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Sorry, hijacking thread here, not suggesting it for your horse HollyJane!
 
That bit looks good to me, my own horse is similar to yours in some ways, he's soft at home but tenses up at competitions (though he hasn't done many so can't blame him!), i have him in a happy mouth three joint hanging cheek and he is much happier in this than anything else i've tried, with the exception of a mullen mouth nathe (which is the nicest bit in the world in my oppinion!), but sadly not very strong so no good when he decides he wants to tank!
 
Eek, got to do a dressage test on Oh's mare next week, only ever ridden her in a waterford!! Crikey, will have to try a french link as it is all I've got that will fit her
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