schooling, noseband or bitting question?

E

elsielouise

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 February 2005
Messages
778
Visit site
Hi - I'd love some experienced ideas here if anyone can help. I've ridden for 30 years myself but this one has me stumped and I think just 'bitting to the eyeballs' wont work but something has to be done.

Before I start I have many experienced - hunting and eventing friends all offering advice from tom thumb bits to market harboroughs, waterford gags and bungies so, although I'm willing to try things I want a rationale rather than 'it worked for me story' if at all possible as that's mostly what I'm getting at home. Poor horse won't know which way up is if I tried every recommendation!


I've also got to the point now where I need to try anything to solve this problem and also I thought writing it down might help so apologies if this gets long.

Basically I've owned my 8 yr old WBX mare since weaning and although she's always been strong, over the last few weeks (since a yard move in October to a new and much more interesting hacking area) she has become increasingly (dangerously) strong in any bit I work her in outside the school. I use a snaffle for schooling and slow hacking- (she's still fine in school) and kimblewick for x country or faster hacks. I've also got a waterford but the bit doesn't seem to make a huge difference. when she's good she's very good when she's bad she's dreadful whatever is in her mouth.

AND I took her hunting for the first time last week (kimplewick and crank noseband) and a 'light' seemed to go on and she picked up I couldn't stop her. We had a couple of dangerous situations including her falling in front of another horse as she ran through my aid to stop her and she slid at speed round a corner.

I've also just come back from a hack with some friends where somehting in a bush upset her and she went form trot to flat gallop in about three seconds. OK I had a snaffle in but she opened her mouth ,lifted and/or lowered her head (depending on what technique I was trying) and kept going.

(I did go back along same track and walk up and down it til she didn't run off (four goes) and actually saw she'd seen some farm machinary doing loud scary things).

My trainer has taught me to lighten my seat and use my back and weight to stop her when schooling and this works fine, she'll stop frm seat only in the school but when there's more than one horse or something spooks her I have NO control at all.

She's ALWAYS evaded by running through me, when I taught her to canter it was a wall of death situation for several weeks until she became balanced. Wasn't any point doing anything except sitting quietly, taking my weight off her back and waiting for it to get better which, might be the answer to this.

What I'm wondering though is if I should 'gadget her' for a while before this becomes an ingrained 'I'm stronger than you' issue.

In every other way she's fantastic but I want to hunt and event her and I don't want to take her anywhere at speed at the min never mind jump!

The only other thing I;m wondering about is she was raised in a herd of two and has only hacked out with more that two other horses at any speed about half a dozen times in her life and maybe she'll settle if we do lots of slow boring work in a group ( tricky to pursuade ten friends to come for a boring hack)

Ooooooooooh this has got alarmingly long but having written it out my inclination is to decide on a combination of bit/whatever to show her she can't evade this way and then get her into lots of situations where I can safely control here even if things get exciting. Then perhaps begin with cubbing next year...

Blimey, if anyone has got this far and not died of boredom I'd love your opinion. Has anyone owned anything similiar. Did you give up and just take up in hand showing instead!!

I thank you!
 
Chex sounds quite similar, but I have taken the easy way out and don't hunt or go out on hacks with loads of people. But Chex is much older. I took him on some common rides, but he was just a nightmare, no brakes, constantly shaking and jogging, backing up etc. It was no fun for me getting my arms ripped out their sockets every 5 seconds, so I haven't been on any since! For hacking I resorted to using a dutch gag for a fortnight to get him stopping when I asked, but his problem was yanking his head down whenever I asked him to slow down. I know that he completely understood what I was asking of him, but just completely ignored/did what he wanted anyway. I use the gag occasioanlly for a while to remind him to listen, and use a myler comfort snaffle the rest of time.

But as I say, I took the easy way out, I know he's just not a suitable horse for those kinds of rides! I'm not actually being of any help here, so I'll shut up now lol
 
Tricky,tricky,tricky.....the most important thing for both of you is that you both stay safe. This may mean bitting her up to the eyeballs at present. It would be dreadful if she fell while in full flight from a "spooky fear" & injured either of you. Also, the "flight" response can become a habit, not one to encourage. Sometimes a strong bit e.g. a gag, with a mild mouthpiece, rubber or similar can be good, or a roller type mouthpiece so she cannot run through it,combined with a drop noseband or grakle, & running martingale. Unfortunately there is no single answer to bitting questions as horses all can react differently to different restrictions! Hope this has been helpful!!(probably not!)
cool.gif
 
hi,

feed = pasture mix and chop. nothing changed, saddle checked last week and teeth in november and haven't tried a flash yet but have one to have a go with. Sorry about stilted reply, typing one hand and protecting cake from greyhound with other!
 
thankyou -- <putting down cake to type better> it is tricky isn't it? I've got waterford gag but, she runs through me in that too, or at least she did when took her out with 8 others the other day. She's FINE when/if I allow her to get to the front if it's not been cause dby a spook.but, not v good overtaking first the whips then the master!

