How can you tell if horse is unhappy with his bit?

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Gorgeous George

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At the moment with my instructors help I am riding George in a 3 ring gag with the reins on the middle hole, he seems to go quite nicely in this, forward, starting to bend and go into an outline and we have nice brakes
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However, George does play with the bit a lot and pull and chuck the reins about, not exactly throwing his head about though. This does seem to be more noticeable on a hack (it's not flies though). Is he just trying to see how much I'll 'give' or is he trying to tell me he's uncomfortable? I know I have to really ride him if I want him to work properly, but I am so worried that I might actually be being too rough and p*ssing him off. George is such an adorable boy that I would hate to make his life miserable.
 
Like many others I'm not a huge fan of this bit, I think It exerts a lot of poll pressure and I would save it for when you need to finesse your brakes, showjumping for example. Ideally these should be used with 2 reins so you can release the pressure.

Have you tried a snaffle? I prefer those with a wide central barrel, not a single joint, so they don't pinch in the mouth. I like the Myler comfort snaffles for this reason, but they don't suit everything. Does your instructor have any ideas on different bits you could try?
 
I've tried him in a fulmer snaffle and a fixed cheek (both with french links) and with these I can't get him on the bit and I can't stop very well in canter - help, to be honest the gag worries me as well.
 
When I wrote fixed cheek above I meant hanging cheek, he was really heavy in my hands and canter brakes were lacking. I am worried it is me, because he was always ridden in a fulmer before.
 
Not saying this is Georges problem but I had a horse couldn't stop her in a snaffle or stronger bit- anything metal,she fussed about a lot but she stopped dead easyand seemed much happier in a straight bar happy mouth.Present one goes happier in hanging cheek happy mouth.As I said may not be Georges problem but its a thought.
 
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I've tried him in a fulmer snaffle and a fixed cheek (both with french links) and with these I can't get him on the bit and I can't stop very well in canter - help, to be honest the gag worries me as well.

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I wouldnt use this bit to "get him on the bit", he is only dropping him head because the amount of poll pressure this bit uses, not because hes working in an outline.
I'd be tempted to put him in a loose ring french link snaffle for some flat work, and take it from there. Use the gag if you are worried about stopping out hacking etc.
 
a horse only works 'on the bit' when they are truly working from their back ends and over their back- any bit which forces the head in and up(such as the gag) just makes it look 'pretty' rather than having a positive effect.I personally school in a loose ring fulmer and hack/jump/hunt etc in something stronger.
 
I HATE riding horses in the school if they are wearing gags, I cannot stand the feel of them when you ask the horse to work correctly as they can be so strong yet are fairly indirect, I much prefer to have a light feel on a nice mild snaffle in the school. Head jerking is generally a sign of discomfort/unwillingness to accept the bit, George may dislike the strong pressure the gag applies and he may dislike the indirectness of it. Prehaps try him in an eggbut snaffle as this gives a more direct feel and can be good for stopping in. Loose rings give less of a direct feel but some horses prefer them. Experiment abit. Was he used to working on the bit before you got him? If not he will find it hard to do so now and needs time to build up the correct muscles, sticking a strong bit like a gag on him is not the answer. In canter he may run away because he is unbalance (in which case more schooling will sort it), or he may dislike the pressure of the bit, in which case try a milder one, possibly even a really mild bit like a mullen moth nathe snaffle which I find works really well on horses that are reluctant to accept a contact as it is soft and bends to their mouth conformation. Some horses dislike jointed bits, others hate mullen mouths. The fact that you say he plays with the bit alot suggests to ne that he may be uncomfortable with the mouthpeice design or bit material he currently has, it may just be a case of changing to a mullen mouth happy mouth gag for example as this would keep the breaks but might make him happier in his mouth. Keep trying! Possibly if you think it is partly due to your riding that you have trouble stopping in canter ask someone more experienced to school him a bit for you to get him better in this pace (am not saying this is the reason). Good luck, I am sure you'll find something that works for you.
 
Decided to try the hanging cheek again and he was so much better today, he only runs off in canter on the right rein and I'm sure that's because he is unbalanced on that rein. I cantered him on the right, ran off, was brave and tried again and he settled down more and more each time so assuming he's ok on a hack we may be onto something!
 
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