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 Expert
Posts: 1631
   
Location: Somewhere around here | I'm bringing my horse back into a snaffle and working on going back to basics and getting him light again but I've been having difficulty finding a bit that works well with him without having to have super long shanks on him. He's not real stiff but when I have him in a chain he is too bendy. He seems to do well with snaffle and dog bone pieces but it's usually a hit or miss sort of thing.
What do you run your freerunners in?
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | I run mine in the Ed Wright Pretzel bit. I didn't think it would work on him the first time I tried it, because it kind of "looks" just like any other correctional, but it was like night and day. It's not a bit for everyone, but it's the best bit for him. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| Ty Mitchell put my mare in the Martha Josey long shank gag. I have loved it so far. My mare is a free runner but is very broke and doesn't need much whoa. She is just doesn't have to be pushed by a barrel. http://www.joseywesternstore.com/Josey-Mitchell-Long-Shank-3-Piece-... |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I had one I ran in a happy mouth Pelham and another that I used either a light hack or myler kimberwicke. They both needed a small amount of lift and tuck, but set off my seat.
What works for my hands and training won't necessarily work for anyone else tho. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 616
Location: Texas | I tried a lot of bits on the 6 year old I have know, he runs real free but does want to turn .... still needs so some help in his turns .,.... every bit I tried on him seemed to make him a little nervous so I have him in a L&W Carl's hackamore , it's made a world of difference, he is so much more relaxed and he has stepped up a hole second on his times. Plus I have plenty of control. |
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Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | I have a bit like the Ed Wright Pretzel Bit but it has about an inch of gag on it and two inches of shank on it with one inch of purchase. Maybe having no gag would help with freerunners? I have looked at the Martha Josey bit line and they might work but I know for a fact that my horse doesn't like combo bits lol. Tried that a few times and he always seemed to push on it. Pelham might work. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| I have a more push style mare, but I think this bit would work with either type horse. Martha Josey's Go Around bit. It was like night and day for my mare, because she had to be pushed all the way to the barrel, and she had to be rated, so this bit played on both of her styles. I only use it when I run because it is too much bit for slow work. (I slow work in a smooth sweet six with training forks) It does not give a lot of flex, but it does a lot of whoa and turn. My mare was over flexed, to the point where she blew out the turns, so this straightened her up and I have not had a single problem on the pattern since I got it. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| cecollins0811 - 2014-08-23 3:32 PM
I have a bit like the Ed Wright Pretzel Bit but it has about an inch of gag on it and two inches of shank on it with one inch of purchase. Maybe having no gag would help with freerunners? I have looked at the Martha Josey bit line and they might work but I know for a fact that my horse doesn't like combo bits lol. Tried that a few times and he always seemed to push on it. Pelham might work.
I personally am not a huge fan of combo bits. It may be my hands that they just don't get along with but I have never really gotten along with combo bits. Only one I have ever liked is the Johnson hack and I don't see that working for a free runner. I think little/no gag would be good for a horse that has a tendency to be a little harder or slower on reaction time to your hands. I think Ty gave me the long shank gag (has quite a bit of gag to it) because I safety up having trouble trusting my mare because she runs so hard. With the gag she has a little bit of warning and is really quick to react to my cues so if I pull 1 stride to early its not quite a deal breaking, barrel crashing uh oh like it would be without gag.
I feel the bit has to fit the rider just as much as it fits the horse. |
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Duct Tape Bikini Girl
Posts: 2554
| Lady bug hack works for mine. Love the low fit. |
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Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | I kinda like the idea of the Martha Josey Go Around bit.I know I've thought about it in the past but I think I went in a different direction and it was the wrong direction lol. I have a large twisted shank bit with long shanks and a few inches of gag but it makes me scared to use it, it looks pretty intimidating for me to use. "Because I safety up having trouble trusting my mare because she runs so hard." I definitely do this. If I don't safety up then he won't listen. I also have seen the Lady Big hack but I've never used one before. I' also a little intimidated by that as well. How does that work compared to a rope hack? |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I used a Sherry Cervi long shank lifter dogbone on my free runner. This is the one..
