Myler bits - mild or harsh?

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Gorgeous George

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I know they are all different, but something someone said made me realise I've no idea if the bit I'm using is mild or harsh? I know, if George goes well in it what does it matter, but I'm just curious! So does anyone know what the mullen mouth hanging cheek is like in terms of strength.

Thanks
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There is a perception that thinner bits (and the Myler mouthpiece is quite thin) are stronger bits. I don't actually agree with this, they are well shaped to the mouth and good for accommodating a thicker tongue.
 
I'm not exactly clued up on bits, but I would say that bit is mild, the fact it's a hanging cheek makes it slightly stronger then say a loose ring or eggbutt snaffle as it will put pressure on the poll and encourage the horse to go 'on the bit' I'm not sure what the mullen mouth part is like in terms of harshness but I think its mild.
I may be talking completely nonsense, but if I write what I think and then read others opinions I will learn if I'm right or not
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Nickie
 
mullen mouth = solid, no pinching, no port that may interfere with the roof of the mouth.
Hanging cheek = neat looking, minimal poll pressure, raises the entire mouth piece.

As Janette said, it all depends on the hands, but there are plenty of worse bits than that
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Generally I think of mullen mouths as being mild mouthpieces, they accomodate the tongue and don't really do much (no collapsing, movement etc) though I suppose they could be thought of as hard in that they are fixed. In depends on lots of factors such as material, thickness etc. Hanging cheeks aren't really severe just a bit more direct than say an eggbutt or certainly a loose ring. I don't think you need to worry about your bit being severe GG, it sounds like quite a nice bit to me.
 
From my experience I don't like them in horses inclined to be sensitive of fussy (ie mums horse didn't really like). I use both the mullen mouth eggbut and the mullen mouth eggbut with a low port.

i have found them to be good when my boy was still developing his muscle and had a tendency to get strong and lean a little. However with the plain mullen mouth he did start to lean on this. the one with the port is much more flexible and gave me a reaction somewhere between the mullen mouth and his waterford.

At the mo I am not using either of them as he is going sweetly in a loose ring single joint snaffle but will use them again if I need to.
 
I think the idea of them is that they're more precise (especially the ones with jointed ports, which I have and know about) so a small amount of aid is well communicated to the horse, rather than a pull on the rein giving a general pull on the whole mouth. So, a finer bit shouldn't have to be used harshly.

It's sometimes hard to say what a harsh bit is. If a thick, supposedly mild bit doesn't work on a horse you will have to give stronger aids and is therefore more harsh than one that your horse will listen to.
 
Sorry, my reply is related to Myler bits and what they say they try to achieve in most of their bits.

Hanging cheek, not that harsh, a little bit of poll pressure but not loads. Mullen mouth, no pinching and not 'fussy'. depends what your horse likes and what you are trying to achieve/correct.
 
The mullen mouth means it is curved to allow room for the tongue. The exact shape in relation to your horses mouth will determin whether is is mild or not - generally, they are considered mild, but they put pressure on the tongue (especially when used with a hanging cheek), which means they are harsher than a jointed bit if the horse has a sensitive tongue. The thickness of it and what it is made from also plays a part. I personally prefer a jointed bit (such as a french link) that acts more on the bars, as I find most horses respond better to them than to straight bar / mullen mouths, but it is really about what your horse perfers.

The hanging cheek will apply some poll pressure - whether that is good or bad for your horse depends on what they like and don't like - some hate poll pressure, some it is not effective on, and others don't care one way of the other.

What I am trying to say is that for some horses, it will be mild, the ones who like predominantly tongue and poll pressure, for those that don't like these things, it would be harsh.
 
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There is a perception that thinner bits (and the Myler mouthpiece is quite thin) are stronger bits. I don't actually agree with this, they are well shaped to the mouth and good for accommodating a thicker tongue.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly what MH said
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I really rate Myler bits, they have a better shape than most bits and I find that horses with fat tongues get on well with them.

You can't generalise and say "myler bits are harsh" or that they're all mild. Some of the Mylers are INCREDIBLY harsh (look in the Myler book at things like the twisted snaffle with long shanks...) but some are mild. It's a cliche but they really are only as mild or as harsh as your hands.

But generally I like Myler bits. It's worth reading their book, you can buy it from Derby House.
 
We have a tb who is uncomfortable in anything but the Myler comfort snaffle with the reins on the ring and not through the slots at the bottom, stopped him acting like a giraffe!
 
-the bit is only as harsh as the hand :-) hehe sorry couldnt resist that comment.

I've got hanging cheek one with lozenge, smaller mouthpiece as he has very fleshy mouth and not enough room for larger mouth piece and hes been much happier since we changed.
 
[ QUOTE ]
mullen mouth = solid, no pinching, no port that may interfere with the roof of the mouth.
Hanging cheek = neat looking, minimal poll pressure, raises the entire mouth piece.

As Janette said, it all depends on the hands, but there are plenty of worse bits than that
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[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly what she said.
 
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