Help! Horse getting reins in mouth!

digitalangel

digitalangel

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This has happened twice now and im now sporting a sore head and nose after she reared and smacked me one in a panic!

My new girlie has started this very annoying habit of when we are standing and reins are loose ( ie waiting for a gate, or just chatting as you do ) all of a sudden she will freak out and panic, and start rearing - both times ive jumped off to find the reins are actually in her mouth - the bit that buckles to the bit. I take them out and shes fine again. Shes in a grackle bridle and the noseband is fairly tight but i dont want to close it even more! Shes in a happy mouth hanging cheek, with a martingale with stops. she stands quietly but does seem to chomp on the bit. Them boom! out of nowhere she panics.

Christ knows how shes doing this - after she did it again tonight i tried to literally put the reins in her mouth and had trouble! shes not moving her head side to side so i dont know how she manages it to be honest! I want to take her hunting but no way i can at the moment with this annoying habit!

Hoping someone can shed some light and ultimately stop her doing it!!?????
 
Are her teeth all okay?

If so then I would get the bit guards, I have the avello (sp?) gel ones you can get them from rbs. They should stop them.from.going in her mouth.
 
yes her teeth have been done only last week actually and theyre perfect ( they had been done before but i only ever trust my dentist lol )

awesome! will look for bit guards!
 
hmmm not sure how an irish martingale would work as they sit behind the stops and its the reins * in front of * the stops thats shes getting in her mouth - god knows how!!!
 
ive just ordered some bit guards but im not sure it will help tbh - as she gets the reins not in the corner of her mouth but all the way across if that makes sense?
 
Can you put something disgusting on the reins - use a set that you don't mind acting as guinea pig, cribox for example. Would a full cheek piece bit help?
 
Seems like a problem with loose contact. If she feels no-one is 'there' panic ensues. IMO, it's something that needs worked on but if I were you I'd keep contact within a safe zone even when sitting chatting/stopping for gate.
 
Can't tell you 'how' she is doing it, but ben did the same, both mounted and unmounted, he destroyed my most favourite reins :( he never freaked out with it, but I had to make a huge effort to not slack the reins. He did grow out of it if it's any consolation, he has only done it a couple of times in the last six months or so, but your best bet is not to drop a contact, if I remember correctly he somehow managed to do it even with bit guards
 
Thanks so much guys, shes 7 years old - she does chomp on the bit, and yeah silly me i shouldt have dropped the contact - she has such a short neck though so i have to really think about it - both times shes done it when standing still a while. im going to upload a little video
 
oh damn i deleted it :( bit guards are on their way anyway, i think im going to try cribbox and not dropping the contact.

she hasnt done it unmounted yet but then again i dont tend to leave her long tacked up in the box as its freezing bloody cold and i want to get a move on haha!
 
Brother in law uses a running martingale but the running bit is solid, if you see what I mean? It stopped his horse as kept things tidier and more away from his mouth.
 
My horse used to do this (and still does sometimes), though he used to also get the whole side of his pelham in his mouth too! He only really does it at shows or when we were waiting around for a long time, but only in "stressy" situations (shows/hunts).

If you do find a way to stop it let me know...embarrassing when you're doing a ridden hunter class and your horse is eating its bit!

Diverting attention does work (just wondering around instead of standing still), but obviously not always possible when the whole point is you're meant to be standing still!

He's now not in a pelham, hes in a rotary gag and sometimes a rotary snaffle- I noticed a big difference in how often he did it when I changed the mouthpiece of the bits to the KY Rotary- may be worth trying the same bit you're normally in but with a different mouthpiece?
 
Clodagh said:
Brother in law uses a running martingale but the running bit is solid, if you see what I mean? It stopped his horse as kept things tidier and more away from his mouth.
Click to expand...
Its called a bib martingale, it holds the reins about 5 inches apart and is fairly near the mouth it is used by racing yards to prevent nasty accidents, colts are very prone to "snatch ing" The stiff infill holds the martingale high and there is little rein to snatch.
I have used a roller snaffle which allows horses to play with bit but is kind, as for a grackle ........ well only really needed for headstrong types, I prefer schooling to make the mouth and the horse responsive to aids, and I don't like schooling, but even less do I like a horse who is not "in harmony" with me!
 
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Shes schooling lovely - this is only when shes standing still - was chatting with a livery reins were slack, but not on the buckle clearly she gets bored and looks around for something to bite :) she has a very short neck which im not used to.

as for the grackle, she really seems to prefer it to a cavesson or a flash. so thats why shes in it. Riding ride she is very forward and responsive :) ill try the roller thanks! Not sure if the bib will help tbh.
 
yeah worth looking into, but she is sensitive in her mouth and that why shes in a happy mouth at present - i was told she liked a straight bar better but when i tried her in one she was terrible in it! this is just a french link happy mouth

Going down the rollers route - i am not totally sure as i like to keep my bits simple and if possible, dressage legal. but ill have a think of what i can change the mouthpiece to.
 
I had it happen a couple of times when one of mine tossed his head with flies and flipped the rein into his mouth, managed to jump off before he panicked.

I then switched to a drop for other reasons (he actually didn't like cavessons) and it didn't happen again. It was quite loose as it wasn't there to strap his mouth shut but it meant he didn't do the combination of head tossing and mouth opening which let the reins flip into his mouth.
 
shes so damn quick with it i cant catch her doing it - no warning whatsoever.

Couldnt sleep till very late last night due to sore head and neck - i really want to avoid this happening again as i already have existing neck problems!
 
Get an old pair of reins and smear them with Cribox at the bit end - worked a treat with my chewer. Just watch that you wash your hands thoroughly so you don't touch your horse with the nasty stuff.
 
If she is just scared of having the reins in her mouth, what about leaving her with the bridle and old pair of reins in a safe enclosed area so she can get used to the feeling and not panic about it? Have the reins short enough that she can't get tangled in them but long enough that she can mouth them. She might just realize there is nothing to worry about then.
Making the reins taste bad might just contribute to her freaking out even more.
 
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