What Bit do you use and why? Really need some advice.

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Frances28

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I need your help and advice re experiences of Bits.

I have a single join Egg Butt Snaffle at the moment and its not working. I have come to this conclusion for the following reasons:

1. She throws her head up whenever I ask for a transition, especially in canter and constantly throws it up when we are cantering.

2. She rushes off all the time (she is an ex racer though!) and fights the bit when I want her to stop.

3. She chews it allot and consequently foams at the mouth or she hangs her tongue out to the side (have checked her teeth and all is well)

4. I am constantly hanging onto her mouth when out hacking as she pulls and pulls which then becomes a vicious circle!

She is 16 years old but going on 4!

What do all you guys use?
 
I have my mare in a kimblewick at the moment. She was ridden in this before, and when I got her I tried her in all sorts of snaffles and a NS Universal. She constantly threw her head up and snatched at the bit out hacking and generally wasnt happy. So I went back to her kimblewick and she hasnt once snatched or throw her head up for about 2 months
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I think she prefers the straight mouthpiece. Its so hard as every horse is different and suits a particular bit better than others
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I use a KK Sprenger ULtra my magic bit she used to hang on the reins etc....with a flash on the bridie to stop her tongue coming out! Have you had her back and saddle checked?
 
I agree with JM07, single joints are not nice. Get something with either a French link or a lozenge.
Both Maiden and Berlin have the bits they "came" in - Maiden has a thin mouth loose ring with lozenge (don't fix it if it ain't broke, and all that!) and Berlin has a JP single joint loose ring. I'm attempting to persuade Berlin's owner to change his bit but she's not keen - shame as he hates it!
Kit can be strong and although she used to be ridden in a loose ring French link, she got too much for her novice owner to handle. On the advice of a "friend" she is now in a Cambridge mouth kimblewick but she loathes it. I ride her in a Myler triple barrel short shank combi which she loves. Again, I'm trying to get the owner to try her in a triple barrel eggbutt with hooks but she's not having any of it...!
As for your fourth problem - stop pulling? I know it's the hardest thing to do, I used to have a pony I was afraid of and we'd start a tugging match, but stopping pulling is the only way to resolve it!
 
Herbie did the same in hanging cheek and fulmer, so I have changed him to copper french link, which he seems to enjoy, and he is bringing his head down nicely now when asked to canter. Still rushes the jumps though, so we are working on that
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Sounds like my old mare- she used to be a pain in the arse, but I changed her bit for a hanging cheek with a peanut lozenge and she is a lot happier in her head now.
My coloured is in a cheltenham gag as he is very strong and I hate the poll pressure that the dutch and american gags give as they are not a true gag.
 
Loose ring loezenged NS bit for flat work as he doesnt lean on it, is settled in his mouth and generally quite likes it! Then either a universal with the same mouthpiece or a Nathe cartwheel for jumping/hacking etc as he can get strong, and this allows me to be soft and not get into a pulling match! The gags also help keep him together in his canter for jumping
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Agreee!!!!!!
Mine go in - 1. a french link fulmer - he is 24 ex chaser - he doesnt rush off and never has as generally with racehorses you pick up the bridle - they will pick it up too, - what happens when you hack on a loose rein or is it just not an option?
2. goes in a NS loosering snaffle with lozenge and a cheltenham gag for hunting on a double rein, he does all 3 phases eventing in a snaffle though.
3. goes in a NS loosering, when I was younger and couldnt hold him he went in a bubble bit for a while though I didnt like that I needed it to stop him so I soon grew stronger!
 

If she's throwing he head around, she's telling you pretty plainly that she's unhappy in her mouth and so I certainly wouldn't put her in a stronger bit.
If she's an ex racehorse and you are hanging on the front end then you are simultaneously telling her to stop and go. She may associate tighter rains & a stronger contact with more speed.
It's impossible to give advice about bitting without seeing her I'd say. Have you a good instructor who can help? The danger with having more brakes is that if you stop her going forward when she sounds so chaotic, then she'll go up!
 