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 Expert
Posts: 1302
Location: California | Mine only likes his twisted wire snaffle bit (with a german martingale right now). It is a bit scary to run him in it though. Anything with a chin strap he freaks out. I tried a light ed wright bit and took the chin strap off of it and it is great for slow work but when speed is added he freaks in it. He is SUPER sensitive and light in the mouth but when he gets his motor running he kind of forgets rate. We have come a long way but it is still a process. I just made him to where I could do everything in a snaffle and he listens more to when I sit than when I pull. If he wants to he can definitely run off with me in a snaffle, which is why I say it is scary sometimes, but I am working on trusting him. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| As you said you are getting the horse lighter in the face, which is exactly what you have to do.
I had one who was amazing light, had all the foundation beautiful turns, but turned out to be a free runner.
I used the grasshopper bit on him, I was as light as could be but needed a little more rate, before all my barrels all I had to do was a 2 handed bump before I dropped down to one.
I would warm up in a or ring snaffle and switch to the grasshopper a few runs before me. |
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 Super Woman
Posts: 1368
| Kat runs in a loomis that has a rope nose with twisted wire headstall. She has TMJ and the headstall works great on the points. No tie down. I was having a horrible time finding a bit and ran into Benette Little at a rodeo and this is what she said they put on JL Dash to Heaven during the time she was at the NFR. However, this bit had not been made in years! I ordered from 3 different companies and my husband put it all together. Worked perfect!! I owe many Thanks to her this year!! |
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Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | I have thought before of the Sherry Cervi bit, the exact one that is shown, but I was actually looking at this bit vs James' Grasshopper bit. I can see that the Grasshopper doesn't have any gag and Sherry's has about an inch of gag but are the shanks + purchases the same length? Grasshopper has 7" shanks and Sherry's has 8.5" but it might just be a longer shank with the added gag length as well. Does James have the shanks like the Grasshopper but with a different mouth piece?
I actually have a gag much like the Loomis and it works well with him but even with bit guards is wears the sides of his mouth down :( Are there any kinda of sweet bit wraps to put on it?
Some news in finding a good bit though. For the second time this year we actually worked with a chain bit, roper style so no gag and 4" shanks. He worked around the barrels great but we didn't have too much rate with it. Maybe the longer shank/purchase would help with his rate?
Edited by cecollins0811 2014-08-24 4:33 PM
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | cecollins0811 - 2014-08-24 4:24 PM I have thought before of the Sherry Cervi bit, the exact one that is shown, but I was actually looking at this bit vs James' Grasshopper bit. I can see that the Grasshopper doesn't have any gag and Sherry's has about an inch of gag but are the shanks + purchases the same length? Grasshopper has 7" shanks and Sherry's has 8.5" but it might just be a longer shank with the added gag length as well. Does James have the shanks like the Grasshopper but with a different mouth piece? I actually have a gag much like the Loomis and it works well with him but even with bit guards is wears the sides of his mouth down :( Are there any kinda of sweet bit wraps to put on it? Some news in finding a good bit though. For the second time this year we actually worked with a chain bit, roper style so no gag and 4" shanks. He worked around the barrels great but we didn't have too much rate with it. Maybe the longer shank/purchase would help with his rate?
