myler comfort snaffle- severe???

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clairefeekerry1

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i ride in a myer confort snaffle- no hooks, eggbutt. i have been haveing lots of lameness issues and we were generally discussing tack and whats most comfortable etc etc. my friend who has several horses with top event riders said she would never put any of her horses in a myler comfort snaffle due to the severe action??? she said she had a horse that went on trial with a top event rider who tried this bit with tehe horse and horse ended up having a damaged mouth from the action of the side arms on the bit????

i was shocked- i thought it was one of the most mildest bits.she was saying its something to do with the fixed action of the side arms and none of the event riders she knows use it as its known as severe??!!
 
I have found the myler comfort snaffle to be quite severe too. I had 1 horse get a cut on his mouth, another had bruising all over his gums from it (not me riding before anyone has a dig!!)
I would still use it as a training aid, carefully but not long term as i do find it very rigid. I think it is also the "thinness" of the metal. Also apart from the independant movement sideways, it is very fixed.
Does my waffling make any sense. Basically yes i find it quite severe!!
 
squirrelc17 said:
I have found the myler comfort snaffle to be quite severe too. I had 1 horse get a cut on his mouth, another had bruising all over his gums from it (not me riding before anyone has a dig!!)
I would still use it as a training aid, carefully but not long term as i do find it very rigid. I think it is also the "thinness" of the metal. Also apart from the independant movement sideways, it is very fixed.
Does my waffling make any sense. Basically yes i find it quite severe!!
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yes that makes sense lol!
thats what my friend was saying, it caused bruising in the horses mouth.
crikey, i only use it as i thought it was a very mild bit. any suggestions for a nice mild snaffle then? horse not strong in the slightest, doesnt take a hold or anything. dont like the really thick bits as seem to chunky for his mouth!!
 
Blimey, I have a sweet iron myler comfort with a small barrel so that has plenty of movement. The larger barrels do make them fixed, more like a mullen with swivel arms. Not had a problem with it at all, in fact mylers are the only bit she will take without a darn good fight. Being very light mouthed, this is the bit that I've found she will take a contact in. I'm no top event rider so don't exactly ask very much.
 
A bit being more effective doesn't mean it's "stronger" as in it causes the horse more discomfort with less effort on the rider's part. (that's the definition of stronger, yes?) In fact the more "modern" models are designed, at least in theory, to work more effectively because they send a clearer signal and/or are actually more comfortable for the horse. Of course this is individual - and in some cases, arguable - but it's a pretty tested theory in bitting that sometimes milder/more comfortable/more suitable works better.

I, personally, haven't found any particular problem with Mylers hurting horse's mouths. And I've heard lots of reports of various other bits causing problems for specific horses or in certain situations.

All the Myler bits (and NS, KK etc) are designed to produce a very specific action/feel/response. If YOUR horse needs that effect, it's a good bit. If it doesn't, it's not, no matter how well someone else's horse goes in it. The Myler range is perhaps more specific than most, given that it's a system and the idea is that different bits suit not only different horses, but the same horse at different times. Some people swear by the system, others don't, but it is fairly well thought out and just taking bits out of it willy nilly won't necessarily produce the desired response.

I find comfort snaffles produce a very specific response. They are popular bits for "American hunters" because they tend to encourage the horses to go a certain way and I've not seen it "damage" horses used accordingly. I can see, though, that way of going/response would not necessarily be desired for event horses so I would suspect if event riders don't use it (it would be hard to tell just by looking) it's because it doesn't produce the effect they want. Personally, I'm not super keen on the feel of it BUT I've seen horses for whom it is just the ticket.

By the way, bits are just as much about riders as horses. Most riders have a way they want the horse to feel and often they toy with bits to get to that, even if they don't do it consciously. Someone else might prefer the feel of another bit on the same horse. It's just one part of a larger system.
 
a myler comfort snaffle is the only bit that taz has ever actually taken too, he came in an eggbutt, but all he done was lean on that and take off giving him a sore mouth when he got brought back from gallop, i've been through a lot of bits and only has the myler made riding easy as its a mouth piece that suits both him and myself as its dressage legal which makes life easier. Also a bit is only as strong as the rider who's using it.
 
I can't imagine that this bit is severe when used by a good rider on a reasonably educated horse. yes it is quite thin, but that will suit a horse with a small mouth. I followed the instructions which advised a few short sessions at first. It helps to lift his inside shoulder, and stops him running out at a jump (his fav trick with a new rider). I have never in all my life cut a mouth of a horse, but I am not a competition rider, maybe I need to give them a few pointers, if they can't ride a horse without yanking on the mouth they would not be riding my horses, I know that the Myler would not be suited to a big strong horse which is used to being pulled together with a gag, plus grackle and all the rest of the apparatus, but if you look at videos of Shane Breen and other experienced riders you will see that they have their youngsters in very simple bridles, and ride them forward in a balanced way.
The Myler comfort is designed for dressage type of riding rather than cross country, because it asks for a nice light contact.
All the best riders are pretty quiet and make my horse look much better than when I ride it, that is why they are good riders and I am not, but in somehow I always seem to get horses with potential.......... it might be something to do with all the time I spend on the basics. unfortunately I only know the basics!
 
