Lozenge bits and contact ponderings

[posie_honey]

mine is great in a lozenge IF its an eggbutt or - as currently - a hanging cheek.
in fact the current bit is also tongue saver lozenge and she loves it.
she used to love her dummy (rubber eggbutt straight bar) and hunted in it but one day took offence and spent whole time putting tonge over it and going up on hind legs - so that was end of that! funnily enough she went beautifully in her mullen pelham for showing for ages then did the same to that too after the fateful day in the eggbutt - strange horse - litereally fine one day gone the next
i find loose ring double joints just far too much movement - v unrefined - but then have had horses that go great in them - so horses for courses eh?!

 

[kezimac]

where do you get a hanging cheek or full cheek rubber bit as am thinking may be worth trying one on my funny girl. She is a real pain in the arse with contact. Am already in nathe (loose ring) and might just try a rubber bit but needs to be fixed cheek cant find one on internet

 

[Alfami]

Alfami, my mare was very similar, and I found the thinnest bit I could (a mylee French link) with fixed cheeks, and wrapped it in latex...it solved her fussiness and she is generally very good in the mouth now

Tried that - didn't work either. Although it may have helped a little.....

zizz - hahahahahahahahahahaha! If you knew my horse, the very idea of hunting him in a happy mouth snaffle is simply side-splitting. I'll stick to them pelham ta!! Having said that I'm jealous you can hunt yours in one.

 

[Tempi]

It may be teachin grandmothers to suck eggs etc. but I did think it worth pointing out that Happy Mouth Mullen bits aren't dressage legal.... I really like them, and use one for breaking and was horrified when I found this out.

bits like this:
http://www.millbryhill.co.uk/equest...bits-596/happy-mouth-straight-eggbutt-876.htm

I just wondered where you read that? As the BD rule book clearly states that straight bar bits with eggbutt rings, mullen mouth and loose rings can be made of rubber, nylon or any other synthetic material.

 

[zizz]

I just wondered where you read that? As the BD rule book clearly states that straight bar bits with eggbutt rings, mullen mouth and loose rings can be made of rubber, nylon or any other synthetic material.

I think theres one happy mouth that has sort of 'peanut' bobbles along that isn't legal, Mullen snaffles have to have a continuously smooth mouthpeice to be BD legal, but pretty sure you cany use the peanutty one for BE

 

[BeckyD]

I just wondered where you read that? As the BD rule book clearly states that straight bar bits with eggbutt rings, mullen mouth and loose rings can be made of rubber, nylon or any other synthetic material.

I don't know where the rule is but I thought it was true. I believe it applies to the Happy Mouth-type bits that don't have smooth mouthpieces but instead have ridges. They are now allowed in BE dressage (this year I think?).

 

[Tempi]

Interesting, I did just read the rule book and couldnt see anything about it, but might have missed it!

 

[siennamum]

The rules may have changed, but it did catch me out. I think the smooth nathe snaffles are fine, it's the Happy Mouth type ones which aren't smooth that are the problem bizarrely.

 

[Halfstep]

Very interesting. My 4 yr old was broken in a mullen mouth, and when I bought her I put her straight in a lozenge, because that's what I use. It didn't take her long to start being unsteady in the contact. She's now in a dressage legal Myler mouthpiece with loose rings and feels a lot happier in this. Perhaps the tongue pressure from the lozenge isn't to every horse's taste. The lozenge bits take the pressure away from the bars, which is good for a horse with fleshy bars and not much mouth space. But they definitely are not right for all horses.

 

[Old Bat]

Thank you so much for starting this thread, OP. My youngster was in a lozenge when we tried her so I put her in one when she came home and had started bearing down slightly in a quick movement. We put her in a single joint with a thick mouthpiece last night and still the same behaviour, having read this thread I dug out an old JP french link with a curved mouthpiece and bingo! Relaxed mouth and happy pony. I had been conditioned to think that the lozenge was ergonomically the way forward and shelved the french links....but on analysis I think pony was rolling the lozenge up and down on her tongue...she's half connie and seems to have quite a fleshy mouth so presumably the link gives a bit more tongue room.

 

[Walrus]

Interesting thread. My youngster was broken in Neue Schule starter bit and I spent 2 years with him in a bit with a lozenge. This year, my new instructor noticed he was drawing his tongue back and balling his tongue up and pushing against the lozenge (he has always resisted, developed a big muscle under his neck and never schooled well - although most of that was my numpty riding). We switched him into a myler mullen D ring snaffle and the difference was amazing, after a few weeks he leant a bit much on that so we moved him to a hanging cheek. He's been in that for a few months and whilst our schooling issues are far from over the improvement has been much better - I feel I have a much clearer contact down the reins.
Incidentally before the hanging cheek we tried him once in a myler comfort snaffle - with the barrel in the middle and more movement than the mullen mouth and he literally regressed about 4 months in 10 minutes - pony has very clearly stated that he doesn't like bits that move!