how to stop loose rings from slipping through mouth

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impresario08

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My boy is ridden in a loose ring Neue Schule verbindend. It's a really nice bit but it tends to go too close to his mouth on the left side and stick too far out on the right side as a consequence...is there anything I can do to keep it straighter? Rubber bit rings?
 
Yes rubber bit rings. Also consider whether the bit is too wide, but rubber bit rings will help with this too. A drop noseband helps keep bits in the right place if the horse moves his head around a lot as an evasion. The bit sticking out one side will also happen if you're heavier with one hand than the other, whether it's a fault with your riding or because the horse constantly leans on one rein, obviously both those things can be fixed with practice.
 
Whether it's your hands or him leaning, if you can't stop the bit pulling through the mouth you need either rubber bit ring, or a change of bit (boucher, half cheek, full cheek, D-ring etc) to prevent it. Otherwise it will hurt him, and he can't possibly go right in it.

Get someone to check your riding first... if you're not balancing up with the outside rein (and you wouldn't be the first), it's something you need to correct, rather than compensate with the bit.
 
pennyturner said:
Whether it's your hands or him leaning, if you can't stop the bit pulling through the mouth you need either rubber bit ring, or a change of bit (boucher, half cheek, full cheek, D-ring etc) to prevent it. Otherwise it will hurt him, and he can't possibly go right in it.
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Yes to this. It's horrible seeing people using loose rings which are obviously pinching/slipping through the mouth. You also need to go up a size to allow appropriate room.
 
impresario08 said:
My boy is ridden in a loose ring Neue Schule verbindend. It's a really nice bit but it tends to go too close to his mouth on the left side and stick too far out on the right side as a consequence...is there anything I can do to keep it straighter? Rubber bit rings?
Click to expand...

I sometimes use biscuits on my bits, some call them rubber bit guards but i call them biscuits but past names they were called
 
impresario08 said:
My boy is ridden in a loose ring Neue Schule verbindend. It's a really nice bit but it tends to go too close to his mouth on the left side and stick too far out on the right side as a consequence...is there anything I can do to keep it straighter? Rubber bit rings?
Click to expand...

What's wrong with your outside rein?
 
Please don't shut his mouth with a drop noseband if he is not happy with his bit,evasion is usually due to pain,there is a lot of research around at the moment about bits and nosebands and how a lot of horses are just not comfortable but all we seem to do is tie their mouths shut with nosebands.please seek expert advise.Good luck
Sugar_and_Spice said:
Yes rubber bit rings. Also consider whether the bit is too wide, but rubber bit rings will help with this too. A drop noseband helps keep bits in the right place if the horse moves his head around a lot as an evasion. The bit sticking out one side will also happen if you're heavier with one hand than the other, whether it's a fault with your riding or because the horse constantly leans on one rein, obviously both those things can be fixed with practice.
Click to expand...
 
Is the bridle even? see where the splits on the headpiece are either sides of the ears. If the noseband is wonky, it offsets the whole bridle so may just need shifting a bit. Rubber bit guards will help. Otherwise, you will have to look at how you are using the reins.
 
respectedpony said:
Please don't shut his mouth with a drop noseband if he is not happy with his bit,evasion is usually due to pain,there is a lot of research around at the moment about bits and nosebands and how a lot of horses are just not comfortable but all we seem to do is tie their mouths shut with nosebands.please seek expert advise.Good luck
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I'm not talking about anybody "tying the horses mouth shut" I'm talking about using a correctly fitted drop noseband to help hold the bit still. Yes there are horses unhappy with their bit, but the OP makes no mention of this, lots of horses throw their heads around to evade work and it's nothing to do with the bit. A constantly moving head (I don't mean normal nodding with the stride) will cause any bit to move around in their mouth more, if you couple that with a bit that may be a little too wide, it can make it almost impossible to keep the contact even and you end up with a bit that sticks out one side. In an ideal world we'd all have a bit that fits perfectly, but we don't live in an ideal world and if the OP's bit is a little too large but she happens to have a drop noseband handy, it could help solve the problem and make the horse a little more comfortable.
 
As well as working on having your horse more supple so he's flexing through his body & keeping your hands as a pair through turns, the verbindend does come in two ring sizes so it may help to check which size you have.
 
Sugar_and_Spice said:
I'm not talking about anybody "tying the horses mouth shut" I'm talking about using a correctly fitted drop noseband to help hold the bit still. Yes there are horses unhappy with their bit, but the OP makes no mention of this, lots of horses throw their heads around to evade work and it's nothing to do with the bit. A constantly moving head (I don't mean normal nodding with the stride) will cause any bit to move around in their mouth more, if you couple that with a bit that may be a little too wide, it can make it almost impossible to keep the contact even and you end up with a bit that sticks out one side. In an ideal world we'd all have a bit that fits perfectly, but we don't live in an ideal world and if the OP's bit is a little too large but she happens to have a drop noseband handy, it could help solve the problem and make the horse a little more comfortable.
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he is ridden in a micklem which has a drop noseband type action :) he is happy in his mouth
 
impresario08 said:
it starts when I put the bridle on and I'm not on board, it naturally seems to sit like that, so it's not me not "riding properly"
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Sounds like it's just too wide then. A bit strange if a drop noseband doesn't support it enough to keep it central even when you're not riding, unless it's massively too wide, and someone with enough experience to decide to use neue schule and micklem wouldn't usually make such a basic error buying a bit. Have you measured it to check that wherever you bought it from had it labelled up correctly?

Like someone else asked - is your bridle level? I'm not sure how much adjustment there is on micklems. Is it possible that having the noseband in the right place means the bit is too low (I've seen this with some hanging cheek snaffles before) which might cause a bit which fits (if it were in the right place) to hang out the side?

Is there the possibility the horse is holding the bit or his tongue in a particular way and that's causing the issue, could he have wolf teeth or be trying to relieve pressure somewhere?
 
Just trying to remember the set up for the Micklem. If it was a normal bridle then I would think there was an issue there with one side being too tight and the other too loose. Did your Micklem come with plastic clips? are these not discussed as being to stabilise the bit? Sorry to be vague but struggling to remember the fitting card it came attached to given it is a bridle I have not used in ages... The fact it does come with clips would make me wonder if it is a known issue with this bridle for some horse's bits/anatomy.
 
Taken this from the Rambo/Micklem website (there are photos too)

Fitting the Bit Straps
Fit the bit straps to your bit first, with the buckle on the outside and the end of the strap facing upwards, then attach to the Multibridle (Figure 4) using the bit rings at the bottom of the cheek pieces. For some varieties of bits with long sides a shorter attachment than the bit straps may be needed, in which case one of the set of clips should be used. (Figure 5)
figure4 figure5
 
The clips do stabilise but also transfer some pressure to the noseband which is why they are removable as not legal for dressage etc.

OP I really would want to check that your micklem was level both sides etc in case you have a dodgy one as a first port of call though!
 
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