First Time Jumping In TT Bit Report

not read all the replys but my best advice would be to a)send a video of her to neue schule and see what they advise - very helpful people b) consider a change in noseband instead? autumn is well schooled to carry herself however jumping she does sometimes get a bit keen and leans downwards - grackle helped with this enormously.

and c) lessons lessons lessons. They have helped my flatwork (and thus jumping) enormously. sounds like you dont have too many problems with the fences its the inbetween bits you need to get right - and then the jumps will be even better!
 
RudolphsRider said:
Yeah, will it be alot of them to come out? :p iv heard alot of great things about them bits, adn tehre the only ones i havent tried, you seen teh price ;) lol but if had someone to show me who knows what there on about as you said it will be better than me ramdomly picking one
Yes right up, like the fence she will fight to rush to it with her head up high :/
and she does go nicer when you gentel and a tad looser but then learns she can still go fast like this.....
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I don't know how much it would cost, mine came out for free, but then again, I have bought a few bits from them:)
 
Kokopelli said:
Don't jump in a standing please! I've had too many could have been very nice horses who were ruined from jumping in a standing!! Sorry its one of my big pet peeves.

I thought she was going well in a snaffle anyway? Why change it again?

If she throwing her head in the air I would be asking myself why is she doing it? Is she in pain are you jabbing her in the mouth or perhaps your too hard in your hands which she does not like? Or maybe in a previous home she has been jabbed in the mouth a lot and its force of habit to throw her head up to avoid pain.

Perhaps try canter poles after and before the fence to get her concentrating. May sound crazy but ever tries her in a rubber snaffle? Also if she is throwing her head up in the air a Dutch gag will bring her head up as its an elevator bit so re-think what your putting her in.

Was you riding in the TT with two reins or one?
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no idea, shes fine when shes doing around he school but towards the fence shes like 'GO GO GOO' and heads up and shes like woo'
Yeahh she was in a rubber snaffle but she leans on that

one rein
 
Yeah ill get a video next time i jump :D
i will have lesons but wait til xmas is out the way then im gsoing to get incontact ith the BS coach
shes already in a grackle,
i just want a bit i can do a bit of everything in.... a bit of hacking ect just nice and simple
 
RudolphsRider said:
no idea, shes fine when shes doing around he school but towards the fence shes like 'GO GO GOO' and heads up and shes like woo'
Yeahh she was in a rubber snaffle but she leans on that

one rein
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So she leansand throws her head up? Wow you got a tough time ahead of you! Also is she excited about jumping or is it nerves or are you getting tense (due to fear or excitement) when she jumps and that is setting her off?

I agree with a previous poster on here though that perhaps just carry on schooling etc unil you have this control and when you are jumping why do you need to put the jump up to 1.05?

And you should ride in a TT with two reins
 
Have you tried jumping her with canter poles before/after? Did it make any difference?

I'd definitely suggest giving it a go if not. Also lots of transitions in between the fences (where possible) and I often found it helpful to have a single fence at X facing the short side, gives them less room to take hold I found!
 
I'd try the DrCookes, give it a go! Just remember, when bitless she won't go as 'round' as in a bit, and you will have to employ your arse to steer her a tad more, that said I never found I had reduced steering :)
 
Thanks im going to see if i can get hold of one :D
i think she gets excited and gets faster and i get nevous cause i think its going to go wrong or i wont get a stride and ill end up on the ground..... :(... that maybe where the problem lies?
i did shes tries to jump the canter poles... x
 
RudolphsRider said:
i think she gets excited and gets faster and i get nevous cause i think its going to go wrong or i wont get a stride and ill end up on the ground..... :(... that maybe where the problem lies?
i did shes tries to jump the canter poles... x
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I really think this is your problem here! If she is okay on the flat whats different over fences, jumps are basically flatwork with bumps.

Try and relax when you jump wiggle your shoulders and legs around to reduce any tenseing and don't interfear with her too much. Mares can be a lot more sensitive to riders then geldings aswell which doesn't always help.

I really think some lessons with a good instructor can help you because by the sounds and the looks of her she knows her job and what shes doing but you may be interfearing with her a bit. Don't think about what can go wrong, imagine in your head how you want the jump to go and only think of that, don't think you can fall off (I know easier said then done)
 
Yeah, thank you :o and i panic about jumping cause the bracks are very limited and its a tad off putting, so i try to listen to others but i think my panicing about bracking ect is off putting :o like my fall.. i was told happened cause of a dogdy stride so now every time i get a dodgy stride its like errrr :|

Yes, get incontact with the BS coach soon as new year is over :)
thanks alot
 
RudolphsRider said:
Yeah, thank you :o and i panic about jumping cause the bracks are very limited and its a tad off putting, so i try to listen to others but i think my panicing about bracking ect is off putting :o like my fall.. i was told happened cause of a dogdy stride so now every time i get a dodgy stride its like errrr :|

Yes, get incontact with the BS coach soon as new year is over :)
thanks alot
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I was like this on Koko, but sometimes you just got to let them get on with it.If you put a placing pole by the fence aswell you don't need to worry about striding :)
 
RudolphsRider said:
Yes right up, like the fence she will fight to rush to it with her head up high :/
and she does go nicer when you gentel and a tad looser but then learns she can still go fast like this.....
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This is where your seat needs to come in!