I think it can be quite severe as the action is fairly direct. However i have one who is only happy in this bit - really throws his toys out of the pram with anything with a joint or links. He also lacks space in his mouth so the think mouth piece gives him the space to swallow. The fixed rings seem to give a large amount of leverage -- but as with any bit, wrong usage can make the mildest bits severe.
 
I used one on a horse who I felt I needed a little bit more control. I didnt find it strong at all and he went well in it and I used to showjump him in it. Ive never had the need to use one since though.
 
clairefeekerry1 said:
yipes!!
i always thought they were v mild bits.- just to confirm- you swapped a 3 ring gag for a myler comfort snaffle and had more control????
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Yes I do, she runs through a gag (dutch/cheltenham) but in the myler she respects it a lot more and I find going XC with her now I don't have to set her up in the way that I used to with the gag. One quick pull does the trick. She also does dressage in it too and goes very well in it rather than a loose ring or frenchlink. Very happy horse in it and I wouldn't put her in anything else for XC now.
 
if you're talking about the 02 mouthpiece, i don't think of it as severe but i do wonder whether the tongue can get pinched at the joints between the barrel and the pieces to either side of it.
the 32 mouthpiece is milder (only moves about 1mm or less) but i find it's a bit too still, almost a mullen.
i'm quite shocked if a horse really found an 02 myler with normal sides stronger than a 3-ring gag (if that was used on the gag rings, if on the snaffle ring then it's different) as obv the myler has no curb action. perhaps the horse had a very large tongue or something and was backing off the myler because of that.
that's the thing with bits, what suits 1 horse and/or rider perfectly doesn't necessarily touch another, it really is a lot of trial and error.
 
I have my WB in a Myler comfort snaffle, he's trained all the way upto adv level dressage in it. I have never ever had any bruises or cuts & I have never found it severe.

When I had him I put him in a NS tranz lozenge snaffle, he would head nod when he tacked up & being warmed up.

When I really looked at the conformation of his mouth I found that the lozenge part was catching the roof of his mouth as his Tongue Is large. This is what he was trying to tell me with the nodding.

I decided to try the Myler because it was thinner & didn't have a lozenge, it was an instant hit with him & he has never head shook or nodded since.

Any bit is harsh in poor hands, I would be devastated if any of my horses ended up with bruised or cut mouths.
 
clairefeekerry1 said:
yes that makes sense lol!
thats what my friend was saying, it caused bruising in the horses mouth.
crikey, i only use it as i thought it was a very mild bit. any suggestions for a nice mild snaffle then? horse not strong in the slightest, doesnt take a hold or anything. dont like the really thick bits as seem to chunky for his mouth!!
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Bruising in the mouth may be physically caused by the bit on the gums, but what is making the bit have that sort of pressure? It's down to the rider to ensure they aren't hard on the horses mouth or allow the horse to go on the forehand to make sure there is no damage done. What I'm getting at is that you can get bruising or cut mouths from ANY bit if you don't ride properly into a fair and consistent contact.
 
I think that because the mouth piece is so much thinner, it can be seen as being more 'severe' because a little pull will have a stronger effect than a fatter mouthpiece where the force is spread out more over the greater surface area. I have a 16 yo TB who has a fat french link loose ring snaffle, and he's always been quite strong and resistant in his mouth when asking for flexions/getting the neck soft. As I've wanted to ask more from him it became very hard to have him soft enough to put leg on and ask, without him becoming strong again if you see what I mean. So my instructor suggested a Myler comfort loose ring. The first few times he went like a dream, but now he's trying new ways of evading! Because it's a stronger bit due to the thinner mouthpiece, there's nothing for him to fight against anymore, so he has become much softer and less strong in his mouth, but now he's being cheeky and trying twitching his head around when I take a flexion, but if I keep the pressure there and back up with lots of leg and release the second he's given, I can eventually end up doing less and he's not as strong, so we should be able to ask for more. Atleast this is my interperentation of what my instructor was explaining!

I've also got to get used to a different feeling. Whereas before in the fatter snaffle he would always be 'there' with a firm contact, if I take that much of a contact now he just backs off it, so I need to adjust my riding and get used to asking and then having a lighter contact... hope this makes sense! I think they really depend on the horse and rider and why you want to use it :) x
 
kerilli said:
i'm quite shocked if a horse really found an 02 myler with normal sides stronger than a 3-ring gag (if that was used on the gag rings, if on the snaffle ring then it's different) as obv the myler has no curb action.
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A gag doesn't have any curb action either?
 
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