urgent bit advice please! also in sy

[moodiestmare]

I've just got a new horse and I've no idea what bit to get her. She has been a broodmare for the last 3 years so no tack was available.

She is an ex-racer and when I tried her out she just had a french link in. It wasn't her bridle though. It just worries me if I have a french link I won't have any stopping power !!!

Any suggestions please!

 

[maggiesmum]

I find a rubber pelham with 2 reins good for ex-racers, completely different to what they're used to so usually works well, it also gives you the option of only riding on the snaffle rein if you're brakes are in good working order!

 

[Gingerwitch]

If she was raced she would have prob been in a loose ring snaffle, a french link is not a bad bit, and if you tried her out in it I would stick with this one for a while. Was she in a martingale ? and dont forget you should be using your seat and stomach to control the pace. If the worst comes to the worse and you cant stop _ make sure you are not in a "jockey" positon, get back in the saddle even if it makes you feel like you are leaning back and start to half halt through your stomach and seat After that you have a few realistic choices. 1 - grab one rein as high up as you can and pull like you are going off a cliff put the other rein into its neck and use her power against herself. 2. start to ride her in decreasing circles - dont try anything too tight else you will pull the girl over. 3- ride at a hedge- not my favourite last time i did this the sod jumped it. 4. keep it going until it wants to stop and then keep it going some more. 5. the pull, release, pull system. I would never recomend the "bail" out unless you are looking at a cliff edge, a piece of farm equipment that will kill you or the horse - I once had a run away that was heading straight for a hay turner and trust me I stopped it. Good luck with your new lady and remember she wont be very fit, and she is going to be a little nervous. Just remember tb's are normally a very very sensative type and you will probably need to ride in a relaxed, calm manner and dont react. My old lady is part tb and would almost stop dead with a "whoa" in the right voice (not easy if you are doing the wall of death round a school)

 

[humph]

If it helps, I've had loads of ex racehorses (my step father longed for me to race ride) and I've never come across one with a hard mouth - they've all been sensitive and very easy to teach the seat aids to. Irish hunters however are a whole different ball game...probably never come across one that I could stop!

 

[Annagain]

AS the owner of an ex-irish hunter I'll second that! We have a system, I go in front, (he's a nightmare behind unless it's somewhere like the beach where we have enough space to go flat out and then he can't keep up) my friend follows on her ex racer. When we want to stop, she comes past me (I know it sounds odd) and stops her horse (in a nathe). Once hers has stopped, mine (in a waterford) is willing to negotiate!