# Recommend me a strong bit suitable for a soft mouth please :)



## becca1305 (24 August 2011)

As title... my 16hh ISH mare has decided hunting/hound exercising is definetely the most exciting thing she has ever done and pulls continually. I currently have her in an american gag with lozenge but it is not strong enough so I have to pull strongly and am knackered after about 2 hours. She is a very powerful mare and I would definetely describe her as a man's hunter atm as Im 6ft not a skinny minny and strong but have to work hard to hold her :/.
Her current bit has cut her mouth a little at the edges because she is so calm in all other activites her mouth is lovely and soft. I dont know what to do with her, she pulls so hard she cuts her lip on her teeth! I am going to try wrapping her current bit in latex for now but really I need something a lot stronger (but soft! dilemma  )

Has anyone else been through this with theirs? and/or could recommend a bit? I wouldn't mind riding in a double or anything that may help so long as it saves her mouth and my arms! Im hoping eventually she will realise it isnt THAT exciting  but for now I need a solution.

very grateful for all suggestions


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## orangepony (24 August 2011)

What you pop in the mouth for 'brakes' really depends on your horses temperament and what kind of evasion they give. I'm assuming you've had all back/teeth/saddle etc checks and that you've tried schooling in a snaffle to tackle the problem as a first course of action?

Mine can be a swine at times but will happily go xc/sj in a nathe snaffle (super soft mouth). I find that for teamchasing/hunting after much trial and tribulation the combination for us is to pop in a waterford "dutch gag" with his usual cavesson.This is so he can open his mouth to alleviate corners of his mouth; he has issues with poll pressue when mouth strapped shut. He doesnt pull so much as has such an active back-end that he can run through the hand sometimes. I found that for him just something he couldnt get hold of and a standing martingale to discourage him throwing his head up = a lovely slack contact and a happy horse. I use the plenty of leg and always keep him moving forward so he hasnt got the chance to fall behind the contact and start pratting around.

Maybe something like this might be good for yours?


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## YasandCrystal (24 August 2011)

I personally would try a kineton noseband (this diverts pressure from mouth to nose and is said to be good for very strong horses) or one of the myler combination bits.

Our little RC cob mare can get very strong out hacking in company but is as soft as butter in an English hackamore of all things, so hence my kineton noseband suggestion - you then have the best of both!


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## BigRed (24 August 2011)

I second the kineton noseband suggestion.  Or have you thought about trying a kimblewick or pelham ?  They are not severe and especially if you use the proper double reins on the pelham you can use or not use the curb.


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## 9tails (24 August 2011)

A curb stops mine at the slightest pressure, no matter how exciting the circumstances.  Another with a very soft mouth and usually polite until she forgets herself.  It rarely comes out, but I use a rubber mullen kimblewick.


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## First Time Mum (24 August 2011)

Hi I would try a myler combination bit as the action only works when needed and the rest of the time is very mild.


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## becca1305 (24 August 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions will investigate. All four legs and pony present and correct with no probs, she goes snaffle for DR and can do for SJ she used to go XC in a snaffle but is now so confident that I like having the gag in so that if she doesnt deign to look at a fence properly I can take a pull make her look and remind her of our mortality!
 Interested in the idea of more nose pressure less mouth pressure as well . shes such a daft so lovely to do everything else and even xc at a comp shes well behaved.
She doesnt prat about or do anything funny. She occasionally swivels round with her bum when shes annoyed at being asked to stand still single file (and embarasses us by standing in crops - thankfully Im never the only one!) and jogs continually but thats the limit of her pratting she doesnt try to escape the leg, bronc or do anything shes just desperate to go forwards!

Just read about the kineton - my only concern is that it says it encourages them to stick their nose down and mine already does that sometimes to heave at the reins when shes mad at me for not letting her run, and even when not shes still round in an outline just pulling through it!

Also with the kimblewick does the horse not tend to lean on it due to the lack of links (ignorant here btw )


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## Loopypony (24 August 2011)

I had a very similar problem with my cob, he has a lovely soft mouth but hunting is a little too much for his brain (as is xc, fun rides, hacking in company....need I go on?!) 

