Rein snatching. major problem !!

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maisiemoo

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Ok , ticked every possible box so far with this issue. My mare snatches the reins all the time , have tried different riders and she still does it, each person has never seen anything like it which concerns me, she is lovely to ride otherwise so it is such a shame , i have got to the point now where i am avoiding riding her, she was in a single joint snaffle so tried a double jointed which has made no difference . No point selling her [ love her to bits anyway] as this will only become someone's elses problem , Has anyone else ever had experience of a horse that does this, it is a violent snatch , tried loose contact and firmer contact , she throws herself off balance , dare'nt try a canter as end up with no reins at all. have tried bungee rein which made her totally agro !
 
She needs to learn to acept the contact, ruling out teeth problems etc.

Start by lunging with side reins etc.

But by all accounts i think you need a good trainer to work with.
 
Mine did it initially. I was told to bridge the reins and keep my hands low so that you can use the neck to stop your hands going forward too. It worked quite quickly for us.
 
If you are certain that her teeth are OK, there are loads of b its to try. If she doesn't like jointed bits, try a mullen-mouth, is she better with loose ring or eggbut, is she better with a different metal or a happy mouth type bit. Don't give up hope yet. It really does sound to me as though it is a bitting issue if she is the same with different riders. It might take some time to work out the best bit for her but it needn't cost a fortune if you use a good bitbank. Good luck! Let us know how you go on.
 
have you tried no bit? hackamore or similar? might be worth a try. or put side reins on while riding so that she never wins. (have them a bit looser than your reins but only a bit :-) )
 
Murph used to do this out hunting, I ended up using a Market Harborough, he soon learnt that he was just fighting himself and stopped doing it. It is worth perserving with it even if she doesn't like it to begin with.
 
Thanks everyone , her teeth were done in dec, will try bits suggested ,and agree need some professional help i do have an excellant trainer on hand. i have tried bridging the reins even bought some proper bridging reins which help slightly but are no good for my daugther who's arms are alot shorter than mine ,
 
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