Hollowmouth bits

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Melliie

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Does anyone use one on their horse? Am interested to hear what has gone well in one. thinking I might try one as like the fact they are a gentler snaffle and the wider parts alleviate some of the pressure on the bars of the mouth....
 
I'm not a fan personally, although I'm sure that there are some horses that like them. I find that they tend to take up too much room in the mouth which can cause discomfort itself. Certainly I find them too bulky for horses with short mouths or thick fleshy mouths.

I'd rather use a different material for the mouthpiece and experiment with different mouthpiece types than use hollowmouth bits. There's only one way to find out if your horse is happier in one though and that is to give it a go.
 
I agree, particularly if the bit is a single jointed one. These just end up bruising the roof of the mouth and the thickness of the bit makes it even worse. What is your particular bitting problem? If the horse has a nice soft mouth then I would use a French Link, Sprenger kk or Sprenger Anky dressae bradoon. I prefer slimmer mouth pieces as I find horses seem more comfortable in them than the thick bulky bits. Also, I would avoid drop nosebands, grackles or flash nosebands.
 
Like the others, I tend to avoid them as they are so bulky for most mouth shapes to comfortably manage. They will be more gentle as any force is spread over a larger area, but the comfort will be compromised. I find that a comfortable bit may well not be the most gentle one, but the one that suits the horses mouth shape the best. Different materials and carefully shaped bits (without just a single joint) can really help the bit to be happily accepted by the horse.

My mare is actually in a thin verbindend - she has a very sensitive mouth (particularly her tongue) but has very little space too so this bit handled carefully suits her very well.
 
Thanks guys - horse is ID x TB rising 4 - so learning about contact - she opens her mouth when ridden but I don't think shoving a flash on is sorting out the problem. I thought being thicker and lighter it might help her just settle with the pressure on the bars of her mouth being over a wider area - she's currently in a f/l egg butt snaffle and there are moments of niceness but am not 100% that is the right bit for her. She needs a 6 inch bit as has a huuuuuuuuuuuge head and mouth..... nothing is ever straight forward is it!!
 
How about trying the John Patterson bits? I have a french link loose ring in a 6", so I'm sure you'll be able to get an eggbutt too.
 
Have a good look inside your mares mouth and I am pretty sure you will find that she does have thick tongue - very common. Putting a thick hollow mouth will increase your problems as there is less room in the mouth and you will be putting more pressure on the roof of the mouth. You do need to play around - I ended up with a loose ring KK with a lozenge on my ISH (very very thick tongue) - no fixed points, only 16mm and the lozenge means there is more room for his tongue. I jump in a KK fulmer gag but again has the lozenge. A friend at the yard has ended up with a myler snaffle - but again has the lozenge in the middle. Mine didn't go particularly well in curved bits either but logically, that would not help a horse with little space in his mouth.

I am currently playing with bits for my new horse, again an ISH but not as big with the tongue, is a 6" like yours (pain as all my bits are 5 1/2!). He is in the same bit (borrowed) as my other boy and is OK with it but I am going to try him in a fulmer happy mouth lozenge as he is not strong and could do with help on the steering. NB though - found out that that particularly bit is NOT dressage legal (?!) - jointed is as is one with a "peanut" in the middle but not the lozenge. Oh well!!
 
I am going to try a NS lozenge fulmer tonight - like you all my bits are 5 or 5.5!! She hated the starter bit I tried with the really curved arms!
 
These bit were very popular about 20 years ago, they were supposed to be a kinder option but they were a fair old mouthful for most horses. These days single jointed bits are unpopular and mouthpieces are a lot thinner, most young horses seem happy in a lozenge mouthpiece, NS are my favourite.
 
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