I tried him in a dutch gag with grackle but he wasn't keen on that gag. I was recommended a running gag and bought him a nice thin Neue Schule. He wears this with a relatively loose grackle and is very happy and easy to stop unless he's having a 'moment'! 
He has been on the last few hunt rides/hound exercising in an NS starter snaffle with kineton noseband. He likes this but I find that I loose his head quite a bit. So its back to the running gag from now on! 
I think it will most probably be a case of trial and error.


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## Daddy_Long_Legs (24 August 2011)

What about a happy mouth jointed pelham, I find this a god send for my lad out hunting. Like yours goes in a snaffle for everything else but hunting sends him a bit hot!!


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## EAST KENT (24 August 2011)

A Kimblewick every time,adjusting the curb to be as severe or otherwise as you wish.


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## JenHunt (24 August 2011)

I think it's trial and error. 

Ron has a good mouth, and does everything apart from hunting in a nice mild myler snaffle. When hunting he goes in a double bridle, and we can still have difficulty stopping if he's in that sort of mood. I put a bit of latex round the sides of the bits so that they don't rub/cut his mouth if he decides he's not stopping. He does still sometimes split his mouth, but a bit of salt water and some vaseline and it heals in a day or two. 

We've tried:
2 sorts of pelham (made him go up everytime I took much contact)
4 ring dutch gag with 3 different nosebands (split his mouth and made him drop his head and run)
myler combination bit (he learnt to evade it by dropping onto his forehand and ignoring me)
snaffle with Kineton noseband (not enough to stop him!)
and then finally the double bridle.

I only tried the double bridle as a last resort - he doesn't have much room in his mouth, so it wasn't the obvious choice, but it allows me to ride on the bradoon rein when he's going along nicely but to use the curb rein when he's tanking. He's much less likely to lean on the double or to freak out at the poll pressure than he did with any of the other ones we tried. He only really objects to the double if he thinks you're holding him up unnecessarily or over-using the curb (which is fair enough!)


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## CrazyMare (26 August 2011)

I notice you are Leicestershire - I am too, and have a box full of 'brakes' that you can play with if you like?

I've got a couple of pelhams - one fairly interesting, that I'm not sure anything would lean on, Happy Mouth American gags, various Dutch gags & Cheltenham gags!!!

One of mine is pretty strong!!

I also had to change one of mine into a drop which helped the brakes loads!


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## becca1305 (26 August 2011)

thanks for all the suggestions  i think mine will be okay in the pelham as she doesnt seem to have the guts to misbehave like that . but it was good to know what you tried I think mine will be similar with the other bits as your strong boy.

That would be amazing thankyou  very generous offer.  bits end up being so expensive when they dont work and the hire service rarely have what you want! do you ever hunt with the readyfield? will check her bit size tomoz to see if yours is similar


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## AprilBlossom (26 August 2011)

I was almost in tears of frustration and exhaustion at first fun ride I took G to, as he was as you described yours - not naughty in a bucking/rearing/spinning way but just so desperate to get on with it and go somewhere I couldn't let go of him and felt awful hanging on to his mouth in some sort of grim to the death fight with him! 

Borrowed a Cheltenham gag (which you could use with two reins) and stuck on a martingale just in case and I had my lovely sweet boy back on next one. Still a bit antsy to begin with but a couple of holds and the respect was back - even had the confidence in my brakes to really let him go at flat out gallop and then pull up gradually and safely, it was lush!

Would recommend worth a try but if you're a better rider than me and can use 2 reins correctly, maybe try it with 2?


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## becca1305 (26 August 2011)

thanks for the suggestion 
if CM is happy too I would love to try the pelham and cheltenham gag as these are the two which seem to be most likely to work for her from what people have said  

very very grateful for all advice and offer of bit lending  just want both of us to be able to enjoy ourselves and stay safe!


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## autumn7 (27 August 2011)

I finally settled, after a couple of years of experimenting with various bits, on a Scamperdale pelham for my (now retired) headstrong Irish cob. It gave ultimate control without damaging the corners of the mouth. 
I remember the day I trialled it out hunting and so wished I'd discovered it earlier. She remained in this for hunting and XC for the next 12 years. It was the only bit that gave me any control when tanking and I could let her go and know I could pull her up when needed. For all other disciplines she was a dream in a Happymouth snaffle and 100% fine.
In fact in summer she was bone idle and there were times when I longed for an injection of hunting to perk her up!


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