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Veteran
Posts: 160
 
| I have a 5, coming 6 year old mare that I'm in a rut trying to find headgear for. She's super light, very bendy, extremely sensitive, and has a tendency to feel "trapped" with too much bit.
I work and tune with a square sliding gag (LW version of a Loomis gag) with a twisted dog bone mouth. This bit has too much bend and isn't quite strong enough for me to run her in.
She hates every sweet 6 I have tried on her. Jr Cowhorse and Tender Touch don't have enough gag and scare her when they hit the end of the gag action. Simplicity doesn't quite have enough lift for me to set her up for her turns and still causes her to over-bend a little on the backside of her turns. What are my other options?
ETA: She's 100% a "lift and drop" horse. I lift and shape her at my rate point then drop my hand and help her around the back side of the turn. She sits and slides, but still wraps the barrel. Very fluid type style. I can email videos if that would help.
Edited by horseshorseshorses 2015-11-28 2:15 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 912
Location: Alabama | I would try a Mullen mouth piece with gag action. Will take away some bend, won't have a "grabbing" type feel for her, but still offers control. |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
 
Location: Texas | Try a Hodges Futurity bit with a chain mouthpiece. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534
| Can I ask why you have been trying gag action etc? Does she not preform well in a simple snaffle? |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| Maybe a chain mouthpiece.
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I would put a simple bit on her with a chain mouth or dog bone. How offten are you chaning bits on her? I wonder if you are not giving her enought time to get use to the feel of any bit that you are trying on her befor you move on to next bit.
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | Sockittoemred - 2015-11-28 2:56 PM
I would try a Mullen mouth piece with gag action. Will take away some bend, won't have a "grabbing" type feel for her, but still offers control.
Exactly what I was thinking. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
Location: Lost in the swamps | Just got a Connie combs mullen mouth! Love it!! And my horse is quirky too! Doesn't like feeling trapped! I normally use chain mouths on him. But that mullen is my new favorite for him he's more relaxed in it!
Edited by imturnin3 2015-11-29 2:26 PM
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 Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| imturnin3 - 2015-11-29 2:24 PM
Just got a Connie combs mullen mouth! Love it!! And my horse is quirky too! Doesn't like feeling trapped! I normally use chain mouths on him. But that mullen is my new favorite for him he's more relaxed in it!
Do you have a photo and where did you get the bit from?
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| Josey Go Around bit is my go to now. Have yet to find a horse that doesn't do well in it. Little gag, small curb mouth, offset curb chain with short shanks. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | Put an o-ring on her with a mouthpiece she likes. I have one I have tried all kinds of bits on and keep going back to the o-ring. Remember more gag=more bend. The more breaks in a mouthpiece, the more bend. |
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Veteran
Posts: 160
| Thank yall so much!!
Although she's pushing 6, she has been hauled for less than 6 months. She's extremely broke, but we are still very much so in the seasoning stage. She cruised a beautiful pattern in a twisted wire o-ring this summer, now that she is actually running, she's gotten a little too strong for the o-ring. Once she really learns how to use herself at this speed, she'll likely go back into the o-ring. Right now, I need something that will allow me to "help" her more than the o-ring, if that makes sense.
It's been a while since I tried a chain mouthpiece with her. I feel like she is too bendy for a chain mouthpiece. Thank all of you for the suggestion and if I'm wrong in this assumption, please let me know!
I like to use gag with her because she gets overwhelmed at a bit that directly grabs her face like a fixed shank does. She needs the "warning" from the gag before the bit goes to a direct pull. The problem comes in with her getting too bendy with too much gag, but overwhelmed with a bit that doesn't have enough gag and goes to direct pull too quickly. Again, if my thought process is incorrect, I would love to hear feedback!
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Veteran
Posts: 160
| Sockittoemred - 2015-11-28 2:56 PM
I would try a Mullen mouth piece with gag action. Will take away some bend, won't have a "grabbing" type feel for her, but still offers control.
Thank you! That's definitely what I have been looking for! I like the look of that Go Around bit that someone posted at the bottom of the page. |
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Regular
Posts: 68
| I use a Fred Hunter on my gelding. He is very light and very bendy. He loves this bit! and I have lots of control too! I got mine from www.thetackstop.com |
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 Expert
Posts: 1898
| What about a Carol Goosetree Delight? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 612
| You might try going back to the Tender Touch or a chain bit, but loosen the curb strap. A looser curb will help her to not panic. |
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 Poor Cracker Girl
Posts: 12150
Location: Feeding mosquitos, FL | Have you tried a hack on her? I had a colt who I suspect had a rather low palate. He would work fine in just about anything but if for some reason I had to take a bit of a hold, he would raise his head and panic. Plus it helped stiffen him up a little bit since he was a bit noodle necked. After playing bit roulette, I finally put a Jim Warner hack on him and he loved it. No more panic. |
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 BHW Jr. Cougar of the Year
Posts: 14957
Location: Heart of Texas | I use a Little S hack on my light horses.
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | I was also going to suggest a Little S hack.
I just switched my gelding to that this summer. He seems happier when I leave him alone, so this seems to work well.
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 Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | Have you tried a WTP bit? They have a large, easy mouthpiece, with a flat piece in the middle that's supposed to discourage displacing. I really like them for sensitive horses. I also like to ride in hacks a lot, as horses that feel "trapped" in a bit tend to relax when you get out of their mouths. |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | I have a gelding that despises most bits. When I bought him he was in a hack but the guy I got him from was heavy handed and I couldn't handle him in a hack. So we started with O rings until we found something he will tolerate. It's a O ring with c or half rings on the outisde that the reins clip to. It has a nedium twister wire with a life saver in the middle. That is the only bit he has ever really tolerated. He even fights a o ring smooth snaffle. |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | I've had good luck also with the Connie Combs Stablizer bit (Mullen mouth piece) on my "quirky" horse. I also ride him in a fixed long shank with a Mona Lisa mouth piece. |
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Bits for a "quirky" horse.. Please help!