Finding the right bit for a newly backed horse.

shakari

shakari

neddy tamer
Nov 20, 2003
643
0
0
39
Yelverton,Devon
hiya.

My 3 year old is progressing well in everything other than settling in the mouth. Because he is such a big baby we have taken breaking him in really slowly. We seem to have come to a stand still in our training-where we should at any rate be off the lounge line by now and ridinging freely-we can't because we just cannot find a bit he likes!!! He is fine on the lounge at all paces with side reins on, it's purely when i'm on and take even the lightest contact-or infact sometimes i don't even have to take one at all! He throws his head round like a beast posessed nearly taking my face off and stretching down to the ground. I've had the vet out last week to rasp his teeth-he said there was nothing specifically wrong with them but they were a little sharp-so they've been done and are now ruled out. We have tried him in-an eggbutt snaffle, a happy mouth straight bar full cheek snaffle,a french link full cheek snaffle and (at my vets suggestion because apparently it's the mildest bit you can possilby come accross!) a vulcanite straight bar loose ring snaffle. All have been tried for at least 5-7 days each (yes thats how long we have been trying for!!!), it's not me or my riding, i'm accompanied at all times by my instructor who professionally breaks and schools so she knows whats what. She wants me to try a waterford next, i have my worries, I always thought the waterford was a harsh bits for tanks but she says the extra links actually make it quite mild and theres no nut-cracker action. Anyone any alternative advice because i don't want to try anything I'm not 100% about.Cheers.
 
Bearing in mind that I don't know the first thing about starting horses...

Have you tried one of those 'breaking bits' one with the mouthing keys on so that your horse has something to play with in his mouth, and can get used to the feel of the metal?

Just a thought...
 
have you tried a jointed or lozenge happy mouth?

you can also get bendy rubber bits, sweet iron or copper ones that he might prefer the taste of.

alternatively, how about riding him with the bit in his mouth but the reins on the noseband? then you can get him going like this, and progress to 2 reins but mainly using the noseband one, then use the bit rein more and more until you can dispense with the second one.

it's curious that he is fine taking a contact on side reins but not with your hands - has your instructor ridden him? does he do the same with her? has he been lunged with side reins going up to the withers, so more like the ridden contact? have you long reined him?
 
Have a serious look at his mouth conformation:

Low palate?

Fat tongue?

If he has either (or both) of these two he is likely to dislike any bit that has a significant nutcracker action and any of the thicker (supposedly milder) bits will be too much of a mouthful for him.

Ones worth trying if this is the case are:

'schooling bit' - these are french link but have a small rounded lozenge rather than the flat link. Shires do areasonably priced one in copper (don't waste money on a KK at this stage)

JP snaffle - they have heavily curved mouth pieces that help to eliminate the nutcracker action. Come in single jointed and french link.

single jointed hanging cheek snaffle - contrary to what people think they are a very kind bit and the poll action is actually minimal. Very good for horses who resent any pressure on the bars of the mouth. Also little or no nutcracker action.

Failing that could try one of the Myler snaffles - I'm not really a big fan of them. I did try one on my younger mare but she is much happier and goes better in her french link.
 
The fact that he is OK with side reins on makes me think he has something wrong with his back. You say it is just when you get on-your weight could be hurting him. Have you had his back and saddle checked?

Failing this I'd get a dentist out. I love my vet but compared to a dentist they know s#d all.
 
cheers everyone!
tasha- i use a 'horse only' clinic vet-all the vets only deal with neddies and are trained horse dentists/physiopherapists/'everything going to do with neds ists'-they costs about 3 times as much as any normal vet/dentist but they sure do know their stuff!!! His back was checked-theres was nothing out of place-however he is the equivilant of a lanky git-so we do wonder if he just needs to build up a bit more to compensate for me (although i'm as slim as they come!) however he is happy to move up in transistions and doesn't tense through the back or do any handstands hence we are looking away from back problems.:D :D :D ;)
 
a second opinion on the teeth could still be worth it - although i would be inclined to think he'd object to the siderein contact if it was, assuming he is actually working into the contact and not sitting behind it, as they can learn to do.

the reason i say this is that our yard used a vet who was aso an edt, as well as a 'pure' edt. my pony was done by the edt, and the one i share was done with her owner's others by the vet. when i had the edt to look at her he showed me a lot of damage, ulcers and bad tooth growth caused by the first chap, who was a vet and an edt.

as my edt said - 'just because someone's passed their driving test, doesn't mean they're a good driver'!

my girl goes 100% better since seeing the edt of my choice.

i'd definitely try bitless though, as well as the other bits mentioned.
 
ES-lol-my current neddy vet hasn't always been my number one vet (because of how expensive they are!) but was always my second opinion vet until i figured it was less expensive to get the expensive man to come 30 miles in the first instance then pay for incorrect treatment AND THEN pay for expensive vet to come for a second opinion!!! I've had things the other way round-i used to use a horse dentist but when horse vet came to do my other horses routine rasping he showed me just how badly they had been done-vast improvement from there on. My vet (gloat gloat) is one of the biggest known horse vets in the country, i'm afraid i trust his judgement whole heartedly-he was the one who went trapsing home to find me an ancient and rarely used these days straight bar vulcanite snaffle as apparently unlike the happy mouth it has no 'give' in it hence gives no nutcracker at all. I'm not dissing your advice-not at all-just explaining myself!!!
As for everyones advice on the bitless-shikari was bred and bought to be an event horse- no bitless' in dressage if i'm not mistaken????However at the end of the day I will probably try one the horses happiness comes first right, plus personally i much more drawn to the show jumping ring and with his never ending legs he could probably step over 3ft6 like a cavaletti!!!
 
the thing is though, if you try the bitless and it solves the problem, then you know it is definitely the bit he objects to. if it doesn't, then you know it is something else and can follow that route.

he's only just backed - there's no law saying you have to stay in the same bridle for the rest of his life. all mine start off being ridden off the cavesson until they are at least hacking out in walk and trot, and they go on to the show ring.
 
MYLER bits

With ALL my youngsters I eather have a rubber french link or just a rubber strate bar. But also i have some youngsters in the Myler bits. Try not to go for a strong bit, keep soft. I dont know if this will help you but i have had some welsh ponies in the past that CANT have snaffles, as thear mouths are to small and bruise easly.
 
My 3 year old is in a sweet iron, loose ring. quite a fine bit.
But I have had no problems with this. I don't pull, he don't pull, we are both very happy. Mind you he is western broke!!!!
 
Must say I always prefer a normal metal mullen mouth snaffle for a baby. If they don't like cold metal in their mouths you can always warm it up or wrap some Bandaid round it! Some people say they learn to lean on straight bits but I think it depends if you let them. I liked to give my youngsters their heads in the early days so they could find their own balance.

Single jointed snaffles usually hit a reflex point on the tongue rather than the roof of the mouth, because the rein action is from above rather than below (unless the horse is going like a giraffe, of course).

Rubber bits are nice, possibly a bit thick for some horses, but vulcanite is very thick and unforgiving. Waterfords are fussy bits and not, to my mind, for babies.

Babies shouldn't feel they need to chuck their heads about, but for various reasons they sometimes do. Is your saddle a GOOD fit? Any possiblity of teething? I'd have said there must be some underlying cause if it's been going on for a while, and chopping and changing bits may well obscure the real problem.
 
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