Riding in a strong bit all the time....

Firewell

Firewell

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My TB is very well schooled and works beautifully 99% of the time on the flat in a snaffle. I use a Kimblewick which he loves for jumping and hacking as he is very bold and when he gets excited 8st me is simply too weak for him to listen to.
The problem is I can only ride 4x per week at the moment. 2x per week jumping in the arena (regular short but sweet jumping sessions stop him from finding it too exciting), 1x lunging or riding in the field and 1x hack. This means he is nearly always ridden in the kimblewick.
I ride with extremely light hands in it. He's not at all strong in it, he is highly responsive. I basically don't even really use it unless I have to... e.g if he starts to put his head down to have a yeeha then I will close my hand to bring him back under control or to check him in a combination to stop him lengthening too much between elements.
What I am worried about is that by using it too much he will get used to it and it will stop being effective. I have tried other bits so see if there are some I can switch it with. The 2 ring show jumper bit actually felt too harsh and he would sit behind the vertical or throw his head up and go hollow. The Waterford was nice to school in but jumping he started to put his head down on landing and trying to pull me forwards so he could then rush off (his trick in the snaffle) and I kept coming back to the kimblewick.
Should I just be glad that there's a bit that suits us both and not worry about it or do I need to keep searching for something else?
His flat work is great in a snaffle (we have BD points together) but jumping he is too much horse for me in the snaffle and hacking is fine while he's quiet but again if he gets excited and decides to have a buck and a plunge I am unable to gain sufficient control quick enough in a snaffle (I can but it usually ends up with me having to sit back with all my might and hauling on his mouth to turn his head while in the kimblewick I only have to pick up a contact and I have him back).
Thoughts?
 
Re read my post through and wanted to mention 99% of the time he's a doll. He lives out 24/7, eats only a lite balancer. He has his back and teeth done every 6 months, he's had a full vet check including radiographs and he is 100% fit happy, well rounded boy. He simply gets a bit happy go lucky and he is 16.1hh of long legs and formula 1 type power and I am 8st on my heavy days, little legs and twig arms :p.
 
I see no problem at all. He is mannerly and light and you have an independent seat. The only bit, strong or not, that will harm a horse is a bit with harsh hands attached to the reins.
 
I've ridden my mare in a kimblewick for 11 years now. Most of the time I don't have much of a contact if at all but it is there for if she ever decides to have a moment.

She is still very light on the bit and responds to the lightest touch when it is needed. Most of the time transitions are done from my seat.
 
I'd much rather see a horse in a stronger bit with a light hand, than a horse being hauled around in a lighter bit. As AA said, a bit is only as strong as the riders hands.

I've seen your previous threads and it's obvious that you're a kind rider with soft hands and you have a super boy to match. I wouldn't worry :)
 
As above F I don't see a problem. I hack/jump my TB in a three ring gag with sweet iron and lozenge mouth piece and do flatwork/dressage in the snaffle version. Occasionally I have tried to hack in the snaffle and it's fine... until something sends her small brain wappy and then I end up wishing I hadn't.
 
I agree with everyone above. I rode one of mine in a NS double jointed pelham all the time, he was more than happy in it and I rarely had to use the curb rein, but it was nice having it when I needed it. I only hunt so don't have to worry about dressage legal but I thought I'd try him in a NS hanging snaffle as it most closely resembled the pelham and he hated it so after that we just stuck with the pelham for everything. Happy horse happy life.
 
My old mare could get very strong out hacking. I used to ride her in a double bridle most of the time because I used one for comps and because I always used to hack her out in walk for at least 30 mins before schooling. I rode four times a week, schooling three times and probably put her in just a snaffle about twice a month. She would still go beautifully in the snaffle and she continued to improve right up to her retirement. I don't think it had any ill effects.

My others are in snaffles all the time, so it's not like a strong bit is my go-to, but I don't see a problem with what you are doing.
 
MS123 said:
I'd much rather see a horse in a stronger bit with a light hand, than a horse being hauled around in a lighter bit. As AA said, a bit is only as strong as the riders hands.
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As above.

Nothing wrong with it, not every horse goes well, comfortably, or safely, in a snaffle, safer and kinder for all concerned.

My mare would be a runaway elephant in any sort of snaffle, or unported bit (and I have tried many believe me) in this she is like a hummingbird.

0106_2.jpg
 
Sounds like my old boy - I approached it a different way though and only jumped the absolute minimum necessary to keep him ticking over. Once a fortnight was enough, any more he would boil over. We did lots of schooling, pole work, schooling around jumps - all with the aim of stopping jumps being exciting. We also hacked and did interval training for fitness - not jumping so much really settled him down with these.

If he ever felt like he was getting a little bored (though this was very rare) we would pop a log on a hack, or a little cross pole in the school just to spice it up a bit.

He was way too much horse for me jumping but also perfect for me in every other way so it was a difficult one. Fortunately he knew his job jumping (had just been retired from 3D eventing and we just did little 1D baby comps) - heaven knows how I would have coped if I had actually had to school him jumping. I'd have probably sold him and got something more suitable for him.

My instructor at the time also gave me a few exercises for regaining control - not to be advised if you have a horse that may stop or duck out. First she had us riding away from the jump straight to the end of the arena and stopping before a fence (initially he was a nightmare as he wanted to bomb off round the school). Once that was nailed she had us stopping 6 strides out, 5 strides, 4, 3 and finally 2. Once we had nailed this we focuse don't stopping before the jump - riding him to it but stopping 2 or 3 strides out, pat, turn on the forhand then ride away. When I could feel him waiting for me to ask him to stop, rather than just bombing the jump he was allowed over. We would then mix it up with sometimes going, sometimes circling, sometimes stopping. Eventually she added a second jump 4 strides out - we had to stop between the two (hard!) but we did it eventually and eventually I could stop him in the middle of a two stride double. The exercises, though hard, really got him listening to me andy allowed me to regain control.

I miss the boy (he was fully retired at 27) he taught me how to be a better rider, but I never truly enjoyed riding as it was always hard work. My mare I have now is a joy to ride and I come dismount beaming - that's what it should be like :) I do also have a quirky one too to keep me on my toes...
 
Enfys said:
As above.

Nothing wrong with it, not every horse goes well, comfortably, or safely, in a snaffle, safer and kinder for all concerned.

My mare would be a runaway elephant in any sort of snaffle, or unported bit (and I have tried many believe me) in this she is like a hummingbird.

0106_2.jpg
Click to expand...

I'd be too Enfys... correction ports are nasty
 
Doesn't seem like a problem, I think it would be worse if you were to be hauling on a snaffle all the time! If in a kimblewick he's happy and you're happy then stick with it.
 
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