What bit? Advice please

[WeeBrown]

What do you try when you've tried a straight bar happy mouth and although horse seemed happy with it in their mouth they lean and sometimes are difficult to control...have a tendency to take hold when they feel like it. I tried a single joined happy mouth - horse initially o.k but then fussy with head - and now a jointed with roller middle. Teeth were checked at the beginning of the year and she's having them done again at beginning of July.
The trouble is that this horse has spent two years due to one thing and another not really being properly worked and she's now acting quite offended that she is being made to do stuff she doesn't really want to do.
She's not nasty - no rearing or bucking - it's all very tame work avoidance stuff. I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this and what bits they tried. She's currently in no noseband. I have two instructors and lessons every week just wondered if you lot had any advice to offer.

 

[L00bey]

What was wrong with the roller sorry? Im guessing this is a snaffle?

 

[Lucy_Nottingham]

id say work avoidance if she is not flat out unhappy and rejecting the bit work her more forward into the contact and say stop messing around. (obv not mean just straight forward to understand)

if she gets really funny maybe try a copper bit as they are softer in the mouth....

 

[WeeBrown]

She's just opening her mouth or avoiding the contact by arching her neck. She does this for a while and if ridden for a while gives up but then will try it on again at a later time. In the straight bar she doesn't open her mouth but sticks her nose out and has chewed through it almost. I had a fixed cheek straight bar then moved to a loose ring which was ever so slightly better.
I'm a bit out of my depth with bits as my pony had an eggbutt snaffle all the time I owned him many many years ago.

This is the bit:

http://www.saddler.co.uk/shop.html?cr=12...tre_snaffle_bit

 

[L00bey]

Im never keen on happy mouths, dont know why just not, not really seen a horse yet work really nicely in one (go on everyone prove me wrong

) but sounds to me despite this that it is something that could be corrected through riding. Buuut if you want a change of bit I looove these allbeit very pricey...
http://www.derbyhouse.co.uk/prodshow.asp?id=703&cat=2&scats=50,18

 

[WeeBrown]

Oooh dear...one of my present instructor would not approve of those! We tried one on the horse and took her to a lesson in one and it was very frowned upon - they thought it was a harsh bit. Friend and me were surprised by instructor's reaction but anyway, regardless of right or wrongs of their opinion, horse went no better. That was about a year ago now.
I think you're right about her needing to be ridden correctly. I have weak lower legs and she is quick to ignore the leg if she can. It's just going to be a long slog. I have lots of lessons with her now - and can also now ride her every day in our menege which I couldn't do up until a few months ago. I'll see if I can get some pics of her tomorrow to show what I mean.

 

[_daisy_]

ab-fab , it is a bloody expensive bit, i bought one and my girl hates it! so a waste of £100+ for me! that horse of mine has bloody everything it wants (well she really wants nothing lol) and none of it she likes

Weebrown: she has come on leaps and bounds since you moved so its all credit to you Nic. You 2 look so different together now, think you just need time to get your legs stronger and ride her more through your seat etc (oh and tell her whos boss lol)
Well hun, if you want to borrow that bit again that ab-fab has mentioned you know where it is, or you can borrow any other bit ive got. ive got another KK you can try
http://www.derbyhouse.co.uk/prodshow.asp?id=651&cat=2&scats=50,18

personally after i rode her in that lesson with D, i would take her out of the happy mouth (you know how much i love those awful bits

) and get her in a noseband, and some kind of french link/lozenge bit (i found a few more you can try in the move)

ive got monster a new bit that im going to try on her. been recommended that a little port might be useful on her.
http://www.derbyhouse.co.uk/prodshow.asp?id=1911&cat=2&scats=50,15
so ill let you know how she goes in that, cos you might want to try Mol in it?

 

[WeeBrown]

Do you think our horses might have had words at that jumping lesson that time - mine has what she wants and likes nothing too

 

[_daisy_]

they are in cahoots i tell you, 2 of a kind

bloody things, shall we sell both of them? ive spent a fortune on grot bag this month

and she still isnt nice to me lol.
what are you doing on 11th June day time?

 

[Tnavas]

Are you with the right instructor - I'd be very suspect if an instructor told me a Full cheek snaffle with a lozenge was a harsh bit!!

I love a Fulmer with keepers and a drop noseband - the bit stays nice and still in the mouth and the cheeks help with turning. The noseband trains the horse not to open it's mouth so that at a future date you can move to a cavesson. The Fulmer also encourages confidence in the contact.

I'm not a fan of the Happy mouth as chewed plastic becomes rough.

 

[WeeBrown]

I'm working til 3:20pm....I'm not the boss like you

 

[_daisy_]

Tnavas: it was me that Weebrown borrowed the bit off and when she told me what her RI said about the bit i was like

I could understand if it were a Dr Bristol but dont think that they realised it was a lozenge! but hey we all have our own opinions eh? My trainer actually recommended the bit exactly for the reasons yyou mentioned about positioning etc, with drop noseband etc, however the monster hates this bit compared to her waterford full cheek.

 

[_daisy_]

ah thats crap

im so lucky with my job, but only got 11 days l;eft of it befoer hard work returns when i move offices

was wondering if you wanted to come to Moodys with me to watch my lesson? but its at 9.45am - just throw a sicky

only joking

 

[Hippona]

Our young pony was very fussy with his bit.....teeth were checked and all ok.

We have finally settled on a sweet-iron loose ring with a copper lozenge.....he now has enough room for his tongue, cant lean on the bit and is very light/responsive.
Personally I dont like single jointed bits as I feel they prod the roof of the mouth.

Wasn't expensive either...think less than £20.

 

[WeeBrown]

I have tried the drop noseband with fulmer - that was right before the then current instructor (no longer use this one) suggested she needed teeth checked , then back checked then a new saddle. I hardly rode that year and horse thought she was at a holiday camp. Think the instructor was like

with the horse and just couldn't see why she just wouldn't work properly.
The horse is a little monkey - never any really nasty stuff - she'll just try stuff on like going behind contact, going slower, scooting out of the menege gate if it's left open. You just have to be ready for her next move and although it makes me laugh it can also be very frustrating.

 

[L00bey]

lol each to their own eeh! I think it has been firmly established that you can ride through this, she sounds like a monkey tbh

daisy lol it is a very expensive bit!!! Lessons and a longschooling whip sounds the best option to me and a noseband. Good luck!

 

[WeeBrown]

Just a little update: I rode her today, she was very in season so I expected her to not want to go forward. Well, the little monkey decided that she was having too much hassle with the season and everything so she would behave perfectly - no rushing, a little overbent at times on corners when she wasn't sure how much bend I was asking for but nothing horrid. The turning across the school B to E that had been rushed and unbalanced at the weekend was perfectly balanced and listening to my leg. I was like

and then

So the new bit seems a goer. She was in a flash which was on loosely so that if she was going to try a full on mouth opening session then she would realised she couldn't do that but she didn't really offer to open her mouth much at all....my contact was quite light and I got no leaning from her. We shall see what tomorrow brings