What bit do you ride your cob in?

Alot of suggestions for ported or mullen mouthpieces.

She was in a flash when I had her as she'd open her mouth alot. Took me a couple of years and an instructor to realise the fat tongue meant the snaffle was probably pinching. Single jointed snaffle was swopped for the french link style verbindend and the flash binned.

I don't have an issue with brakes. she just pokes her nose and sets against me, yet is as light as a feather to flex laterally with just the slightly vibration down the rein.
 
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We had our very strong, easily het up welsh D in a lozenge loose ring snaffle. However, Alice warmed him up in either a copper roller or his cheltenham until she got big enough to control him becuase he was such a lunatic (his best moment has to be when he entered the arena as though there was a 3' jump in the way, cantered down the centre line and every time Alice put her leg on he went for a jolly!).

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Oh how I wish P was that forward going!
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Stinky is at the stage where he has a mixture of bits depending on how his attitude is. He has just gone into - I am 5 and I know what I am doing stage and head down and off at his own pace - will stop fine but change of pace and transitions are not always when I want them and as quickly as I want them.

We go from a peanut link copper snaffle more for jumping as long as the brakes are working. Then for dressage we have hanging cheek french link. General schooling when I want him to round and listen quickly we have the wilkie snaffle (very good for flexing poll), this is also for novice class shows and general hacking out as gives a little more respect.

Finally on days when head goes down and off he goes not listening we change to the pelham. He also has this for other showing classes.

Have just gone from baby short shanked jointed pelham - not much more than a snaffle in strength to his vulcanite one, and yesterday for the first time he went in a steel mullen mouth with fairly long shanks instant stop and listen on squeeze of the hand and rounding and working from behind.

I find changing bits works best for him depending on his mood, what I am doing, or what competition I am about to do.

Finally in reserve for hunting and XC if we need it is the three ring gag, may be tried in the autumn as this is when I hope to start doing this.

Farra is like Patches - nose out as she goes along. We have been doing some ground work with a bungy on to encourage her nose to come in but at the same time work her forward into the contact. She will now do a few strides nicely when ridden but she is still young and a big clumsy lump still working out where the legs go and how to balance - schooling will hopefully help with time.

Cairo could work very well in an outline - light as a feather but it took a lot of schooling to achieve this - heavy horses do find it hard as they are built to pull along with noses out rather than rounded and in.

I don't do nosebands - Farra only has a head piece for a bridle - no nose or brow band. Stinky does have a wide plain one which I can do up fairly tightly if I need to.
 
Mcfly rides out in a loose ring, straight bar happy mouth with rubber cheek bits and goes in this all the time, whether schooling or hacking. He goes well for whoever has ridden him and he does have brakes as he has a very soft mouth.
 
I ride Twirl my LW cob in a hanging cheek snaffle for jumping and dressage and a jointed pelham for showing. He always has superb brakes so no need for anything stronger usually.
 
I've ridden Marnie in straight / mullen mouth bits and she goes well, although does tend to lean a bit. I've found that she seems to have a low pallet and a little mouth for her size and so prefers thinner bits with a double joint rather than single jointed.
 
A French link snaffle for everything. Thinking I might need to up it for hunting though! Oh and a flash, he probably doesn’t need it now but went though a little stage of trying to get his tongue over the bit, and plus it came with the bridle.
 
Snaffle - tried a stronger bit (for a sponsored ride) a long time ago and no need so dropped back down. He performs beautifully in and out of the school so I am very lucky although can sometimes be a little strong when out in a canter or gallop but I take some of the blame
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I use a barrel mouth for hacking, sponsered rides and competitions, like ODE or show jumping, dressage. For showing i use a mullen mouth pelham, or a double bridle, which he goes beautifully in. He came to me in a fulmer snaffle and used to lean and snatch the reins away from me as soon as i changed he was like putty.
 
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