horse crossing jaw

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hellywelly1

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hi all

recently i took a mare on loan who had breed a couple of foals and not done much work for a few yrs. She has been a total dream to bring back in to work and how ridden in walk in school and small hacks as she is unfit.
However she is constantly crossing her jaw when wearing a bridle and sticking her tongue out. she has had her teeth done before she came to me and i had them quickly checked by a dentist seeing another horse at the yard a couple of days ago.
her tack fits correctly and is like this in several different types of bit. I just wondered if any one has any suggestions as we are treating her like a youngster and starting everything again. I have tried leaving her in her stable to play with it but still the same.

any ideas?
 
Is she in a single or double jointed bit? I know changing my mare from one to two joints helped and a bit with a different action also helped. I know you said you had tried a few bits but just a thought but I had my mare in a grackle and it prevented her crossing her jaw and evading without restricting her breathing and it can be worn looser than a flash would need to be. But watch out as sometimes the top strap can rub their cheeks a little if done too tightly.
Err.
 
She is telling you via her behaviour that she is not comfortable and is in pain. Using a noseband to shut her mouth is not going to solve the issue long term and you want her to be comfortable so she can work with you.

Some folk have recommended contacting the Neue Shule team and have had good advise from these people.
 
i wouldn't say she was in pain however don't want to use gadgets to resolve hence asking for advice, yes i do agree she is showing signs of discomfort. we have tried both single and double jointed bits. part of me thinks i could be a reaction to not being used to the bit after such a long time??
 
My ex broodmare does the same.
I started back to basics as I got her at 12 with no knowledge of her ever being ridden.

It is not due to pain as she will stop as soon as a loose grackle is fitted - she can still open her mouth and cross jaws slightly but a combination of a French link cheek snaffle & a loose grackle has her accepting the bit.
I think it is more a case of trying it on - this is the mare that lay down the first time I put a saddle on her! She was used to rugs, rollers, saddlecloth etc.
 
s4sugar said:
My ex broodmare does the same.
I started back to basics as I got her at 12 with no knowledge of her ever being ridden.

It is not due to pain as she will stop as soon as a loose grackle is fitted - she can still open her mouth and cross jaws slightly but a combination of a French link cheek snaffle & a loose grackle has her accepting the bit.
I think it is more a case of trying it on - this is the mare that lay down the first time I put a saddle on her! She was used to rugs, rollers, saddlecloth etc.
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yeah mine is 11 and not done much since she raced. i didnt want to use a grackle with out trying other bits first as want to look at all the options. we have now got her in a myler comfort snaffle borrowed from her owner to try as she doesnt have much room in her mouth for a bit due to a large tongue. I strongly beleive its not pain related
 
My girl is in a neue shule team up bit, nice wee bit and her grackle if going xc, im sure its not pain related, shes in a happy mouth with a roller nugget for dressage, sometimes she gets so keen xc she tries to take control, but thats not an option for me, she relaxes and concentrates on the job in her grackle :D
 
hellywelly1 said:
I strongly beleive its not pain related
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But is does sound strongly like discomfort. If she does it a lot then I would seriously consider her level of comfort. She might always be fussy in her mouth, but if she hasn't been ridden in a few years then I wouldn't be surprised if she just needs time to get used to it again. You might need to keep searching for bits until you find something she's comfortable in - some bitting companies let you have different bits on trial in case you find them unsuitable. Have you tried a hackamore?
 
thanks for your replies. she doesnt try and take over or anything but doesn't concentrate on what your asking as too busy crossing and sticking tongue out. its hard as still only getting to know her, she does it every time she is in a bridle whether ridden, lunged or in her stable.

we will keep working with her until we find out what suits her
 
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My new boy gets his Tongue over bit, crosses his jaw, opens his mouth..he is ridden in a Neue Schule starter bit, with a cavesson..he is not in pain or discomfort, it's a habit he has learnt as an evasion. I do believe however that he learnt it originally to escape the nutcracker action of the snaffle and tight tight flash he was ridden in before I had him
 
Mozlar. My mare was in a nutcracker and a tight flash. No flash and she would evade, take control and be a tit realy so a paded grackle on loose worked wonders. I think it was more of a support thing for her, she could just about eat and stick her tongue out a little but it prevented the messing about and chomping.
Err
 
ex racer rider said:
Mozlar. My mare was in a nutcracker and a tight flash. No flash and she would evade, take control and be a tit realy so a paded grackle on loose worked wonders. I think it was more of a support thing for her, she could just about eat and stick her tongue out a little but it prevented the messing about and chomping.
Err
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Hi, haven't really had the need to add anything,it hasn't caused a massive problem so far (touches wood) hoping he will get out of the habit with schooling and once he realises he doesn't need to do it anymore..if it becomes a problem I may try a drop noseband as the least intrusive option. He is an ID so a bit dim, it may take him some time to work out! Just a baby really.
 
Was she sedated to have her teeth done ?
If not I would be tempted to get that done as its very difficult to get to the hooks right at the back without sedation.
It's curious she does it stabled it does suggest discomfrot rather than reaction to the stress of work.
Sometimes you just are where you are with a horse I hate strapping horses mouths shut but try a grackle and see how she reacts.
 
My horse crosses his jaw at times, and had a habit of sticking his tongue over the bit. A couple of things worked for us - I changed to a mullen mouthpiece, and moved the position of the bit in his mouth so it was slightly lower than before. Bingo, no more evasion! I also keep him occupied when we are riding - if he hasn't got something to think about doing then he starts messing about.
 
fjordhorsefan said:
My horse crosses his jaw at times, and had a habit of sticking his tongue over the bit. A couple of things worked for us - I changed to a mullen mouthpiece, and moved the position of the bit in his mouth so it was slightly lower than before. Bingo, no more evasion! I also keep him occupied when we are riding - if he hasn't got something to think about doing then he starts messing about.
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That's interesting as the tendency is to move the bit higher. Tried a more ported bit today and that seemed an improvement, I think it's just time and patience, he's been rushed through backing for a quick turn around no doubt and it's easier to clamp em down, put draw reins on etc for a quick fix than to do it properly.
 
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