I had a pony come to me for reschooling (I eventually bought it he was so talented!) and he had been trained on the bungie.
He used to throw his head up coming into a fence every time, he was in a snaffle and martingale.

What I had to do, was have absolutely NO contact to his mouth when he jumped and all my control was from my seat - sitting very still, and using weight to turn!
Jumping in a headcollar worked very well.

At the start it was hairy, but the jumps I kept small and easy.

This worked for him - and once he grew in confidence I could gradually pick up the contact and he was fab :)

Just another thought - sometimes when horse's realise that it is ok, they calm down :)
 
only_me said:
This is where your seat needs to come in!

I had a pony come to me for reschooling (I eventually bought it he was so talented!) and he had been trained on the bungie.
He used to throw his head up coming into a fence every time, he was in a snaffle and martingale.

What I had to do, was have absolutely NO contact to his mouth when he jumped and all my control was from my seat - sitting very still, and using weight to turn!
Jumping in a headcollar worked very well.

At the start it was hairy, but the jumps I kept small and easy.

This worked for him - and once he grew in confidence I could gradually pick up the contact and he was fab :)

Just another thought - sometimes when horse's realise that it is ok, they calm down :)
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thanks you,
so use my body and no contact thank youu x
 
You have too - at the moment she dosent trust you enough :)

Do not do this though if she stops - not a great exercise, unless you want to spend your xmas in your local hospital :p

keep your legs on the whole way to a fence - this gives her security and confidence, and keep contact loose, keep her steady using your seat :)

Maybe the fact that you jump her every other week could be causing her excitement? If she likes it, there is no reason you cannot jump small every other day - little and often, might keep a handle on things :)
 
Maybe... i didt want to over jump her by jumping every week? wanted to do pole work and hacking ect not just jumpin every week, but cause shes bold :p and maybe more fresh and it seems more exciting i should jump everyweek?
no hse wont stop, but if i keep my leg on and its a dogdy stride ermm.... :o
thank you
 
Keep your leg on the whole way to a fence - imagine you are riding a horse that stops! Just not quite so much leg :)

You don't have to jump big - I was thinking about 80cm max, and letting her sort herself out, you being the happy passenger :)
Do pole work and hacking as well - keep her life varied :)
Do you school around showjumps?

:)
 
only_me said:
Keep your leg on the whole way to a fence - imagine you are riding a horse that stops! Just not quite so much leg :)

You don't have to jump big - I was thinking about 80cm max, and letting her sort herself out, you being the happy passenger :)
Do pole work and hacking as well - keep her life varied :)
Do you school around showjumps?

:)
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used too, now its dark havin to go in the indoor and the jumps HAVE to be put away after using them, maybe ill put it down and just make her work around it when its too dark outside... i try not too outside too incase i get tempeted :o
ok will try.... i know who to blame when im broken ;)
 
dieseldog said:
LoL - you don't know much about Mylers do you? They can be really really kind, most people find them far too mild for strong horses.
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Thats what I was thinking lol

The Moose has more brakes in a snaffle than in her long shank myler but she wears the myler because she is happy and settled in it. She is a strong horse but fussy in the mouth.
 
martlin said:
And I wouldn't go for standing martingale - the thought of it for jumping petrifies me :eek:
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Apologies for going off at a tangent. Growing up I was taught that standing martingales were a no-no for jumping, and yet almost every single rider in the hunter classes over here has their horse in one.

According to this video, it's the only type of martingale allowed, and only in the jumping sections:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5uon9djY2I
 
Lots of ideas on this thread already, but I'll throw in another one! Have a look at the pee wee bit (would put a link up, but I'm on my phone, and can't work out how to paste a link!). Look it up on Google. I had a horse who was frankly dangerous xc (v strong, but if you took a pull he would either rear up vertically or bolt flat out back to the lorry park), had tried every bit and noseband combo with no success. Came across the pee wee by chance, and the difference is incredible. My horse now listens to me, and he is so much happier. It looks a bit weird, but just bear it in mind. I was ready to retire my boy from eventing 6 months ago, but now I can't wait for next season, and hopefully move him up to intermediate.
 
brightinsel said:
KristmasKatt your suggestion would be merely adding to this pony's woes, discomfort and unhappiness. The problems are in her head and on her back - no gadgets will sort them out.
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Umm did you actually read my post???? I said:

KristmasKatt said:
To be honest I think your problem isn't really the bit but the schooling, and I think you would probably be best finding a bit that Ebs is happy with on the flat and working from there. Changing bits all the time is going to unsettle her too if you aren't careful, and I think you need to learn to half halt through your body not your hand and she needs to learn to jump from a nice steady rhythm rather than rushing. I think the best investment would be some decent lessons with a good experienced instructor. I'm sure if you ask someone will recommend someone suitable.
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I didn't suggest a standing martingale, I responded to a question about one. They can be useful for horses that chuck their head in the air, especially as they don't interfere with the horse's mouth, or your contact. But jumping in them is controversial and potentially dangerous.

