Sore mouth advice?

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thundermacd

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Myays6yo had a sore mouth when I bought him. It was getting much better until he caught one of the bit cheeks while in the lorry. I have been riding him in hackamore, which is sort of ok, but he does get quite strong in it and there is no way I could hunt or XC, SJ is enough of a challenge. Every time I put his happy mouth back in he is really sore within 3 days. I have light hands and am trying to leave his mouth alone anyway. Could the happy mouth be causing more friction and rubbing, better off in a metal bit or maybe straight bar rubber pelham? Any ideas?
 
Hi. Exactly the same thing happened to my horse. Definitely try a metal bit. My mare is very strong in a hackamore but I had no alternative as her mouth kept getting sore every time I went back to her happy mouth, even on a loose rein hack. I assumed the happy mouth would not cause any friction, but since I've swapped to the metal bit I haven't had any problems at all. :)
 
once they have got sore it seems to take for ever to sort them.

A lot of people on this forum suggested 'iglu' mouth ulcer cream.

I fixed mine finally with a combination of ulcer cream when I wasn't riding and sudocrem (loads of it round the corners of the mouth) when I was.

It took a while but now (fingers crossed) it is fine and has been for two or three months -and if you are buying iglu cream don't mention its for a horse!
 
I had an event horse with a similar issue but unfortunately hated being ridden in a hackamore. His mouth would be extremely sore after each round of cross country which would have a knock on effect on my ability to school him on the flat for up to 3/4 weeks after each competition. He was ridden in a snaffle and never pulled and I knew that my hands were not that severe!

Someone suggested treating the problem with alum and we never looked back. We used to soak a bit wrapped in gamgee in a mixture of alum powder and water and then leave him with it in his mouth whilst standing in the stable for about an hour every day. It helped to harden the corners of his mouth as well as healing the sores. After a few weeks, the sores were much better and now there is rarely any damage!

On the rare occasion that his mouth does get a bit sore, I apply a mixture of Zinc cream, Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream and Preparation H Hemoroid Cream which works a treat and ensures that it heals much quicker! The only thing is you have to deal with the embarrassment of regularly going into the chemist and asking for hemoroid cream! It got to the point where I felt obliged to explain myself to the local pharmicist!

Be very careful with any human mouth ulcer preparations as most contain a local anesthetic like lidocaine which is classified as a prohibited substance. Sudocreme as far as I know also contains prohibited substances and will also cause a horse to fail a FEI drugs test.

Finally vaseline is OK for reducing friction but doesnt actually promote any form of healing and will actually cause the area to dry out so to be honest its probably better to avoid it.
 
Years ago I had a mare that would repeatedly have a sore mouth no matter what - the vet had a look at her and adviced that Vitamin B deficiency can be one of the causes of the weakened skin.
Copper & Zinc are also minerals needed to ensure healthy skin so you may need to look for a supplement that contains these.

Rubber bit definately not an option as they can cause sores if the mouth dries.

If you aren't competing then Bonjela is great to use as it protects the area and also helps to heal it.
 
The only time that Lily ever got a sore mouth was when I rode her in a happy mouth bit. Tried her in a number of different metal bits and none of them rubbed her.
 
I find happy mouths the worst type of bit for rubbing. They get rough very quickly - I think the name is ironic!
 
A copper (or any of the salox/german silver) mouthpiece is the best for a sore mouth. Manuka honey is very good for healing and is competition legal. Happy mouth bits can rub some horses.
 
Thanks for all your advice guys. I have used alum before, and it worked, but noone seems to sell it anymore. Most of my local pharmacists looked pretty blank when I asked! Where could I get it from?
 
Another vote for Preparation H Hemoroid Cream - get the gel version though.

I also have tried to get Alum and failed so would be interested in where you can get it from.
 
I guess I'm lucky in that my local wonder pharmacy still stocks it - having said that it does stock everything that you could ever possibly need!
 
I'd heard the Alum thing but like you couldn't find it anywhere. I found that 6 months in a hackamore whilst also applying Camrosa ointment to the corners of his mouth every day worked a treat - that was 2 years ago and despite quite a few XC outings where he's hauled my arms out, his mouth is so strong and has hardened up so well that he's never had even a slight sore bit.

DEFINATELY avoid Happy Mouth bits. Why they call them that I'll never know, seen numerous examples of horses with relatively good mouths getting sores/rubs and even split mouths. I've got a Neue Schule tranz lozenge snaffle - the Salox metal they use in all their bits is fantastic and I would recommend it every time.
 
This is an interesting post. Would appreciate some more advice on this, especially if there have been developments in the last year. My mare is becoming far too forward since I introduced her to hunting at the age of 14. She is becoming dangerous in the hunt field and not an enjoyable hack. I try VERY hard to ride from my seat and my legs and keep the pressure in my hands to a minimum but she is SO STRONG and SO KEEN it just verges on dangerous if I don't grab hold of her. Every time I take her for a fittening hack or out for half a days hunting she cuts (or rather I do...) her mouth open. What do I do???

I school her in a hanging cheek and hunt/hack in a dutch gag on either the snaffle if 2 reins or on the next loop down, both metal (don't like rubber/'happy' mouth bits).

Event_Rider - Your advice on Alum is interesting. I have found Alum on ebay but it seems to come in several types - blocks, crystals? What should I buy? And how do I prepare it? Mix with water? If so what ratio? Many thanks in advance.
 
event_rider said:
I had an event horse with a similar issue but unfortunately hated being ridden in a hackamore. His mouth would be extremely sore after each round of cross country which would have a knock on effect on my ability to school him on the flat for up to 3/4 weeks after each competition. He was ridden in a snaffle and never pulled and I knew that my hands were not that severe!

Someone suggested treating the problem with alum and we never looked back. We used to soak a bit wrapped in gamgee in a mixture of alum powder and water and then leave him with it in his mouth whilst standing in the stable for about an hour every day. It helped to harden the corners of his mouth as well as healing the sores. After a few weeks, the sores were much better and now there is rarely any damage!

On the rare occasion that his mouth does get a bit sore, I apply a mixture of Zinc cream, Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream and Preparation H Hemoroid Cream which works a treat and ensures that it heals much quicker! The only thing is you have to deal with the embarrassment of regularly going into the chemist and asking for hemoroid cream! It got to the point where I felt obliged to explain myself to the local pharmicist!

Be very careful with any human mouth ulcer preparations as most contain a local anesthetic like lidocaine which is classified as a prohibited substance. Sudocreme as far as I know also contains prohibited substances and will also cause a horse to fail a FEI drugs test.

Finally vaseline is OK for reducing friction but doesnt actually promote any form of healing and will actually cause the area to dry out so to be honest its probably better to avoid it.
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Note that the Preparation H will also fail a dope test!
 
Metal bit, one that will encourage salivation.

Vaseline on the outer corners.

As something to help the swap over, Latex bandage (it's very thin, sticky on one side, and stretchy - make sure the joins are facing away from the mouth corners when it's in situ).

When the mouth gets cut on the outer edges, either the hemoroid(sp!) cream, or nappy rash cream, or Manuka honey.

When D1 first got Grey Mare we went through numerous bits trying to find one she was comfy in and that didn't cut her (she was a tad argumentative and would argue with herself given the chance). The latex has worked well, through we're still looking for the right bit for her :rolleyes::cool:
 
I use boots own prep h. It was a happy mouth that ruined mines mouth. I applied the cream three times a day & used a hackamoore. Now i have no problems, hunted the otherday & no sore mouth.
 
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