Mouth problem

[Sparklie]

I'm at a loss with Twig and his mouth...it keeps causing me problems.

I had the dentist out about 2 months ago for his usual 6 monthly visit. I'd been having a problem with Twig tossing his head, trying to gallop off with me, stopping at jumps and generally leaping around like a loony for a few months prior to that. I put it down to a long winter in and a new sharer who rode him very differently to me. Well part of that was right but the dentist also found some other problems.

Twig's mouth had torn at the sides so the bit was obviously causing him pain (can't believe I hadn't noticed!!) and also he said that the inside of his mouth was ulcerated.

He advised time off, salt water bathing and applying vaseline to the sides of his mouth to help the healing. He also advised a happy mouth bit.

I gave Twig time off and he's had vaseline applied every time I've seen him since and after rides now he's back in work. The happy mouth just seemed to make things worse so I stopped using it and reverted back to his old bit.

Now the sides of his mouth are looking good. They're healed up and now look a bit pink after a ride if he's pulled a lot (and boy can he pull when he wants to :rolleyes: ) but nothing like they did. But...the skin on the inside of his mouth...his inside cheek I suppose still looks very pink and sort of broken. Not sure how else to describe it. I presume this is the ulceration the dentist spoke about as I was at work when he was there and YO told me what he'd said.

Does anyone have any idea what this is?
What's causing it?
And how I stop it?

I just want a happy comfortable horse :(

ps: bitless is not an option...we've been down that route

[Skippys Mum]

Sorry, I'm not going to be a great deal of help here but I have had similar problems with Arnie. Since he was first bitted I have had problems with him. He would put his tongue over the bit and then panic and take off. At any pressure or stress at all, the head went up and the tongue came over. I have tried almost every bit on the market. A tongue thingummy stopped it but when he reversed so fast that he fell over when I approached with his bridle I realised that wasnt going to work!

He had been regularly checked by both the vet and the dentist and he was having bother with lumps and bumps as his teeth came through. He was getting repeated abcesses in his cheeks. He ended up in the vets getting some major rearranging of his teeth:). He has still got some soft lumps under his jaw bone but I have done everything possible including nerve blocking his mouth and full head xrays. There is nothing particularly wrong with him. He just doesnt have the worlds best shaped mouth apparently. The vet feels it will come right in time but he may need more work later this year as his teeth continue to come through (he is now 5 years old).

I have had no choice but have had to go bitless. It took a bit of getting used to but we are nearly there. I have as much control as I had in a bit as at least he's not throwing his head up, putting his tongue over and buggering off with me. Although the steerings not so hot:).

My first attempt at bitless didnt work (a cheapo webbing one off ebay) and I've now got a Dr Cooks (which is working well now), a Micklem Multibridle (not bad but I dont like the rein position) and I've got a hackamore (havent tried it yet but its my back up if my brakes fail:o).

Have you tried various bitless options as it seems that there are a few different ones out there - and they dont all work with all horses!

Failing that, I would be inclined to put a stronger bit in so that you dont have to pull and hopefully that would give things a chance to settle. If you can find something he backs off a bit it might stop the pulling and hopefully the problem.

Or, what about a kineton noseband? Again, taking the pull off the bit.

good luck - its taken me ages and cost me a fortune. My long term goal is to get a bit back in for schooling and bitless for hacking but I'm going to give him a year or so bitless to hopefully let him forget all his bad associations.

[Sparklie]

I've given in and tried bitless again.

I had a webbing libbys scrawbrig bridle and he pretty much ignores that after a while but one of my lovely workmates has leant me a dr cook :D and I have some control in it...nothing like I have in a bit but not bad.

I'm going to keep him bitless ideally for a couple of months and then try him bitted. Hoping to buy a snaffle (he's usually in a dutch gag) and a pessoa to try to get him off the forehand and reschool him once his mouth is all better

[Skippys Mum]

Worth mentioning that I have been riding loads this last couple of weeks (after months and months off) and I am getting more and more control with the Dr Cooks. He seems to be getting the hang of it and even the steering is getting way better.

He is still going with his nose up and out and I'm not sure what way I should be going to improve this. Hopefully someone reading this will have an idea or two.

Let me know how you get on Sparklie cos it looks like we are both in the same boat:)

[tikino]

i had the same problem with my mare and even after getting the dentist and following her instructions things never improved. i then decieded to get the vet out. the vet gave her a full mot including checking her back teeth etc. after initail visit we decieded to take her into the vets to get x-rays of her mouth etc. it turned out that she has a condition called diastemas this is when little gaps appear in between the teeth and food get pushed up and infects the gums very painful condition so she gets special treatment in the vets every 6 months and she is getting so much better and now has a bit in her mouth and is much happier. might be worth getting the vet to have a look

[Sparklie]

Well Twig has worked out how to ignore the Dr Cook and now just does as he pleases when I ride :rolleyes:

However on the plus side...his mouth is looking really good. Have been rinsing it out with chlohexidine (sp?) mouthwash to make sure there isn't an infection in there and apply vaseline to the corners every time I bring him in. The cuts on the sides are getting smaller and his gums don't look half as inflamed.

Hoping to get him either a kineton noseband or a sprenger kk bit to take the pressure off the corners of his mouth :)

[AengusOg]

Have you looked at the new Pee Wee bit?

I know someone who is using one for a driving horse which would lean on the right rein and was difficult to 'bend' in certain situations.

It's looking promising so far, with a marked difference already, after a short term.

It seems to give better control without causing pressure, and has several fitting options.

There's lots of information here: http://www.peeweebit.com/instructions-for-peewee.php

And here: http://www.peeweebit.com/