really sorry-which bit?

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vickers22

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ok am soo sorry because i know you guys must get fed up but i am at a loss
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. He pulls so hard and cuts the corners of his mouth(only on one side though, the other side just goes red)
and he is soo strong. He will lunge forward when hunting, and runs straight through the bit. Curb chains dont seem to make him raise his head he just jerks his head up, as he normally tucks his head under. please please help as i have an event next week and need to try one before then!thankyou
 
A bit with a curb chain won't have the affect of raising his head - the action of the curb makes them tuck their chins in.

Have you considered a Gag if he;s that strong?
 
I'd have to go with a gag too, you can use it with 2 reins so just ride off the snaffle but if he gets too strong give him a check with the bottom rein. I used it on my horse who used to bolt off, this is the only thing that stopped him, he nearly came to a complete standstill when I first used it and now has a lot more repect for the bit- he hasn't bolted since. If his mouth is getting rubbed you can get rubber ones.
 
This probably isn't a bit problem, it's probably a schooling problem. Basically he's doing exactly as he wants, he doesn't appear to have any manners either. I would bring him back to basics & start schooling him correctly. Lay off the events for a while & get your horse listening to you in the school, don't even canter, just stick to walk & trot. Go for steadyness & rythmn. He'll eventually learn what is expected of him, will listen to the aids & will respond correctly. Just sticking a big chunk of ironmongery in his mouth isn't really the correct way to go. It's a quick fix & they rarely last. At the moment he is getting dangerous & his behaviour needs changing. There have been at least 4 different bits mentioned so far on this thread?.....go back to basic schooliong & you'll sort this problem out properly.
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I hate to be a bore but I agree with Toby
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I know this won't be what you want to hear with events coming up though
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If you think of training a horse, as training it's reactions to the all aids (leg/seat/hand etc). Then your horse is clearly not reacting as he should.

A bit of going to back to working on his reactions/obedience will no doubt pay dividends IMO.

I hope this doesn't make your heart sink too much!
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have you been hunting on a strapping big horse that pulls TZ??

a horse can have impecable manners, but out hunting turn into the devil incarnate.

nothing to do with how many times you bore it's brains out with "transitions".
 
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If that was the same in this case then the rider wouldn't be worried about events surely?

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hardly going to be ok with just schooling in a week either.
 
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have you been hunting on a strapping big horse that pulls TZ??

a horse can have impecable manners, but out hunting turn into the devil incarnate.

nothing to do with how many times you bore it's brains out with "transitions".

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know what you are saying, but if a horse will not listen to the rider in a dangerous environment like hunting, I would question the wisdom of using that horse for that job.

We have all met and ridden horses that pull like trains (well most of us have) and often the answer is to give them less to fight against..but the hunting field and event course would not be the place to test this theory
 
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This probably isn't a bit problem, it's probably a schooling problem

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Well it could be a bit of both. However the two horses that I hunt are very well schooled, and have impeccible manners. However, both do need much stronger bits to hunt in (which they both do weekly).

The OP may find that at events she may be able to revert back to a milder bit. But I think it's fair to say that not everything is snaffle mouthed, regardless of how well mannered or schooled they are.
 
Yes horses will get stronger in certain situations but with what is happening to the original poster she has to do something otherwise she's going to get seriously hurt.

If your method of schooling only involved 'Bore its brains out with transitions' then it's hardly likely things are going to change. Additonally no one said it would be sorted in a week either. Your comments have been incredibly helpful to the OP haven't they.

Yes some horses need different bits for different disciplines but not to the exclusion of schooling the horse to listen to & obey the aids. Hurtling around the countryside totally out of control is not fun, it's dangerous to the rider, the horse & anyone else around.

Too much emphasis is put on the type of bit, to the exclusion of schooling & educating the horse in the first place.
 
ok before i start a riot-he has VERY good manners in the school and is a completely different horse. and we do not 'hurtle around the countryside totally out of control' i just thought i needed something stronger so my arms arent pulled off!He doesnt rear or buck-so he is not dangerous to me or anyone else-i can eventually stop otherwise i wouldnt take him hunting. He gets lots of schooling. Thankyou guys who suggested those bits, i will try a waterford i think-tried a dutch gag but it seems to not work!(although i might try it with two reins first)and i can control him at events-you make him sound like an absolute beast!I just wanted something that he would feel more comfortable in and that i could have more control over. phew!!
 
I agree that schooling could help the problem but my boy is really well schooled and a perfect gentleman most of the time but when he decides to bolt all the hours I've put in schooling him seem to go out of his head and all he wants to do is get to the front of the pack. Thats why I put the gag in and only after he got to the point of being dangerous. I only put it in in situations where I think he might take off, like hunting, and what I like about the gag is that 99% of the time I just ride off the snaffle ring and it's only if he gets to the stage of being uncontrollable that he gets reminder check with the bottom rein.
 
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ok before i start a riot-he has VERY good manners in the school and is a completely different horse. and we do not 'hurtle around the countryside totally out of control' i just thought i needed something stronger so my arms arent pulled off!He doesnt rear or buck-so he is not dangerous to me or anyone else-i can eventually stop otherwise i wouldnt take him hunting. He gets lots of schooling. Thankyou guys who suggested those bits, i will try a waterford i think-tried a dutch gag but it seems to not work!(although i might try it with two reins first)and i can control him at events-you make him sound like an absolute beast!I just wanted something that he would feel more comfortable in and that i could have more control over. phew!!

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i think my original answer might, after all, be helpful to the OP!!!!
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Your comments have been incredibly helpful to the OP haven't they.


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I think they might be...see above
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i think my original answer might, after all, be helpful to the OP!!!!

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yes!thankyou
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thats ok, been in the same situation!!
 
I use a cheltenham gag on my boy, but you might want to try a dutch gag first to see how he reacts to poll pressure as the cheltenham does exert a lot of pressure on the poll. I tried a lot of bits before I used the cheltenham as a last resort, its all about trial and error and to see which suits your horse best. Good luck!
 
Another couple of options, if you want to try something a little different, are one of the Myler bits with hooks http://www.toklat.com/myler/home.html , a combination bridle http://www.toklat.com/myler/mbits_combo.html , or a Mikmar http://www.mikmar.com . These all come with relatively benign mouthpieces (especially an issue if there is damage to the horse's mouth) and work on both leverage and diffused pressure. Another option for x-c and hunting might be a mechanical hackamore.

None of these are everyday schooling options but they can be good "special circumstances" tools for adrenilised horses.
 
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