No brakes

[shellyshocker]

I have a games pony who has just come back to me after being on loan for <font color="black"> </font> <font color="black"> </font> 1 year.
He has never had very good brakes but now he has none at all. He has very pink skin with 2 wall eyes. I have tried lots of different bits some metal some happy mouth.
His mouth bruises so easily and was cut 1 side when he returned.
Does any one have any ideas how I can get his mouth back?

 

[jokerkali]

It sounds like maybe he could use some retraining? Are you 100 percent sure he knows that bit pressure means stop?

I used Dr. Andrew Mclean's training/re-training techniques to completely retrain my horse who not only had no brakes, but would lean on me constantly, bolt, and then started rearing and bucking! Luckily I could retrain her before the behavior became really ingrained, because the longer they practice the behavior, the harder it is to change.

If you are interested, the basic principles of Dr. Mcleans work can be found here: http://www.aebc.com.au/articles. Alot of articles can be found on www.horsemagazine.com under "articles/clinics" then under "horsemanship" which lists Andrew Mclean and then all of the associated articles. I invested in the book and DVDs from the Acedemic Horse Training series, and I am glad I did, but alot can be learned from just the articles and info on the web.

Good luck!

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Brakes on a horse don't just come with a change of bit. Get yourself a decent trainer &amp; they will be able to help you school your horse to be better behaved &amp; more responsive. A change of bit will help but training is the ral key.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

As TZ - brakes aren't just pull on the bit = stop. It's all about good schooling and using your weight and half halts and so on. If he's been thundering round for the last year, ridden by kids doing games, games, games I'm not surprised he has no brakes! Also, a damaged mouth could indicate that his rider has just yanked him in the mouth as hard as was possible to get a halt. I honestly don't blame him for trying to run away from the pain in his mouth. Don't worry about changing the bit for now - the harshest bit can be gentle in the right hands and the gentlest bit can be severe in the wrong hands. Find a good intsructor and take it from the beginning, building up so he understands what's being asked of him.