Both mine go in the NS starter type bits for everything they are happy in them and I've never needed anything else.
I'd contact somewhere that'll send you something to try and have a chat to see if you can come up with something she is happier in. I also really like the Mexican Grakles for horses that evade but you need to make sure she is comfortable in her bitting before you strap her mouth shut.
 
I have my ex racer in a flixible happy mouth straight bar eggbutt snaffle after he showed similar behaviour to your horse. I found he resented the movement of all other types. I also found I have had to learn to have a ligther hand. I realised we both leaned on each other!

my other horse is in a french link.
 
[ QUOTE ]
...I have a single join Egg Butt Snaffle at the moment

1. She throws her head up whenever I ask for a transition, especially in canter and constantly throws it up when we are cantering.

[/ QUOTE ]
She does that because every timeyou half halt you jab her in the roof of her mouth with the single joint. Wouldn't you throw your head up if someone jabbed you in the roof of your mouth???

On one horse, I used a straight bar nathe to make him take a hold and pull me along (backward thinking horse). Then swapped to a lozenge full cheek to improve steering, then swapped to a lozenge beval so I could get a bit of poll pressure to bring his head down. I swap and change with him depending on what we are doing, and he has a normal lozenge snaffle for dressage and various non-loose rings to give his floppy bits a rest.

The other one has a neue schule verbindend and loves it and rarely needs a change, as hates pressure on his tongue (and tells you by lolling out his tonuge if a different bit is used!)
 
change to a Lozenge loose ring - the nut cracker single joint will be upsetting it and the egbut is not too good in my eyes either, loose ring will allow it to move a little, lozenge is even better than french link
 
my ex-racer is in french link eggbut, i don't like the nutcracker action of the jointed snaffle. i used the egbut one because i was worried about the loose ring nipping her. do you think that is improbable gentle warrior?
i also use a myler ported level 3.
sorry, don't mean to hi jack
 
TBs have narrow lower jaws which will mean the nutcracker action of a single jointed bit will be magnified, bruising the bars of her mouth and the joint will be jabbing her in the roof of her mouth.

If her head is coming up, then go for a curb, such as a kimblewick or pelham. But first consider ...

How is her saddle fitting?

I would practise some schooling with her including transitions, half halts and leg yielding to get her to soften, supple and listen to you. I would be inclined to try her in one of the NS lozenged snaffles in a loose ring.
 
Most of ours are ridden in a mullen mouth eggbutt. None of them seem to like changing to jointed bits,and it is easier just to have them in that. I ride Freddie in a slotted kimblewick on bottom slot as he is very nervous and takes a hold everytime he gets tense. Brook I ride in a french link eggbut as he is very sensitive and over-reacted to my less that perfect hands with the straight bar and really backed off the contact. Ginga goes in a Kimblewick for jumping as the curb stops him running into the jumps, and Pip goes in his driving butterfly with fixed cheeks when he is likely to be full of it. I would like to get him in a french link, but he really hates any joints.
In the rushing off she sounds like Pip, and he does exactly the same as yours in a jointed bit.
When she is pulling hacking if you 'drop' her does she bolt off. I know Pip will pull alot, but when I don't give him anything to pull against he tends to be fine.
 
Have you used this bit for a long time?

Just wondered because my initial thoughts are that the horse isn't happy and it may not be just the bit that's the problem but some lowgrade lameness (especially with her age it's when hock/joint issues start raising their head) She sounds unbalanced too - rushing (dragging you into) transitions, which also suggests that she's not balanced on her hind legs but puling herself along with her front end - I'd echo those that said to stop pulling - it's a no-win situation - use more leg and push your hands forward - you'll get a far better response!
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Kate x
 
What bits other people use won't help at all, as each and every horse (and riders hands) is different.
I agree totally with JM07 - first step - get rid of the single jointed bit.
 
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