x-country bit help

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kangroo

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Hi, I have a six year old irish sport horse and he is only doing novice right now but he likes to go on the foehand when we go out galloping, he is good in dressage and stadium but even at home when we canter or gallop to get fit he puts his head very low and leans on me, I have tried to collect him ina ollected canter and get him to use his butt, he just is very stubbron about it. Right now he has tried a straight mullen rubber mouth pelham, a ragular two jointed pelham, a snaffl and i have also tried him witha figuire eight noseband or flash but he can somehow open and brace his mouth still. I just purchased a kineton noseband but I am wary of trying it, (i don't want to hurt him or anything). It seems that whenever I sticl bits with any poll pressure like elevators or pelhams he likes to try and do the same head on the ground and brace on the forehand trick. Does anyone know any bits that might work for horses that are heavy on the forehand. He will improve as we are doing lots of dressage but he still has to compete so he needs something for now and hopefully a snaffle later on. Thanks everyone sorry the post is so long.
 
Have you tried a 'w' bit - two snaffle mouthpieces with offset joints. Theory being they can't grab hold of both at once!
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Is he actually strong or is it just a case of him being heavy on your hands and leaning? If its the later my boy is a little bit like this and after trying lots of roller snaffles (I did not want a poll or curb bit as he is not strong) I ended up settling on a loose ring french link with a sweet iron mouth peice, copper scrub boards and loose copper rings on the link.

Its helped loads as he tends to suck the bit now and fiddles with the rings rather than lean on the bit and go on the forehand. Might work for you?
 
I was going to suggest a waterford as well. Gags and pelhams or any bits using poll pressure I would throw out the window as they pull the head down making your problem worse.
 
Hi Your horsesounds exactly like mine was up untill 3 weeks ago. I was riding in a 3 ring dutch gag on the ring beneth the snaffel, not the bottom ring, and Owen would lean on the bit quite a lot. When we went to canter hw would get a bit excited and take off to a gallop sometimes grabbing the bit between his teeth and it was a heck off a problem stopping him where I wanted to.

I switched to a waterford snaffel and he is now a completly different horse. He is light on the hand, half halts actually work just with finger pressure.

I have schooles, SJ and XC in it and I wish i had changed to a waterfors months ago.
 
Yep, waterford from me too! And you can get them in all sorts of cheek peices, eg loose ring, eggbut, 3 ring, baucher etc.

Try neueschule.co.uk
 
Thanks everyone, I actually tried him in a english hackamore today and did some cross country and he was great! He tried once to lean on it but their was nothing for him to grab lol. I will keep the waterford in mind though, that would probally work too.
 
I ride a horse that used to lean terribly in a Waterford and it worked like magic. Just a Waterford loose ring snaffle - different horse!!
 
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