Moving from a pelham to a double bridle

[Sarah]

hello!

Tango is happily working in a hard rubber mullen mouth pelham. In the future i would like to do elementary dressage with her so want to see if she will be equally happy in a double bridle. If she isn't, then we will just scrap that idea. After all, Tango doesn't care if we go out and compete or not, it is just to amuse me!

What combination of weymouth and bradoon do you recommend, Heather (and everyone else)? On the EE forum, I was recommended a l'hotte weymouth but i don't know what style of bradoon to use, what would you use on Tangers?

Thanks

[Maria]

Hi Sarah

The classical pairing for a Mors L'Hotte is a french link bradoon! (That's courtesy of my bitting heroes Ron and Alixe Etherington cos I've never actually ridden in any double bridle combination). And that fits in very neatly with my current obsession with the French school!

But at the end of the day it's whatever Tango approves of! You might want to try and see if you can borrow some different combinations of bits to try before actually going out to buy a set. I'm afraid that I don't have any weymouth or bradoon bits in my collection - but I do have a large assortment of snaffles and pelhams!

Maria

[Heather]

Maria's right Sarah, it really is a bit of experimentation, as with all bits. To be honest, I generally find that most horse happily accept a normal jointed bradoon, with not too thick a mouthpiece, and a curb with a small port. Some definitely prefer sliding cheeks, others fixed cheeks.

It is probably a good idea to conatct the Bit Bank, and hire a couple of combinations to try, before parting with the not inconsiderable sum a Weymouth set can cost!

Heather

[Sarah]

Thanks for the advice. I shall try a few combinations out when Tango is back in work.