french link, lozenge, roller??

tigerlily12345

tigerlily12345

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sorry for all the bit questions!! :rolleyes:

which would you advise? she has a very sensitive mouth but then i dont want to lose the little control i have! i used a single jointed but im not a fan of the nut cracker action so want buy one with a different joint :)
 
A french link would be a milder mouthpiece than a single jointed one, and you should still have plenty of control too. There are also mullen mouthpieces, ported mouthpieces which are milder than a single jointed snaffle too. Im not too sure about rollers or lezenges as ive never used them, but they would prob be milder than a single jointed bit too.
 
Can you borrow some bits to see which works best? I used to ride my Tb in a single jointed loose ring snaffle but found he lent a bit on it so i changed him to a slightlt thinner french link loose ring and he went alot more forwards into a better outline and didnt lean. Mare i have now is quite forward going but has a sensitive mouth. We originally had her in a loose ring french link but she was inconsistant in the contact. Tried the Neue Schul team up with the lozenge, but she was even worse so we now have her in a sprenger kk ultra which has a lozenge, she loves it. Really depends on the problem and the horse.
 
IMO the best thing is to borrow or hire a variety of bits and see which your horse goes best in. I agree with you about the nut-cracker action of the single jointed bit. Horrible things!
 
i have been riding her for about 7months now and she is a nutter but after lots of work calming her, getting used to her and lots and lots of lessons we have gotten to a much better point- lessons have really helped getting her working long and low and she is much better
however when jumping she just runs through the bit. she is just very very excitable and the the prospect of poles on the floor is just too much for her (let alone when the jump goes up) so now her flatwork is better im trying her in a stronger bit so i can ride her without just hanging onto her mouth to prevent her galloping at everything.
so i borrowed a dutch gag today in my lesson and she went beautifully, to the extent where i was able to adjust her stride rather than just hang on for dear life!
however the bit i found to borrow is a single jointed and coco's owner said if it works she will buy her one but like i said i dont like the joint. her current bit is a french link snaffle which does work well but i was just looking for other opinions :)
 
Evelyn said:
If the horse is going well in the single joint then don't stress; buy her one with a single joint.
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i just dont want to cause problems later i saw someone on hear say something about a single joint hiting the roof of they mouth and bruising? please correct me if im wrong?
 
tigerlily12345 said:
i just dont want to cause problems later i saw someone on hear say something about a single joint hiting the roof of they mouth and bruising? please correct me if im wrong?
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There is a misconception going - caused by the website Sustainable Dressage. There is a model in there that has everyone convinced that whenthe horse comes onthe bit the bit rotates around and socks it in the roof of the mouth. It is very incorrect, the horse is holding the bit in his mouth, whenhe moves his head the bit goes - in the same alignment - with him. It is the position and actioin of the rider in response who can affetct the action. Eg - If the horse raises it's head high and the rider puts his hands down then the bit will rotate as the angle of contact with the reins has altered - one of the reasons I loathe running martingales.

If the rider raises his hands and keeps the straight line elboe hand horses mouth, and uses his legs to push the horses head down the angle of the bit won't change.

I look at it if The Spanish Riding School horses can perform to the level they do in a Fulmer snaffle and drop noseband on horses that will by their build have fleshy mouths and tongues then most of our horses will go well inthem too.

We fuss too much about bits instead of working on schooling, the amount of exercise we give our horses and the too much food they get fed.
 
tigerlily12345 said:
i have been riding her for about 7months now and she is a nutter but after lots of work calming her, getting used to her and lots and lots of lessons we have gotten to a much better point- lessons have really helped getting her working long and low and she is much better
however when jumping she just runs through the bit. she is just very very excitable and the the prospect of poles on the floor is just too much for her (let alone when the jump goes up) so now her flatwork is better im trying her in a stronger bit so i can ride her without just hanging onto her mouth to prevent her galloping at everything.
so i borrowed a dutch gag today in my lesson and she went beautifully, to the extent where i was able to adjust her stride rather than just hang on for dear life!
however the bit i found to borrow is a single jointed and coco's owner said if it works she will buy her one but like i said i dont like the joint. her current bit is a french link snaffle which does work well but i was just looking for other opinions :)
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It sounds like its more of a training issue than a bitting issue. You might just have to take this horse back a few stages and re-educate her about polework and jumping, so that she learns she doesnt have to get all bothered by the prospect of jumping. The reason a stronger bit works is because you need to apply less pressure to get the same response. It may appear you are using less pressure, but from a horse's point of view, it wont appear so.
I would work on doing lots of polework to get her to realise its not such a big deal, and same with jumping. Shes obviously had a reason to get all worked up about it, its up to you to reasure her that there isnt anymore.
 
Jennyharvey said:
It sounds like its more of a training issue than a bitting issue. You might just have to take this horse back a few stages and re-educate her about polework and jumping, so that she learns she doesnt have to get all bothered by the prospect of jumping. The reason a stronger bit works is because you need to apply less pressure to get the same response. It may appear you are using less pressure, but from a horse's point of view, it wont appear so.
I would work on doing lots of polework to get her to realise its not such a big deal, and same with jumping. Shes obviously had a reason to get all worked up about it, its up to you to reasure her that there isnt anymore.
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thank you, but it really isnt this, she is 13 years old and has been blasted at every pole, at every jump, and on every grass verge in the past, she has simple blown her brain, she isnt scared she just loves to jump and go fast, i have spent the last 7 months having regular jumping and flatwork lessons before i even considered putting a stronger bit in but now we (me and my instructor) feel it would help having a stronger bit and in fact did help a lot :)
 
Jennyharvey said:
It sounds like its more of a training issue than a bitting issue. You might just have to take this horse back a few stages and re-educate her about polework and jumping, so that she learns she doesnt have to get all bothered by the prospect of jumping. The reason a stronger bit works is because you need to apply less pressure to get the same response. It may appear you are using less pressure, but from a horse's point of view, it wont appear so.
I would work on doing lots of polework to get her to realise its not such a big deal, and same with jumping. Shes obviously had a reason to get all worked up about it, its up to you to reasure her that there isnt anymore.
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I agree. My lad used to run at the jumps, then continue to run after them!! He got really worked up and excited.

My instructor therefore had me jumping a small jump (only 50cm), then 15 meters after the jump, we should be stood still. Once standing, do a turn on the forehand, and head back over the jump. We continued to do this for a while, until he got the idea that after the jump, he needed to "Slow Down", and on the way to the jump, take it easy.

Now he's much better! I still do this every now and then to remind him, but he's much better :D

*** sorry just seen your reply to the the other post!!
 
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