I also have the short shank Cervi but I needed the longer shank for rateing, when he got to rolling we have problems with that first barrel, second and 3rd were great but the first I really had to get ahold of him. |
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Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | Southtxponygirl - 2014-08-24 4:40 PM
cecollins0811 - 2014-08-24 4:24 PM I have thought before of the Sherry Cervi bit, the exact one that is shown, but I was actually looking at this bit vs James' Grasshopper bit. I can see that the Grasshopper doesn't have any gag and Sherry's has about an inch of gag but are the shanks + purchases the same length? Grasshopper has 7" shanks and Sherry's has 8.5" but it might just be a longer shank with the added gag length as well. Does James have the shanks like the Grasshopper but with a different mouth piece? I actually have a gag much like the Loomis and it works well with him but even with bit guards is wears the sides of his mouth down :( Are there any kinda of sweet bit wraps to put on it? Some news in finding a good bit though. For the second time this year we actually worked with a chain bit, roper style so no gag and 4" shanks. He worked around the barrels great but we didn't have too much rate with it. Maybe the longer shank/purchase would help with his rate?
I also have the short shank Cervi but I needed the longer shank for rateing, when he got to rolling we have problems with that first barrel, second and 3rd were great but the first I really had to get ahold of him.
Yep, exactly our problem. Which is why I'm going back to a snaffle and hoping that would help us out a little bit and emphasizing my seat weight and pushing on the horn for stops instead of his mouth but once we just go into a higher lope a snaffle definitely isn't enough. I have tried running him in a shorter shank of Sherry's, (snaffle and dog bone), for quite a few months but some days he respects it and others it's like "Nope, not today". Seriously considering James' Waterford bit but I don't want to buy it, not work well, and have it in my tack room collecting dust.  |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | cecollins0811 - 2014-08-24 4:49 PM Southtxponygirl - 2014-08-24 4:40 PM cecollins0811 - 2014-08-24 4:24 PM I have thought before of the Sherry Cervi bit, the exact one that is shown, but I was actually looking at this bit vs James' Grasshopper bit. I can see that the Grasshopper doesn't have any gag and Sherry's has about an inch of gag but are the shanks + purchases the same length? Grasshopper has 7" shanks and Sherry's has 8.5" but it might just be a longer shank with the added gag length as well. Does James have the shanks like the Grasshopper but with a different mouth piece? I actually have a gag much like the Loomis and it works well with him but even with bit guards is wears the sides of his mouth down :( Are there any kinda of sweet bit wraps to put on it? Some news in finding a good bit though. For the second time this year we actually worked with a chain bit, roper style so no gag and 4" shanks. He worked around the barrels great but we didn't have too much rate with it. Maybe the longer shank/purchase would help with his rate? I also have the short shank Cervi but I needed the longer shank for rateing, when he got to rolling we have problems with that first barrel, second and 3rd were great but the first I really had to get ahold of him. Yep, exactly our problem. Which is why I'm going back to a snaffle and hoping that would help us out a little bit and emphasizing my seat weight and pushing on the horn for stops instead of his mouth but once we just go into a higher lope a snaffle definitely isn't enough. I have tried running him in a shorter shank of Sherry's, (snaffle and dog bone ), for quite a few months but some days he respects it and others it's like "Nope, not today". Seriously considering James' Waterford bit but I don't want to buy it, not work well, and have it in my tack room collecting dust.
Another favorite bit of mine that I used on this horse is the Janet Stover dogbone, I will try to post a picture of it for you, love this bit.. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Heres my Janet Stover ...
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Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | I do like that, especially the design on the side!! Lol something like that might work on him as well! |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| What mouth pieces have you had on him?
I had tried what felt like just about everything short of a pretzel on my boy, always felt like he was pretty sensitive and it would be too much bit.
Then this one time I walked into the Ed Wright clinic...
And walked out with a pretzel bit.
I love it. I can be light because when I pick up I have something. It's not that the horse isn't a little sensitive, it's that I couldn't be light enough with the equipment I had to get the job done for him. I love it and we've improved ten fold. |
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Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | I've had everything, even a pretzel, but not a Mullen in him but maybe our problem could be that 80% of them are gag bits. I'd love to go to a good quality clinic but right now I can't afford one or the timing isn't right. I'm also trying to watch and improve on myself and hands, making sure that I'm not holding onto his face and using my feet more. |
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