Any suggestions?

[Atrayou]

I have a STB that I rescued. He is being trained under the saddle alittle right now(I stress alittle because of an injury) Anyway he is managing to get his tongue up over the bit!!! What can I do....It was a curb bit as that is what the trainer from the track had used on him.Any suggestions? I have never seen a horse do this before. Atrayou

[Loopslou]

make sure his teeth are ok, make sure the bit fits and that the bridle is fitted correctly.

You may have to resort to a flash but I would keep that as a last option. It may be greeness or pain and once that's sorted it may stop happening.

Main thing though, get your vet/dentist to check his mouth.

[JOJOBA]

If his bit is fitted correctly he really shouldnt be able to do that. My horse used to have a horribly fitted bridle and always had his tongue over, however I fitted his bridle correctly and he has only ever managed it once since (in 5years) and I have no idea how. He constantly tries but the bit is now too high in his mouth.
Just double check the bit is sitting right :). Is is a jointed bit? If so it may be a little wide? Then it may be bending in the middle and going low enough for him to get his tongue over.
Just something to check :)

xxx

[Atrayou]

I just had the vet out last week and he floated his teeth....it could be his bridal isnt a proper fit....question....how do you fit a bridal properly? I am fairly new at this so all and any suggestions help and are appreciated. I am still learning so bear with me. Thanks Atrayou

[galadriel]

You should be able to fit about a finger between his lips and the ring of the bit; it shouldn't be too tight, and it shouldn't be too loose.

Where the bit hangs varies from horse to horse. Some want it tighter, some want it hanging further down. You can experiment until the horse seems happier.

If the horse doesn't seem happy no matter what the height of the bit, he may just not get along with that kind of bit. There are quite a few different bits that can be used, and another might work better for him.

There are a variety of mouthpieces (mullen, simple snaffle, french link & variations of those), a variety of mouthpiece materials (steel, copper, sweet iron, rubber, german silver, nickel-free, flavored plastic), and a variety of cheeks (loose ring, eggbutt, D-ring, full cheek, hanging cheek, shank). You could probably experiment quite a lot--it helps to have friends/neighbors who will let you try their bits, so you can get an idea of whether or not the horse likes them.

[parsharainbow]

my TB used to do this and we tried everything from tongue guards, to cherry rollers to flash and grackle nosebands and although we cured him from sticking his tongue over the bit he now sticks it out the side of his mouth instead, I've just accepted that this is something he does and I'm never going to be able to stop it, he's happy enough and very responsive and its not a problem, so I'm not going to make it one. Is it causing a problem for you that he does this? does it make him less responsive? Are you going to compete at dressage? If not I wouldn't worry about it ;)

[Atrayou]

I am new to the horse world so no competeing.....it was the first time I had bridled him and had never seen a horse do that...maybe his bridal doesnt fit properly or it is the bit....I will experiment. I have heard that some race horses have their tongues tied so they don't swallow it???? I am just concerned and want to make sure I am doing things right. I am not going to bridal him for a bit longer....as he only made it around on a longe line twice without tiring....he has stiffle issues and I am going to just slowly do ground work with him, I feel he needs more time, Oh and I am still getting the weight on him, I am trying to do it slowly, I would hate for him to founder, SO anybody got any ideas for SLOW weight gain??? Right now he is going through 10lbs of grain a day plus hay and grass grazing:eek: he is on cortaflex and beetpulp. (the beetpulp scares me I have heard so many horror stories about it and choke) but so far he is fine with it and it has been a month. I will take any and all info given....Thanks Everyone, Atrayou

[parsharainbow]

I've had several rescues (read my website if you want, there's a link at the bottom of my post in the signature area), the best weight gain that I know of is a combination of cool mix or build up mix, wheatings, rolled barleyand blue chip, you can use top-line too if you wish, I tend to stick to very basic tried and tested feedstuffs. Mine too (Red) is on cortaflex but also has codliver oil, cider vinegar and seaweed added to his diet.

They do have their tongues tied you are right, but thats not all, I've learnt a lot of awful things about the racing world, especially the flat racing world, and its not pleasant. If the tongue issue is not causing a problem I would definately leave well alone or put a bitless bridle on instead, I used to worry about dylan and his tongue 'issues' but now I just ignore it as it makes absolutely no difference to his performance at all.

Feel free to PM me if you want :D

[Tharg]

I am fairly new at this so all and any suggestions help and are appreciated. I am still learning so bear with me. Thanks Atrayou

Then why did you "rescue" him since you dont have appropiate knowledge?. If he is injured why is he being trained under saddle?. I`m baffled as to why you got this horse.

[Atrayou]

I have always been around horses but havent had one since I was 14.....I am not an idiot to the horse world. I have no experience with stifle issues though. I resued him because he is a fine horse that went to the meat pen and he deserved the chance at a good life! I put a saddle on him because his trainer informed me that he has been ridden while they tried to rehab him.... I didnt get on him just lounged him with tack on him to see where he was.....With the proper rest and treatment he will be a fine trail horse, even if he is just a pature mate what I am giving him his better then him becoming dog food!!!!! I myself think I did the right thing, and it was in the heat of a rescue that I got caught up in......so now I am just trying to learn as much as I can. If that was wrong saving him from being killed I am sorry you feel that way. he is a fine boy and I love him very much....Just was looking for alittle advise, not bashing from saving his life. Atrayou

[Atrayou]

I can't PM you your message box is full!!!!! Atrayou

[Tootsie4U]

If we all had to be experts at everything horse before we got one, we'd all be horseless. Most of us anyway :p

You learn as you go. As long as you're asking questions, you're on the right side of things.

How old is your horse? Stifle problems are common in young horses. Did the vet take a look at his stifle when he was out to do the teeth? What was the verdict? If you see that vet out at your barn again, grab him, remind him he just did your horses' teeth and ask him to check the fit of your bit. I have found that if you ask, most will check the bit fit after they're done with the floating.

If your horse is getting his tongue over the bit and it isnt because of bit fit, find comfort in knowing its rather common. Its not the best thing for a horse to learn because with their tongue like that, they can learn to ignore your rein aids. But, since bits aren't for brakes (contrary to popular misunderstanding) its only a problem if your horse wont listen to your other cues (leg, seat, etc). You may find he prefers another type of bit and wont do it in that one. What is he in right now?

Until you get that stifle issue sorted, I'd keep people off his back. It poses safety problems that you could be liable for. If he'd stumble and hurt someone, ewww... I dont even want to think about it. Not to mention, it could cause other issues for him down the road.

Cortaflex is good, keep him on that. Have you also considered having a chiropractor look at him? If its the stifle, its a joint issue and more times than not, they have a knack for being able to manipulate the socket into place again. (If thats what is going on at all...)

[galadriel]

If he is injured why is he being trained under saddle?

Atrayou said "ground work."

By the way, Atrayou, I'd suggest not lunging him if he's got active stifle problems. Lunging may help strengthen those stifles, as will things like lateral work or backing up. However, if the stifle is currently injured or sore, then it would probably aggravate the issue to do direct stifle strengthening.

Instead you might want to try manually stretching it (stretching out the leg), and straight line work.

[parsharainbow]

I can't PM you your message box is full!!!!! Atrayou
Sorry Hun, there's space now :)