Strongest dressage-legal snaffle?!

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MagicMelon

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I know its a bizarre question but my new horse has showjumped all his life and always been ridden in strong bits as he has been very strong. However, he's really chilled out now and I can ride in a snaffle at home now (I compete him jumping in a pelham however), but he is still difficult to control in canter. He just seems pretty dead in the mouth! He's in a Myler snaffle with the roller centre (dressage legal) but Im wondering if something else might be better? Ive got a hanging cheek french link I was going to try on him. I know obviously we're very limited with snaffles though... but I really want to try low level eventing with him but I dont fancy being in only a snaffle in a large grass field with the excitement of XC going on round him and expecting him to be lovely and calm...!!

(and yes I know schooling is the main issue here, which we are working on but sadly he is a huge horse so is very difficult to keep together etc.!)
 
You're on the right lines with a hanging snaffle I would say, but I'd probably go for a jointed mouth rather than a french link.

Also worth considering nosebands - grackles are permitted for BE competitions, or a drop noseband both might give you a bit more than just a flash.

As you say the schooling ultimately will be the answer but in the meantime worth trying those!
 
there is something called a triangle bit, which is a single-joint snaffle but the side of the mouthpiece against the tongue comes to a smooth but pointed edge, so that in profile the barrel is triangular. it's an american bit. you could use one of those to warm up and then swap to a dr legal one almost exactly the same (but no edge) just before test, and hope that he doesn't notice. i'd try that anyway!
 
kerilli said:
there is something called a triangle bit, which is a single-joint snaffle but the side of the mouthpiece against the tongue comes to a smooth but pointed edge, so that in profile the barrel is triangular. it's an american bit. you could use one of those to warm up and then swap to a dr legal one almost exactly the same (but no edge) just before test, and hope that he doesn't notice. i'd try that anyway!
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If it's not dressage legal to ride the test in, it's not dressage legal to warm up in ;)
 
kerilli said:
Ditto this. You can warm up for BE in ANY jumping legal tack.
I am not a complete bloody idiot, I would not recommend anything that was illegal, thanks nikki.
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Jeez K, I never said you were?!

That's what I get for skim reading a post in a hectic lunch hour, sorry, read it as a bit needed for everything which I took as DR in non BE terms. Apols.

I misinterpreted a post, genuinely and innocently, no need to bite my flipping head off!
 
I've had two quite leany WB's and they definitely went better in a French link than a single joint. Hanging snaffles are gimmick which have no ability to apply poll pressure. Their utility is therefore limited.

There is that Neue Schule Verbindend bit which is designed for stronger horses. Not tried it, but I think it is quite popular on here, and you can hire it.

http://nsbits.com/global/index.php/verbindend.html

Another thing to try when schooling is to do loads of trot to canter and walk to canter transitions (and the opposite downward transitions) on a circle, rather than go for long canters where they can get on to their forehand. It really helps to get them more up in front.
 
Luci07 said:
and I learnt something new as didn't know you could do that!
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I didn't either, till I was told of a tanky horse who is always warmed up in a pelham and changed to a snaffle at the last minute, and the magic holds for about 6 minutes!

I have also seen someone warming up at Burghley in dr saddle + pelham. Whatever works for that horse...
 
I don't think hanging cheeks are a gimmick - IMO they do what they are designed to do which is suspend the bit in the mouth and keep it very still (an action which I think is similar to a full cheek with keepers) and which some horses appreciate.

I don't actually think they are stronger though because they don't provide poll pressure, they just distribute the pressure differently. In any case I think stronger is subjective to a horse - mine for instance backs right off a myler comfort snaffle - I guess because it is so thin and he finds a fatter mouthpiece more comfortable.

If you horse goes well in a pelham you could warm him up in that and then switch to why a mullen mouth hanging cheek (assuming you use a mullen mouth pelham of course) - it would feel very similar to the horse and he might not notice for the 5 minutes you are in the arena!
 
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