Would you say anything?

J

Jango

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My horse is currently lame :( nothing too serious and he should be back in action soon. A lady at the farm who has moved on about 4 weeks ago offered (I didn't ask!) to let me ride her mare. Which I did on tues/thurs and she's lovely! However her bit is really badly fitting, it's a single jointed hanging cheek snaffle and it's atleast an inch too big and is also fitted very low in her mouth. When I rode her I lifted the bit and rode with a very light contact. She tosses her head quite a bit when ridden too which I think could be helped by a correctly fitted bit.

Now the question is do I mention it to the owner? I don't want to come across like a know it all or that i'm telling her what to do with her own horse. But at the same time the poor mare must be uncomfortable. She is only really ridden at weekends usually, but has said I can ride her whenever as she needs more work to keep her fit. I was thinking of maybe mentioning she might go better in a french link (which I have) and does she want to borrow it? Rather than saying it doesn't fit. If she rode her in tack that I didn't think was correct but fitted well I would just go with her wishes. But as it doesn't fit I'm not sure what to do!
 
I would politely mention it. Their mouth is so sensitive, it is important to have a correctly fitting and comfortable bit for them.
 
You could, possibly, adjust its fitting on the bridle and see if the owner notices, or say it was loose so I adjusted it.
As for the change in bit though, you can.only offer advice.
 
I think if its said in a kind way eg. Have you noticed she bobs her head up and down quite a bit, i had/knew a horse that did this and i/the owner asked the dentist, he suggested changing her bit to a ...... and it worked wonders. My horse rides in one we could always try it if you want? I know its stretching the truth a bit. As for the bit been too low i'd just alter it. She might not even notice. I did this with a friends horse i cut the long bits off her bridle and lifted the bit up, she never noticed in the end i told her and said it was now made to measure!:D
 
If someone suggested to me (in a nice, non-patronising way) that they thought Barry might go better in a different bit, I would probably be grateful- I am by far not the world's expert on bits.

If you could mention it in a helpful way and suggest she might go better in a different type rather than pointing out that hers doesn't fit very well, then do it. As long as you can avoid making her feel stupid then she shouldn't be offended- who wouldn't want their horse to go better, and she might not have considered that the head tossing could be due to her bit.

If you reckon your French link will fit, then you could just ask her if she minds you trying it out on her next time you ride.
 
Did she toss her head less once you had adjusted the bit higher?

I had a girl ride my horse who was always giving me "advice" and trying to put the bit higher in the horses mouth when as far as I and everyone else concerned it was fine (instructors and more experienced friends). Really annoyed me to be honest and I constantly felt I was having to justify everything I did with my horse and it really got my back up.

Obviously if the owner is a bit novicey they may be grateful for your opinion, I have friends I give advice to when asked and those who I know are always happy for my opinion :)
 
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