Tounge over bit

[happyhacker101]

Hi, can anyone help with the above - we've gone and bought the companion pony a companion!! 5 year old shetland gelding - he belonged to a friend of ours and he's a sweet little thing but he always manages to get his tounge over the bit - any ideas as to how to stop this?

[frazz_starlight]

A bit that he can play with?
My pony did it once, because i was fiddling with the reins too much.
Make sure the bridle is the right size etc.
XXX

[vicky31]

Hi, you can get bits with a flap on the top that holds the tounge down, I haven;t used one myself. My horse used to do it in a snaffle and I found the bit was uncomforatable for him, Changed it to a Myler wide barrel snaffle hanging cheek. The bit hangs in his mouth rather than on his tounge and it doesn't have a nut cracker action. He doesn't put his tounge over the bit anymore and seems happy to work in that bit. Vicky.

[caznemmanryan]

Put him in a hackamore? Shetlands have such small mouths that the bit being even a few mm low / wide makes all the difference..

[Alfies-slave]

Ok, is the bit too low?

Des he need his teeth floating?

Is there any other signs of discomfort in his mouth?

Nope, so...

you are a little stuck with a shetland if he has a small mouth! The choice of bit is limited.

If you can get them... you could try a bit with a high port, so he can't get his toungue over. You can get rubber 'tounge layers" that you can attatch to any bit.
http://www.neueschulebits.com/ "Performance Pony" range has a wide selection of bits designed for little mouths, they are all scaled down to acomodate the fact that there aint much room in there. Neue Schule also have a bitting advice line :D

Putting the toungue over the bit is a habbit/evasion that is very hard to break. If you see it happen, put things right asap!

[redcomet]

as said above, i would check his teeth etc first to make sure he isnt doing this for any specific reason. ditto, the bit could b too low in the mouth etc...
holly used to do the same thing and after the expense of having someone making a made to measure bit for her mouth, she still did it so i used a flash noseband on her. a drop may also help otherwise u can buy a little "rubber thingy" made especially for the job. i dont no ho...w good they but they r quite cheap and u can ge them from robinsons etc

[puzzles]

Ditto all the above.

Tryu a more forgiving mouthpiece; including curved, port, copper/sweet iron/ rubber, pinchless - and not a french link. fussy and sensitive horses can often feel 'trapped' in french links, and single-jointed bits (that pinch) can have a similar effect too.

Myler bits are fantastic; for one they allow for more tongue room and reduce pressure on this area (depending on the individual bit). You nna also get them on 10-day trial to see if it suits your horse.

Trial and error!

Good luck

xx