Drop Noseband/Icelandic Bridle?

[reb1825]

Long story short, when I bought my horse he was in a flash. I took this off as I'm generally not a fan of them and found he instantly worked much better into his bridle, which improved even more when I ditched a noseband altogether. One issue - he gapes his mouth in downward translations, even if I don't pick up my reins at all and ask purely through my seat, and I would like to try some affiliated BD, which I would need a noseband for.
I have been considering getting a drop for him as it doesn't have pressure in the same area as a regular noseband but should help the whole gaping issue. Is this a good idea?
He is also very fine and so needs a pony size bridle, and the only drop nosebands I've found in his size, within my budget and that look to nice quality are Icelandic pony ones. I think this would be okay for everyday English use but not totally sure, has anyone else tried this?

 

[supsup]

Hm. I have trouble believing that the gaping on downward transitions doesn't have something to do with your hands. I've never seen a horse randomly open the mouth only on downward transitions without there being some rein contact. I'd get an instructor to have a look and give you feedback.
In the meantime, the Icelandic drop nosebands will be perfectly legal and usable for BD. It's more a question of style - some have rivets, or a flat rather than raised style noseband, and they tend to buckle up on the crown, rather than on the side/cheek. If you want a more standard look, check out e.g. Sabre. They sell drop nosebands in various styles. Good quality and don't cost the earth either.

 

[reb1825]

My instructor thinks it's a learnt habit and suggested going back to a flash, but she wasn't around when i changed him out of it to see the difference it made. He's trained for western pleasure and does the same neck reining (which seriously looks bizarre). I think it might partially be a balance thing because he can get quite heavy on his forehand and it seems to be improving, but I'm not sure
I'll have a look at that brand, j can't say I've heard of it and there was me thinking I'd scoured the Internet - Hööks also have a fairly nice English style one.
Thanks for the suggestion!