good bits for strong ponies

[Rosiepin02]

anyone know any effective bits for strong ponies with soft mouths

 

[Butterbear]

For fear of being shot down...You do not need a stronger bit, you need to do some schooling or if you don't have the experience to do that then find someone who does or you will be in a position asking "What bit for strong pony with *hard* mouth?"

 

[rara007]

Strong pony with soft mouth...? Do you mean the mouth physically prone to damage and if so what?

 

[Shay]

Echo-ing butterbear's fear of being shot down...Having brought my daughter through BS Juniors it isn't uncommon to see ponies who are actually soft in the mouth being ridden in very strong bits. When you are going hell for leather around a jump off course almost as high as the pony then you do tend to need the extra commitment. On the other side of the pony fence you do get ponies who have had a lifetime of getting pulled at or kids learning to balance on them - of just working out that they will win against the kid in a tug of war - who do need something different for the safety of all concerned. I would personally prefer to see a pony it a bit that is respected and that allowed the child to have a light contact ( and is appropriately under instruction of course) rather than get into a tug of war on a snaffle.

OP - you haven't broken down your question well enough. What are you and pony doing? What is your experience like? (be careful - nothing to give away your age. Its an open forum) Why is it you feel you need something more? What does your regular instructor say?

 

[Seville]

For fear of being shot down...You do not need a stronger bit, you need to do some schooling or if you don't have the experience to do that then find someone who does or you will be in a position asking "What bit for strong pony with *hard* mouth?"

This....agree with every word. The answer is never more severe iron mongery, its about schooling. Bits aren't brakes, they are communication lines.

 

[Rosiepin02]

Sorry everyone I think it was unclear what I was trying to ask, I have a little 14.2hh, he's a bit of a nutter but I've had him for 3 years and I'm still facing the same problem, he has a little trick of tucking his head into his chest and taking off, he can be very head strong especially in canter, I think I need a bit that can raise his head up but also help me to control him abit better. It's not just that, I've been told he can only be in a happy mouth as he find other bits very uncomfortable. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Shay]

Thats an unusual assertion. Do you know what it is about a happy mouth specifically? Happy mouth have a broad range of mouthpiece types and thicknesses so I would be surprised to find a pony who could go happily in any happy mouth variant but not in anything else.

First port of call OP is your instructor. What do they say?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

If this is a child's pony, far better imo to use a stronger bit than teach the child to haul on the reins to get a response. Often ponies respond well to Pelhams or Kimblewick. An instructor's input would be useful on the ground.

 

[Rosiepin02]

No he's not a child's pony however I am quite small and therefore it's difficult for me to keep his head up. I've had a few trainers who've told me I need some sort of bit that will gently bring his head up. He was previously in a happy mouth Pelham but is now in a happy mouth gag

 

[ester]

what sort of gag? a running/cheltenham gag would usually act on the lips to bring the head up, a 3 ring/continental gag will likely be doing the opposite.

 

[Rosiepin02]

3 ring I think which might be the problem, it's doing the opposite action to what I need it to do

 

[ester]

especially if you aren't using it with a curb strap you could be adding quite a lot of poll pressure which will bring the head down if not make it curl up.

If you wanted to try a runing gag do so with two reins, then you can ride off the snaffle and it will act as a snaffle most of the time, and try and encourage him to take the bit down and forwards (the latter being important with curlers) and then you can use the second rein only for correction when it is required.

 

[Rosiepin02]

Thankyou that's really helpful

 

[Auslander]

The nose on chest/soft mouth combination is one of the hardest problems to have, particularly when combined with a whizzy pony. Ideally, getting the pony to slow his brain down, and allow you to ride him forward from the leg would be the solution, so you can push his nose out. However, if he's the sort of pony I suspect he is from what you've said, this isn't an easy job. Bitting him up won't really help if he is sticking his nose on his chest and running away with you, as the more pressure you put on his mouth, the more he'll fold himself up.
How much flat schooling do you do, and how does he go on the flat? I'd be inclined to do lots and lots and lots of slow work, getting him to stretch down and keep his nose forward, quietly half halting him every time he tries to go behind the bit and rush. I find boring them half to death makes them more rideable, and once you've got them rideable, you can work on getting them more reactive to correct aids. You almost want him lazy, so that you can introduce a stronger leg, and ride him up to the bit, rather than hanging on to the front end with no leg on. In an ideal world, sack off the exciting stuff for a few months, while you work on getting the basics correct. Excitement/adrenaline at this point will just put you right back to square 1, so is best avoided if you can bear it!

 

[Cloball]

Just to echo what everyone has said... I had a similar sounding 13.2 pony given to me when I was a teen who came in a 3 ring gag and would tuck her head in to evade and get faster and faster. We actually put her in a french link hanging snaffle and spent a lot of time schooling with a lot of slow work. I think her brain was a wee bit fried.

She was a super mare, taught me so much, one of the safest to hack I've ever sat on and would jump the moon if you asked. I do wonder what happened to her.

 

[ycbm]

This....agree with every word. The answer is never more severe iron mongery, its about schooling. Bits aren't brakes, they are communication lines.

Never is a very strong word. In cobs and other horse with thick necks, for example, a pelham with a light hand is often much kinder than a snaffle with a strong hand. The same is true of many horses in exciting group riding situations like hunting, with bits like pelhams and gags.

 

[Chinchilla]

Never is a very strong word. In cobs and other horse with thick necks, for example, a pelham with a light hand is often much kinder than a snaffle with a strong hand. The same is true of many horses in exciting group riding situations like hunting, with bits like pelhams and gags.

Agree; a "stronger" bit used lightly is better than a "kinder" one that is constantly being hauled on by the rider.

 

[Landcruiser]

Just a thought - one of mine (also 14.2) used to do this exact thing when I first got him, and he came to me in a long shank western bit with curb chain. He has a very bendy neck! He was transformed by going bitless. Literally from day 1 in a Dr Cook (and later in other types of bitless as I wan't a big fan of the Dr Cook), he had 100 brakes and steering, both sadly lacking in a bit. May be worth a try?

 

[Rosiepin02]

He's not too bad on the flat, he does these huge leaps that helps him to balance as going from trot to canter as he is rather unbalanced especially doing this transition, this is also where he tends to tuck his head in

 

[Rosiepin02]

I guess I just need to give a few things a go and see what works, thankyou!