Pondering about my hosses bit...pelham

[CurlyWurlyRach]

As usual...:o im STILL not happy.

Curly has had a loose ring and an eggbut french link snaffle she has a very high head carriage in both, opens her mouth and bounces instead of doing a downwards transition - terrible in a dutch gag.

She currently has a mullen mouth pelham (quite a curved mouthpiece) with two reins and goes MUCH better in it, normal head carriage and the lightest squeeze brings her back. I have never used the curb rein (just hold the buckle of it) and find the two reins quite akward - im worried i'll catch her in the mouth with the curb rein jumping (have some roundings for shows but dislike them). Is there a bit with the same action as the snaffle rein of a pelham? Can i just take off the curb rein?

I tried a kimblewick with a ported mouth and although she arched her neck and got lots of 'ooooh's when i rode her she didnt feel happy, tounge poking out of her mouth and when i halted she ran backwards.

Im happy with the pelham for hacking with 2 reins and with roundings for XC and shows etc but i feel its abit much for everyday schooling....if i keep going in the pelham will it desensitise her to it and become less responsive to it? i ride with very long reins as shes happy like that - i hold where the rubber meets the leather on rubber-grip reins.

:)

[DavidH]

Try just taking the curb chain off the bit.
I xc Ed in a kimblewick without the curb chain and it works very well :D

[Bebe]

I've used a pelham without the curb rein attached, worked ok at the time.

I'm using a baucher mullen mouth snaffle now and find that my mare is going as sweetly in this as she ever did in the pelham without the hassle of 2 reins. Not sure I'd be game for fast work in it but for schooling and steady hacks out it's great.

I think with my mare she likes the pelham and baucher cheekpieces as it raises the bit a little in her mouth, and gives a steadier feel than loose rings and eggbutts. The mullen mouthpiece also suits her mouth conformation. Your horse might be the same?

[eventerbabe]

i'd suggest a baucher (hanging cheek) too. We hack out in a kimblewick and tobs used to be ridden in a pelahm. He's never liked any snaffle he's tried til my RI suggested the hanging cheek. May well be worth a try :)

[Yann]

Do you use a curb chain? Something else to try would be to use an elastic curb instead which is a lot milder (you'll need a pair of pliers to loosen the hook to take it off). It might make all the difference. My own experience using a pelham to teach a horse to soften and relax is that it is kind, effective and works, and doesn't 'spoil' the horse at all.

It may be that she likes the hanging cheek effect, so that's another avenue to explore. Have you tried the dutch gag on the snaffle ring? That might also be worth a go as the action is somewhat similar apart from the fact the ring isn't fixed.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

yup ive tried a dutch gag on the snaffle and second ring - she played the 'lets rear as many times in two minutes as i can' game so i gave it away.

I was quite surprised at the kimblewick - thought she'd like it and she did look nice with it in but had rubbish steering and her tounge was hanging out the side of her mouth.

Can you get mullen mouth bauchers? The only one I can find on shop4bits is a happy mouth one (rubber tends to be too bulky for her mouth :confused: ) and its really expensive! Might aswell just take the curb and curb rein off, same action? will it matter that the shanks (for want of a better word) will just be jingling about?

[Bebe]

Can you get mullen mouth bauchers?

Yes, though they're not that easy to find. The Saddlery Shop sells them and you can sometimes pick them up on Ebay too.

Might aswell just take the curb and curb rein off, same action? will it matter that the shanks (for want of a better word) will just be jingling about?

You can take the curb and rein off to see if it suits your horse but I wouldn't use it for regular riding. I've seen a horse get the shank caught up on, of all things, a bath that was used as a water trough as the ring on the shank was loose. It wasn't pretty, the horse panicked and dragged the bath, water and all, around the paddock causing serious damage to the stables & fencing. Thankfully the horse was ok, though it's a miracle that she was. Because of this it's not an option I'd use for more than just trying it out initially. You could argue that this could happen with a rein on it anyway but I think it's less likely as the contact on the rein keeps the ring still.

[Mehitabel]

if you have a handyman who can do it you can chop the bottom bit of the pelham off, if it can be made safe and no sharp bits left on.