Which bit for XC schooling??

[Sol]

Hoping I might get a lift to be able to go XC schooling sometime soon, but extremely worried about potential brake failure!

First time he ever saw XC fences was lovely - he was rather unfit, and popped over everything from trot up to about 2'9 Was great!
After that?? Fit horse decided speed was brilliant.... and he also feels that if we go on farm rides and he sees another horse in the distance, he HAS to catch up! This is why so far, I've never taken him on the XC schooling bit at somerford, I think we'd spend the whole time chasing other horses around! :/ (though we desperately need to attempt to get over some ditches!)

He's normally ridden in a full cheek snaffle with a lozenge. I was wondering if it may be worth getting a pelham with a lozenge (currently have a straight bar one which he works reasonably in...) so it's similar? When he goes, he doesn't necessarily take off at speed, he just holds the bit and goes... But I hate being out of control and I'm really not looking forward to that part!

Thanks in advance

 

[dwi]

When you say reasonably well in the straight bar pelham what do you mean?

 

[Sol]

He doesn't dislike it at least.... I used it on and off while he went through his phase of thinking that the outdoor school should be a race track and kept taking off randomly at gallop so swapped to the pelham so I had the curb as my brakes in reserve. Well, he's stopped it now anyway! *fingers crossed* so it worked, but there were times that he really didn't seem to respect it. And that was in the school.... dread to think what he'd be like in the open!

Maybe I just need to be brave and get him out more...