Hmm possible help with tack required

Aleka81

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Good people HHO I need some advice!
I'm taking my 18 nearly 19 year old nutty TB hunting next week. I've owned him for 11 years and have done a fair bit of Team Chasing etc on him. He has always been a bit of a nutter whenever hes been out somewhere exciting.
I have hunted him before but it was probably 8 years ago and he ended up getting over excited and going over backwards
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Well i have decided that I would like to take him and try again with the hope he may have calmed down in his older age. I think this is probably wishful thinking. lol
Now my tack issues are really my own making. The reason being that after I decided I wasn't going to event him or do anymore dressage I decided to change his tack to something we both liked. So out went the snaffle for everyday use and the dutch gag was put away to gather some dust. The snaffle and gag were replaced by a Tom Thumb copper roller. In fact my poor boy looks like he is eventing everytime we hack the only thing he is missing is boots. lol
I ride him in the bit mentioned above a running martingale, breastgirth and sheepskin noseband on his flash bridle. This isn't because I think he 'looks cool' with all that clobber on it just suits him.
So do I leave him in the copper roller or whack the gag back in or totally change his bit?!?!
The last time all those years ago I hunted him in a snaffle and cavesson bridle. So I do genuinely prefer my horses to look more like a horse than a xmas tree covered in ornaments
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I have chosen next week as his reappearance to hunting because it should be fairly quiet. I don't want it to be overly exciting!
So good people what are your opinions??
I regularly hunt other peoples horses. But I want my boy to have a purpose in his older years. Please no comments on him being to old to hunt he really is as fit as a fiddle and to be honest could give the pointers I ride out a run for their money
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He did mildly damage his anular ligament last year but on vets recommendation i've been told to crack on with him and that hunting should be no problem!
 
i would ride him in whatever you think gives you the best chance of controlling him and therefore keeping you both safe. i'm sure no-one will say anything, people resort to all sorts of weird and wonderful tack for hunting in the hopes of keeping the brakes working. hope he's a good boy and you both have a lot of fun.
 
Stick with the Tom Thumb - you will prob only over stress him if you change the bit after so long...or change it now so he gets used to it - whatever you think will do the job the best
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I'm not entirely sure I would take a horse who finds it so winding up hunting, my lad will not go hunting again as he gets so excited it blows his brain, he starts rearing (he never rears), and is dangerous, and he's been a couple of times which makes him worse rather than better
 
Thanks for your opinion TripleSandH but I am determined to give him another chance. He has hunted a bit when he was younger to qualify for pointing. And I know he actually went as I know the lad who rode him. He actually improved the more he went out.
He's team chased a fair bit with me and been round a few opens. Although he finds that incredibly exciting I have managed to keep it fairly well contained. So fingers crossed for Wednesday!
 
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