Personally having read the whole thread it is pretty clear it is a schooling/rider issue rather than a bitting issue. Therefore I stand by my original suggestion of getting recommendations for a good instructor.

I suspect that what is actually happening is that the rider is unintentionally "firing" the horse into the jump. Both are nervous and it is becoming a spiralling situation where the more nervous they both get the more they rush and the more dangerous it becomes. A good instructor is needed to take them back to basics and talk them through what they need to do before either horse or rider is seriously hurt.
 
never tried peewee bit heard tis some wonder bit? :o :p
and yes, i never said i blamed the horse, i know i shouldt keep trying loads of bits, but as you said i want to find something i can do everything in :)
but now its xmas and the weather.. i was going to leave it too after xmas :)
thanks :)
 
I really do not think the biting is the problem.

It seems to me that she has gotten into the way of rushing into a fence and you have gotten into the way of tensing - not a good combination...

Take a few steps back- work on the flat, incorporate poles into your flat work, even if its just one of two to start with. When you feel like this is working ok incorporate a cross pole in your schooling, lots of circles and make it no big deal when you do it. If she gets strong/fast then go back to schooling and get her calm again. She needs to learn...and you need to rebuild the trust.

I would be doing this until you can get her through a complete schooling session without her rushing/getting excited - then bit by bit add a jump. I do not know why your jumping 1m plus when she is acting like that. You need to get her to the stage that she is listening to your seat and half halts on the flat. Poles are your friend if you ask me - you need to take steps back. If she is happy in the bit on the flat then she should be happy in it to jump.

This might take months to get right, but by biting her up to the eyeballs your asking for trouble....
 
Ok, after reading all these posts, I would take the horse right back to a snaffle and a kinnerton noseband. Gives you control without excessive metalwork in the mouth.

If you have soft hands I would use a hackamore, if you havent then definitely not.

What ever you try, good luck!!

Maybe work on jumping on the lunge to try to let the horse learn to jump without fear of being jabbed in the mouth (I'm not saying this is definitely what has happened, but it's possible it's what the beastie is expecting)

Though next time, just do a couple of jumps, do them well, and then stop until the next time so that you finish on a good experience.
 
To add to the helpful suggestions (hopefully lol), does she rush when freeschooling?

If she paces herself well when free in the school, she might be like my Rosie. I have to let her go to the fence herself with no contact, leg on to support and a mild bit. If I do this, she sees the fence, drops into her own rhythm and all's ok - if she mucks the striding up a bit she'll fix it herself and you just have to stay on. Rosie is lethal though under 3ft - I mean, so fast it's scary. 3ft+ and she just settles and jumps like a pro - you rebalance after the jump, hold round the corners/for a few strides, line up for the next fence, give and send her on.

Rosie is like this partly 'cause she's a welshx and thinks she knows best, and partly because her mouth conformation means that if you even touch the reins in the air with anything other than a rubber bit, it catches the roof of her mouth and hurts. Her rushing if you go into a fence with a contact is an anticipation of 'ow' over it. She still does it a bit without a bit but to a lesser extent, then it's just her personality saying 'get off, I know what I'm doing!' lol!
 
Rather than spending more money on bits and gadgets and asking complete strangers on the forum who are guessing the shape of your horse's mouth, get a professional out to help you. If you don't want to get an instructor out until after christmas then don't jump until after christmas. You are not doing Ebs any good chopping and changing and trying this and that with no real idea of what's wrong. For my money, having owned a rusher, it's the schooling.
 
QR

Sounds to me like you are very fortunate, to have an extremely forward jumping pony. Mine is like this, just sit down and put leg ON. The time you got a "bad stride" and got hurt, I bet you fiddled. Don't mess, let it do its job, sound like it knows it. Which is why stronger bits are just frustrating it, and yes they ARE dangerous on this type of ride (just watch youtube vids of horses fighting on the way into a BIG XC fence and see the aftermath). With a strong horse, and particularly one like yours which sounds as though it has a soft mouth, leg leg leg all the way. Can you post a vid? Sounds a nice sort would love to see it!
 
KristmasKatt said:
Umm did you actually read my post???? I said:



I didn't suggest a standing martingale, I responded to a question about one. They can be useful for horses that chuck their head in the air, especially as they don't interfere with the horse's mouth, or your contact. But jumping in them is controversial and potentially dangerous.
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Umm - yes - in particular
A standing martingale might be worth a try but you need to be very careful if you are going to jump in one.
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How many bits have you tried on her now? Quite a few, if memory serves me, and she's still strong and forward. That should tell you it's not the bit. I have a very strong, very green, very goofy OTTB and I ride her in a French link eggbutt snaffle and a plain cavesson. I have never had trouble with brakes or rating because I ride with my seat and legs. It sounds like you need to learn the same.

Invest the money spent on bits in lessons, that would be my advice.
 
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