what are your thoughts on a pee wee bit?

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lisa_lou

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Someone suggested i try one on my very very strong 7yr old mare when out jumping. She gets so excited jumping that she tries to go really fast and im looking for a bit to help get her approaching in a steady pace and to help with the brakes when pulling up. Poll pressure doesnt work with her she just brings her head into her chest but still remains exceptionally strong.
 
I love the pee wee but it won't work on something that really takes a pull even when it's on its strongest setting. What about the Cheltenham gag or a waterford?
 
We had some excellent results with my dads huge boy (19.2), my dad loved it. It would stop Mouse leaning and taking hold on the bit.
 
Have recently (3 weeks or so) been using one on my very excitable endurance Arab. So far it's been marvellous. He appears to be much more comfortable in his mouth with it (as it's smaller and sits lower) and as a confirmed leaner (this horse can and will lean on a Waterford - he can even lean into the hackamore which I was using on him previously) - but he hasn't yet found a way of leaning on the Pee Wee or taking a hold. Therefore, with the Pee Wee we also have very good brakes!

Our schooling has come on in leaps and bounds in the last 3 weeks. Previously, canter schooling (in any kind of bit/hackamore) he would lower his head, lean into pressure (of hackamore or bit) and would bronc with head between legs. Since using the Pee Wee, he's shown no sign whatsoever of the head lowering and broncing, and his self carriage has improved tremendously. It does lead me to think that my boy 1) Has too small a mouth for the other types of bits I've tried and b) Objects to, and therefore leans into any pressure from the nose/poll (hackamore) as well as into a "normal" bit.

So, in summary, for Pharaoh, the PeeWee has been a godsend and I can ride him with the lightest of contact and with far better results than ever before.

I now have only one more thing to try out with Pharaoh and the Pee Wee bit - and that is to find out what he's like in it at an actual competitive ride (which is when he's most excited, leans most of all and pulls most of all!). On that aspect, we shall need to wait and see....
 
I love mine :) Have used it on 4 different horses - my Welsh A who disliked anything but a hackamore (except the peewee!), a 4yo welshie with no steering (which vastly improved with the peewee!), a mare who went through a bit of a strange phase with bits (but liked the pee wee!) and Dante, who is probably the one it's worked best for! He can be a complete git in company/jumping (and worse on farm rides with other horses around!) - a weaker bit he ignores completely, and too strong a bit he will simply bounce/run backwards/rear until you let him go completely. In the peewee, we can move forward AND stop! :p I can now confidently take him hacking, jumping, on farm rides.... he still wants to be at the front, but I don't feel like I am being carted around at his pace any more ;) He also listens to me infront of jumps far better than in any other bit.
Previously I'd tried him in a pelham (with roundings & two reins on seperate occasions) and a waterford. Both of which were too extreme.
That said - I think if you have a horse which really does want to go, not even barbed wire through it's mouth is going to stop it really, is it? So it is just a bit, like any other. :)
 
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