What bit would you suggest for show horse that leans on a mullen mouth pelham?

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royal

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As title really....my girl uses the mullen mouth pelham against me, leans and can be very strong in it...however she goes even worse in any kind of jointed/linked/lozenged pelham..... (really hates them even though she goes well in her french link snaffle for schooling and jumping)...

Would you go for a pelham with a port or a weymouth set?

Just don't want to shell out on the wrong bit again (after trying jointed rugby, lozenge show pelham and a mullen pelham!)

She competes (or will be) at county level so need a pelham or double...its just I'm having trouble finding the right mouthpiece for her...

Just to add, she started off going beautifully in the mullen mouth, but has got progressively worse with the leaning...
 
I would ride in a snaffle most of the time, then stick a pelham in for competitions (and the day or two before to brush up)
 
xloopylozzax said:
I would ride in a snaffle most of the time, then stick a pelham in for competitions (and the day or two before to brush up)
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Thats exactly what I do loopy!! but I still have the problem with the mullen mouth...

Honey - we show in coloured classes (non-native)....I mentioned to my brill instructor (out of a lesson) that I might try a double which she agreed might be ok...but I was just pondering the ported mouths tonight and wondered if anyone knew if they would fix the pelham problem...
 
Ive had the same problem in the past. I started off using a mullen in the ring because some ride judges were taking too much of a pull on a horse who was actually very light and responsive. He really did object strongly to anything with a joint in and I went over to the portmouth and never looked back.

I see absolutely no reason at all to switch from this to a snaffle when you are at home or doing something out of the ring. If your horse goes nice and lightly in the pelhams and is happy in them then chuck the snaffles away.
 
Thanks for that spaniel....so you think that the ported mouth eliminated the leaning problem with a mullen mouth?

Kenzo - do you mean same mouthpiece and something like a rugby pelham?
I have seen a loose ring pelham with a ported mouth that I was considering....
 
royal said:
Thanks for that spaniel....so you think that the ported mouth eliminated the leaning problem with a mullen mouth?

Kenzo - do you mean same mouthpiece and something like a rugby pelham?
I have seen a loose ring pelham with a ported mouth that I was considering....
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No I didnt mean rugby, a proper pelham that is a loose ring rather than the fixed, may help with the leaning, could be worth a try, you don't see many about though.
 
royal said:
Thanks for that spaniel....so you think that the ported mouth eliminated the leaning problem with a mullen mouth?


....
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Very much so. Horse immediatley realised that leaning was too much like hard work and started to lift through the shoulders and sit back on his hocks more. I never had more than the slightest requirement for contact on the top rein most of the time and even on exciting days took what I consider to be a very polite contact on both to get balanced braking!
 
When Stinky was five I started him on a jointed more like a snaffle pelham and found that when he really got going I could do with a little more brakes (I like to stop on a hand squeeze) so went to a mullen mouth which he would on occasion go very low on, though not truely leaning. On the suggestion from a top judge who rode him I changed to a double as he said the pelham was a little strong and with the double I could ride off the top rein with the curb for if I needed him to have extra brakes. That said we have started Farra with the same mullen mouth pelham and she loves it, though again we rarely need the bottom rein.

Stinky loves a sliding cheek weymouth with a small port and I use a french link bridoon. No more going low and leaning slightly and I rarely need the bottom rein once he has settled and got into his show ring mode. Could be worth trying one on your horse.
 
Thanks for that both of you...

Hmmm....think i could do with trying both a port mouth pelham and a weymouth set...been looking on ebay, but there are very few 'bargains' on there for bits....just companies selling at shop prices...

Anyone know of anywhere I might be able to pick a couple up cheaply?

ps. teresa - what would you say the difference is between a sliding cheek/loose ring bradoon and a fixed cheek/eggbutt bradoon?
 
I have a hartwell pelham - its shaped forward to fit round tongue and also has a port too - but not as sharp as a cambridge pelham.
Nice bit i used it for showing.
 
Stinky likes the sliding movement of the weymouth though nowdays more people seem to use the fixed weymouth. He likes the bit of extra feel and movement with the sliding weymouth. I did try a fixed cheek as well to see what he preferred, and he was far happier with the one that had movement.

I went for a loose ring french link bradoon, as whilst Stinky reacts well to poll pressure, he does not seem to want too much palate pressure, ditto on the bars of his mouth. Again I also had tried several bradoons on him to find the one he liked best.

I have fairly thin bits as he has a fairly short mouth with a fleshy tongue, so he has a bit more room. I know thin bits can be more harsh, but for him he prefers them.
 
My boy hates jointed bits and leans on a mullen mouth fixed ring, so now use loose rings only - I use the loose ring show pelham from Derby House (little port) - £15 - he loves it!!! And for dressage I use a loose ring mullen - these are quite hard to come by i've found, but Sprenger make one (expensive at £50) and Frogpool had one in their shop for about £25 in stainless steel :)
 
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