Choosy Highland

[Skye94]

My highland mare is so difficult party because she thinks she is a racehorse!
But right now she is bein ridden in a loose ring french link snaffle and its fine apart from there is no brakes.. She has had a vulcanite pelham in, a rugby pelham, a hackamore, happymouth(pink) hanging cheek snaffle and a myler bit,,, im stuck now.. :confused: any help is good help

[CurlyWurlyRach]

my RI swears by the KK ultra snaffles, they make a 14mm one which is a bit stronger then the normal 16mm.

[Skye94]

ye heard there good but pricey! :eek:

[CurlyWurlyRach]

yep! shop4bits seems to be cheapest...i have loads of old stuff on ebay to fund one!

[carthorse]

What does she do when she won't stop (I'm guessing this is the problem)? Does she pull, lean, stick her head up or down, drop behind the contact so you feel like there's nothing in your hand?
Do you still have steering?
How did she react to the different bits you've mentioned?
What Myler bit did you try?

I'm assuming you've had her teeth, back & tack all checked.

Sorry for all the questions but some answers would make it easier to give advice :)

[Skye94]

Hi, its hard to explain, she puts her head long and low then pulls.. its take a mighty haul to get her to stop! Steering is fine, when she is not napping!! :P
When you put anouther bit in she rears, naps, bunny hops and does capriole's in the air! My mum and neighbour ride her and don feel safe when she is a bit hyper as they are not too confident but when she is good she is an angel!
She had the myler low port comfort snaffle which worked for the first few days then she played up.
Her teeth have just been done, her back is good for her age and her tack does fit, but im gonna buy a treeless saddle.
Leah

[ringtor]

Your mare may have just got to know how she can get away with not stopping. She may need a new approach to confuse her. Find out how to do a one rein stop from someone who rides western. Spend a lot of time teaching her from the ground until she swings her quarters as soon as you pick up one rein on either side. Strong cobs think they can get away with murder!

[carthorse]

Ringtor's idea is a good one!

Bit wise it sounds like you need something with a lifting action so pelhams, kimblewicks etc aren't going to be right. Instead look at something with a gag action, ideally that you can use with two reins because to me the rearing, bunnyhops etc would suggest that in a stronger bit she feels too restricted. Two reins would mean you can just use the gag action when you need to stop.

I think I'd look at a cheltenham gag or maybe a three ring snaffle. If she has a small fleshy mouth she may prefer a mullen or french link mouthpiece rather than a single joint.

Another alternative is to alter her noseband. Some horses will back off a grackle or drop, plus they'll keep the bit correctly positioned in her mouth which may make pulling less comfortable. Or maybe a kineton noseband so when you increase the contact she gets pressure across her nose too.

Does she improve out hacking if she does a bit more schooling? My lad is always a nicer hack when he's schooled regularly, without it he can turn into a tank that is exhausting to hack!

[Skye94]

she is better to hack, if you try and school her she gets really bored.. i might look into a better noseband. she has had a Mcguinness gag, a 3ring gag, full cheek french link and a dr. bristol.. nothing is workin! This is a difficult pony.. she does not need re-schooling and basically i dont have the time for that! :P For showing i ride her in two reins but she is now only a hacking pony so i have sold her collection of bits :(

[SpottedSpike]

We had exactly the same problem with one of our cobs when we first bought him......a HighlandX. He would fix and bear down, no amount of snaffles and the like would make any difference. The problem was discomfort caused by his really fleshy tongue......he would get it over the bit at every opportunity. It was fixed immediately with a Hartwell pelham.....the bar gently curves and has a wide, relatively high port, giving him plenty of room for his tongue. One very happy chap now :-)
If your horse responded (albeit for a short time) to the Myler, perhaps it was the tongue relief? but still needs a little poll pressure to get the head up?

Got the Hartwell on Ebay........think it was Shop4bits around £20 ish.

[Mossy]

Moss responds very well, for everyday hacking, to a KK correction snaffle. it is loose ring and ported, gives room for that fat tongue. As I said on the other thread though, if he has been used to pulling you all over the place you will get some high jinks whilst he is learning the rules. Highlands are like naughty children, "I'll scream and I'll scream and I'l make myself sick!" Moss screamed ie bucked reared and farted, was just told to get over it and is now civilised but the months of getting him through that behaviour tested the glue. If you do come off get straight back on again. Just a thought, getting somebody to help you with the riding may be an idea but make sure that pone does not make it personal. [Moss is more than capable to being an angel for one rider but playing up for another, and doing so regularly so it is him assessing the rider, not a one off due to circumstance]