Myler Bit Help needed

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LozzerBozzer

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So here it goes... Sorry for the lengthy post!

I have an ID gelding who is very forward and will lean on your hands, diving to the bottom of fences and just generally a bit obnoxious. He has never been taught to school correctly (he's 17 now!!) and since taking him on I've been working closely with my instructor and he is doing well and getting the hang of working correctly. However the issue i now have is that as hes becoming stronger, the leaning and pulling is getting worse as he thinks he knows what he is doing when he doesn't lol!
So i got him in a hanging cheek bit as all his old owners did was hack (walk and trot mainly) so there was no need for him to lean or pull. However since hes started eventing he found this very exciting and in the hanging cheek i felt like i was having to hang on his mouth a lot which isn't very nice. Therefore i put him into a dutch gag; i used the snaffle option for schooling and the ring below the snaffle hole for jumping. This all worked well until he developed this leaning habit as he found it was an easy way of schooling if he didn't have to hold himself up, it was just him being lazy!!
So now my current situation is that my instructor recommended a 'magic bit' which is a bit where he can't lean on my hands. This worked amazingly well for the first few times and i saw a huge improvement in all three disciplines. However about my 4th ride in, he started having meltdowns, chucking his head around with the slightest contact and just stopping at fences as he was to focused on the bit! It got to the point when jumping i cant even have a contact or his head would be all over the place! I then tried bit rings as he has always worn bit rings (reasoning is down below) and the issues did ease off slightly. He does have a large tongue so because of this straight bar action, i just don't think its suiting him well. I spoke to my instructor and she said to continue for a bit longer to see if it eases off and that he is having these little issues due to the fact hes having to actually use himself rather than relying on my hands!
So a few more rides on, the issues were still there (not as bad, but still regular), so i asked my instructor again who said to try the Myler low port Eggbutt Comfort Snaffle as this has a similar action but has a different mouth piece which will allow for his tongue.
I did what most people will do and research this bit however the reviews are very mixed and saying that it's a severe bit! I don't have heavy hands but i'm now really worried that its going to cause more issues?

Soooo... If you are in my position what would you do?. Continue with the magic bit and see how it goes?, try the Myler low port Eggbutt Comfort Snaffle? (If you would, which type would suit us best?, with or without hooks?) or try a completely different bit to stop the leaning?.

Please also note he has to have bit rings if its a loose ring as he has experienced a lot of sawing on the mouth when over in Ireland so has sensitive skin around his mouth and panics when a bit pinches :)

Thank you to anyone who reads all this waffling!
 
The best thing to do is probably to call the Bit bank. There are so many hundreds of bitting solutions these days no-one outside the lorinery business is going to know all the various possibilities. Plus you can hire the bits for 30 days to be sure they are effective. Much cheaper than buying endless ones which don't work!

Any bit is harsh in the wrong hands. The important thing is to get the solution right for you and your horse. The "mildest" bit will be harsh if fitted wrongly or used badly. The "harshest" bit will be mild fitted well and with sympathetic independent hands. So don't worry about that unduly.
 
A myler low port eggbutt comfort snaffle isn't a particularly strong bit - certainly not as strong as a dutch gag. Finding the right bit is always a case of trial and error you just have to keep going until you find the right one. It took me 18 months to sort out the bitting for my boy. Your instructor knows you best so I'd go with what she/he recommends to begin with.

One more thought. My boy leaned on me quite badly on me but was transformed by a Micklem bridle. I thought they were a gimmick until I tried one on him. They seem to either work or not, but if the work, they really work. Might be worth a try if you can borrow one?
 
annagain said:
A myler low port eggbutt comfort snaffle isn't a particularly strong bit - certainly not as strong as a dutch gag. Finding the right bit is always a case of trial and error you just have to keep going until you find the right one. It took me 18 months to sort out the bitting for my boy. Your instructor knows you best so I'd go with what she/he recommends to begin with.

One more thought. My boy leaned on me quite badly on me but was transformed by a Micklem bridle. I thought they were a gimmick until I tried one on him. They seem to either work or not, but if the work, they really work. Might be worth a try if you can borrow one?
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Yes I agree, I'm going to keep trying the Magic bit as it may be the case of him just adjusting to not being able to lean!! Regarding the Micklem, he is actually in one and I have so much more breaks than I used to! He loves it! They are fab bridles 😊 X
 
I have a very strong mare who is also fussy in the mouth - not an easy combination. I ride her in the Myler eggbutt low port comfort snaffle for hacking and the hanging cheek version for schooling and she really likes them. I tried the magic bit briefly as I had read rave reviews about it but it also caused my horse to throw her head around and she would not tolerate it. My instructor pointed out that it was to be expected with such pressure on the tongue and that it is in fact a harsh bit - I have never used it again.

I'm not knowledgeable enough to advise you on bits, but the Myler is a lovely bit on the right horse - my fussy mare will testify to this!
 
Oh gosh really. I'm glad I'm not the only one experiencing the head throwing around. I also agree that I think the tongue pressure isn't nice at all so that's why I want to stop using it! I actually tried a Myler tonight and he just completely ignored me and locked against it so I don't think it is going to work for us unfortunately!!
Looks like the bit hunt is going to continue!!
 
I'm no expert but as well as finding the right bit, I do think you need to work on getting him working from behind and back on his hocks - maybe just forget about the front end for the time being.

Forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn - you are probably hugely experienced.

Good luck :)
 
peanut said:
I'm no expert but as well as finding the right bit, I do think you need to work on getting him working from behind and back on his hocks - maybe just forget about the front end for the time being.

Forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn - you are probably hugely experienced.

Good luck :)
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We have been working really hard on getting him working long and low whilst really stepping under himself and engaging the hind! He is incredly long backed so he finds this really hard. We have only just got to the stage of asking him to work in a frame as it's taken this long for him to understand what we were asking as he's never been schooled correctly and we had to wait for all the wrong muscles to break down.! This is where his leaning issue has occurred as he's finding it easier to just lean on me rather than hold himself up!
Bearing in mind my instructor has competed for this country at a high level she said he is one of the hardest horses to ride lol ��!
I think it's just a case of trial and error I guess xx
 
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