Horse not salivating...

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apple88

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Hi,
Bit of a random question.. Does your horse salivate when working in a contact?
I was always told that when you are working a horse and it salivates and gets a bit of froth that it meant the horse is relaxed and accepting of the bit.
My horse is a novice and we are working in a contact in walk, but not trot and not through transitions, but she doesnt salivate at all. Does that mean she is not relaxed? is there any thing i can do?

Thanks
 
A dry mouth is usually a sign that the horse is tense and breathing through its mouth. A good instructor should be able to help you - its difficult to advise without seeing the horse :)
 
Fairynuff said:
Nocturnal said:
A dry mouth is usually a sign that the horse is tense and breathing through its mouth. A good instructor should be able to help you - its difficult to advise without seeing the horse :)[/QUOTE

A horse cannot breathe through his mouth! :O
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Really? Interesting. A BD instructor told me that :eek:. Glad I'm not having lessons with them any more then...
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When your horse breathes in, air entering through his nostrils passes up the nasal passages and over the soft palate, a flexible flap of tissue that forms the floor of the pharynx and keeps the mouth closed off from the airway. (Unlike you, your horse can't breathe through his mouth.) The air then crosses the pharynx and enters the trachea, or windpipe, through the larynx, or voice box

c and p'd from......

http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/health/illnesses_injuries/eqnoise738/
 
Don't worry, I believe you. Just a little perturbed at being fed duff gen (and now doubting everything else they've ever told me!) :)
 
my old cob always had a dry mouth! can't say he was tense...just the opposite really! I always thought that a wet mouth meant they couldn't swallow properly? because of some types of bit? but I may have got that wrong :-o
 
I have always thought a nice wet mouth was a sign that a horse was mouthing and accepting the contact.
Buffy never used to mouthe her bit until I bought her a NS Verbindend off the Bit Bank website, she loves it :)
 
Sounds like a numpty question but what noseband do you use and do you have it tight? My nag didnt use to mouth the bit at all and then a 'BD' instructor suggested not to use a crank and to have the flash looser - she mouths to her hearts content now (altho i no longer have any steering :))
 
I use a sweet iron mouth piece.... Fab :D Tons of spittle!

LMAO @ the twit comment :D

As for breathing through the mouth my horse does this strange thing (we were talking about it at the yard this morning funnily enough) where he cocks his head, crosses his jaw and with his mouth slightly open looks like he is chewing the air.... Totally bizzare but he has always done it and normally does it if he is waiting fo me to feed him o turn him out....
 
Foxhunter49 said:
If she is dry mouthed give her either a slice of apple or a sugar lump as this will help her to salivate
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A squirt of lemon juice might be even more effective! (I know it works because years ago as a student I took part in an experiment to measure some aspect of salivation. They used a squeezy lemon.)
 
HI HAVE YOU TRIED A SWEET IRON BIT THE SAME STYLE AS YOU HAVE NOW ? I HAD A PONY WHICH WHEN I FIRST GOT HIM HAD A NORMAL STAINLESS STEEL BIT AND A VERY DRY MOUTH, THIS CAUSED SORES SO I CHANGED HIM TO A SWEET IRON BIT AND HAVE NEVER LOOKED BACK. GOOD LUCK
 
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