She is def one of those whose flight instinct is strong. Has always been like that and I used a pressure halter on her when she was tiny as she was strong being led too. Perhaps the myler combination then as that's a multi pressure point approach.

But then you see my dillema don;t you. Soooooooooooo many things I could tryyyyyy
 
I'd bit her up for the time being - I used a nelson lozenge running gag and a drop noseband (two reins) on my baby. However if prone to rearing I would use a pelham with two reins and start them with either elastic or leather curb.

Mine learnt that they could never run away and now don't bother and ridden in lozenge snaffles.
 
hey thanks anyway. You know, not doing it IS an option I'm considering! Buut I bought her to event and don't want to sell her. I just need to motivate myself through this initial pain barrier I think!

As you say it isn't fun is it.
 
I have had similar problems with my mare in the past, and I got around it by using a pelham with two reins. this meant that I could ride her on the 'snaffle' rein most of the time, but could pick up the 'curb' rein when I needed it which gave me breaks.

Don't know if this may help you?
 
My horse tanked off with me 3 x ,when faced with fight or flight situation....bloody terrifying.She was in a 3 ring gag,no difference,then a waterford gag,....a little improved...then a mullen mouth pelham which was pretty ineffective when used with roundings but when one rein put on bottom ring I could stop her.Bliss!! What a confidence restorer.Now when we see bin bags,(her worst nightmare) I can control her impulse to run in two strides.I know it;s not ideal to use one rein on the bottom ring,but believe me it is the only way I can stop her taking off. She is a 17.2 hh hw clyde x tb so I am sure you can appreciate her strength.Better for both of us to be safe not sorry,regardless of an 'ideal situation.' I think those who not experienced the terror of a runaway horse may frown but believe me I would give it a go...Otherwise my big girl would have gone to another home...if I could have found one!! Don't give up and good luck...
 
Interesting.. thanks.. I presum then I could have a go with two reins and then use the bottom one if necc? She sounds like mine and it IS scary isn't it? Been riding b***** years but felt like rank amateaur yesterday when NOTHING worked!
cheers
 
Hi, it's frustrating isn't it? As well as downright scary.
I was in a similar situation to you with an arab, at home I rode in an English hackamore and he was lovely, until he was in a group, I tried the German Hackamore and he sat down and refused to go forwards at all, too much pressure with that.
As I like to hunt (with a mountain pack) it became downright suicidal, it was as if a switch would flick and his brain simply wasn't attached to his feet, like you I had numerous people advising me try this, try that.......I did, and still got carted to varying degrees. In the end, following more advice from SJ friends, I tried a myler long shank combination and it worked, I'd avoided that because it looked so severe, it isn't. The sheer bliss, I used double reins and only used the bottom rein for reminders, hunting became fun again. I thnk it was the slightly less harsh hackamore action plus the standby curb rein that worked in his case, either that or he got fed up with going back to the lorry within 30 minutes and standing in by himself for 4 hours! I know there is no miracle bit that works for every horse, I lent the same bit to an Irish forum member and it didn't suit her horse at all. My other standby is a Military reversible. So, really, no advice at all, just beg, borrow and steal everything you can and perhaps you will find something that she can listen to and you'll both feel safe again. I hope so.
Oh,also, I'm sure you've done this, but I also phoned the Myler helpline (also advised the LS Comb) and they were incredibly helpful, and of course, they do the free trial as those bits are ridiculously expensive to buy just to try aren't they?

Good Luck.
smile.gif
 
The myler combination has been mentioned a couple of times and my trainer has one she brought up for my friend to try when she was having a problem so, we might have a go with that. I think if I'm going to try bits I'll do it in a structured way with similiar types of varying strength - as opposed to random.

Been discussing her with my friend today whose horse evades by broncing and plunging and she thinks she's found a solution with a treeless saddle and although her previous saddle was fitted by a master saddler it was still not allowing her the freedom she wanted.

onwards and upwards huh
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top