Changing from riding to driving bits? Opinions on options?

[Esther.D]

Am going to start breaking Alfie (and then hopefully Pablo) to drive.

They currently wear - Alfie - french link snaffle or rubber straight bar pelham

- Pablo - happy mouth straight snaffle or same pelham

They both wear 5 1/2 - 6" bits

Just wondering what the general opinion of the few drivers we do have on here is on what bit to drive them in.

My feeling is that the snaffle is not quite strong enough for driving (they can both be a little strong when they want although they are generally good) and the pelham doesn't give enough options as you can only have mild or severe and no variants in the middle.

My Shetlands are all in straight bar Liverpools but I know these days there is far more variantion around and a lot of people are no longer using them.

So - a liverpool - if so which mouthpiece or just try them in a straight bar to start out as they are both pretty laid back about what they have in their mouths? Or something else?

They are both big cobs for those who don't know - 15.1hh and 16.1hh.

[Wally]

I like my French link Butterfly Pelhams, top hole is a very gentle setting, and you can always ,move down the bar if you find he gets strong....but this is Alfie we are speaking about here!

Jointed Liverpools have such a heavy cheek I don't think they ever hang well and the ring can swing around and pinch the muzzle. Butterfly's have a lighter cheek.

There's always the old faithful Wilson........I might have a horseshoe Wilson 5.5inch in my shed somwhere, I might have sent it to Gambia though.......leave it with me.

[Esther.D]

....but this is Alfie we are speaking about here!



hey, Alfie can get strong...he nearly had me out of the saddle the other day....................when he grabbed some grass :rolleyes: :D Ok so he is not exactly a hyper kind of horse :D Neither is Pablo - you should have seen me in the summer chasing him round the arena on the lunge trying to get more than a very steady trot :o

[HorseWhisp3r3r]

I'm with Wally I do love a wilson snaffle preferably a copper mullen mouth which I would use for schooling and general driving, if I were showing then it would be a liverpool providing you have prepaired the mouth right (and good hands) to start with there's usually no problem, sometimes they dislike the curb which I would either wrap with latex bit wrap or something similar. I've found with all bitting whether it be a riding horse or a driving horse the size shape of the mouth and what size the tongue is plays a large part.

[Esther.D]

Thanks, hands are not a problem, I think Wally will vouch for the fact that I have light hands (or she wouldn't have let me near driving her pair :D). Alfie is fine in his Pelham with two reins for riding but to be honest he is completely fine in his snaffle, its just my 5ft 0 and 26" inside leg against his huge size that makes me a little happier with that curb rein just in case! As I said above he nearly had me over his head the other day when he tried to snatch grass :o But obviously driven this is not an issue.

I am not intending to show with them in any capacity as that would mean a trip to the mainland!

[HorseWhisp3r3r]

If he were mine I would go for a Liverpool on the rough cheek which would give you a small amount of curb as your horse is used to a pelham. There is no reason why you can't drive in a snaffle as it sounds like you just want to pleasure drive it's really no odds.

[HorseWhisp3r3r]

Addding to what I've already said, try and find a say Liverpool if you so choose to use this bit (plus you have four different places you could put the rein on giving you varied amounts of control) you could copy the shape of your pelham so they wouldn't notice so much of a change, I prefer a mullen mouth or moon shape as I've found it doesn't squash the tongue and babies seemed to prefer this shape bit and go happliy in it. As my horses/ponies progressed though there lives I would switch it to a straight bar if neccesary.

[Esther.D]

His pelham is a mullen mouth rubber pelham, unfortunately this would mean spending a fortune on a specially made Liverpool so might have to stick to the options I have at the moment, but I appreciate your point and agree apart from financial constraints!
He is not really a baby in the literal sense, he is 8 and has been riding for a few years, just a baby to driving.

[HorseWhisp3r3r]

you could always get a straight bar liverpool and put laytex bit wrap round the bit about an inch long from the cheek if he doesn't like a straight bit which might help I've had to do that in the past not being able to find a mullen mouth bit. If i can remmeber the name of the guy I got mine from I will post it to you I've been racking my brains trying to remember. Have you heard about the "Bit Bank" ? I think its still going and you can hire bits to see if there satisfactory then you can buy them