soft mouth & sore tongue

[SAL66]

I am buying a horse and have been riding him 4 or 5 times since first seeing him, as previously posted he seemed to be in a little discomfort with his mouth and sometimes pulled with his head from the bit and became quite heavy, I was reluctant just to oike his head back up with my reins, and when using my legs he corrected his head position, but kept on doing it on and off after a while my fingers were blistered so I rode him back to the stables, I explained my concerns about this to his current owner and we looked in his mouth and his mouth looked sore.He had his teeth checked yesterday and apparently his teeth are in good condition and in the past have been well looked after, however where the bit sits on the bar of his mouth is very soft and not at all hard like alot of horses he has seen and feels that the bit currently used, a waterford is not right for him, and suggested a rubber bit, also he has a large tongue and bit bank suggested a Cambridge as there is more room for the tongue.
Due to his sore mouth I last rode him in a hackamore which he rode fantastic in, no pulling, leg yielded fine, just was a pleasure to ride.

I always though that hackamore is a very severe bridle that is mainly used for horses that are hard mouthed, ie , hard to stop, he isn't and even in a bitted briddle the slightest pressure on the reins he would stand square until told to move on, are there softer versions of the hackamore around.
Would you think about going bitless if he has a soft mouth, or would you keep trying to find a bit that suits him, I don't want his tongue or mouth to get worse, his current owner is hiring different bits to try, until I collect him after his vetting 2 weeks today.
Any advice thoughts would be great, and apologies for doing a lengthy post.

 

[SAL66]

anybody please?

 

[JAK]

Firstly, I would give him time for his sore mouth & tongue to fully heal, or he will continue fighting whatever bit you put in his mouth, as there will still be some level of discomfort there!

Secondly, I would take the advice of a reliable bit bank & try what they suggest but stick with it, rather than chopping & changing constantly!
If he has sufferd with a sore mouth for some time, it will have affected his schooling etc. & you will have a 'chicken or egg' situation, i.e. which came first, the need for a waterford or the sore mouth?

Once his mouth & tongue are no longer sore, you can start gentle riding/re-schooling in the new bit but I doubt you will find a magical instant solution, as this sounds as though it has been an ongoing problem & he may well need a fair amount of re-education over a period of some time.

You will need to give the bit bank as much info as possible, inc. making it clear that at least some of his problems are pain related rather than disobedient resistance.
They may even suggest a bit that allows room for his tongue but works on the bars of his mouth, as ridden sympathetically, this may be both subte yet effective in gentle, competent hands.

Sorry I can't be of more help really but without knowing his full history, it can be hard to advise. I hope you can sort him out though, poor little chap!

 

[SAL66]

Thanks Jak for your advice, I don't really want him going from one bit to another either as this could make matters worse, as he needs to be ridden as he is a little unfit and carrying too much weight, do you think it ok to ride him in a hackamore until his mouth gets better, I think the problems I had are pain related as he was good as gold in the hackamore and generally good to do in all ways.

 

[JAK]

If the hackamore is correctly fitted & he goes happily in it, then there is no reason why you shouldn't ride in it if you feel confident enough to do so.
Riding in a bit now may simply cause further damage, mentally as well as physically & won't be much of a start to your new relationship! (Depends how sore his mouth is though obviously!)