Thick tongue, bits and leaning?

[Jingleballs]

My boy has a typical cob mouth – quite fleshy lips and a large tongue.

He likes to open his mouth and I’d been advised to switch from a loose ring roller to a French link tongue saver hanging cheek.

He is a bit better in this but will still open his mouth/try and get his tongue over the bit and take off with you.

RI says to stick a flash on him but he doesn’t like a flash noseband and can often be worse with one. Instead, I’ve got a drop noseband. So far I’ve only hacked him in it to get him used to it but he seemed ok with it.

I was thinking though about what other bits I might look to try. His current bit isn’t too bulky but having done some reading on here it seems that simple, thin mullen mouth or a Cambridge but unfortunately, I need something dressage legal so that wouldn’t be any use.

The thing that concerns me about the mullen mouth though is that it might make the leaning much worse.

Are there any other tongue saver bits worth trying?

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Something ported so you're not putting pressure on his massive cob tongue?! My Beau also has the typical big tongue, fleshy mouth. I use a snaffle single jointed but quite thick bit which seems to spread the pressure more than a thinner version. It's the only bit I've tried that he seems happy in.

 

[Jingleballs]

Something ported so you're not putting pressure on his massive cob tongue?! My Beau also has the typical big tongue, fleshy mouth. I use a snaffle single jointed but quite thick bit which seems to spread the pressure more than a thinner version. It's the only bit I've tried that he seems happy in.

I don't think the ported bits are dressage legal though are they?

He was originally in a single jointed snaffle but I changed it having read many negative opinions on thse types of bits and the way then can hit off the top of the mouth.

 

[cob&onion]

My cob has similar mouth conformation to yours. She was in a loose ring NS lozenge (the thinner one) but she leaned badly o the left rein. Rode her in a show pelham (was doing a class) and she went beautifully. I have now got her in a myler hanging cheek mullen barrel with no joint and a flash noseband and shes so much better, no leaning, no evading just soft. its funny as they arnt suposed to lean on a loose ring but she did very badly and she would open her mouth and pull out hacking.
Thats all stopped now

 

[NeverSayNever]

I found the NS verbindend was the only one blue settled in - you can get a cheaper version from cotswold sports i think. Bizarrely - by pure chance ive discovered my girl likes a thick hollowmouth! I always assumed a thinner mouth was better for her being a Sec D but I used a fairly thick hollowmouth one day and she seems to love it! - she can still lean on it if the mood takes her tho :/