|
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
  
Location: Northwest | I recently picked up an older gelding. He’s fairly well broke but the gal who owned him the last 3 years let him get spoiled rotten and really let him digress in his training.
Fast forward to now. I’m giving him a refresher and riding him in a snaffle. My question is, his mouth is so hard and insensitive that I’m really struggling to get him soft and supple. He just leans on the bit and pushes through it. What kind of Bit should I put him in to get some respect and sensitivity out of him? Would a draw gag work?
Edited by 07milch 2018-01-07 5:48 PM
|
|
| |
|
 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | It kind of depends on the horse.
Ultimately I think ANY horse should be well trained enough to respect a snaffle, but that may or may not be the bit you start your “process” with.
Sometimes you can start with something a bit stronger (like a correction but) for a short time, re-teach the horse how to be soft to your cue, and then back them down to something softer.
I don’t know about a gag for this type of training. I like something that is both going to be a quick cue and a quick release, and gags don’t necessarily provide that. With retraining them to be soft, it’s really important to give them instant release when they soften up. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
Location: Northwest | r_beau - 2018-01-06 5:10 PM
It kind of depends on the horse.
Ultimately I think ANY horse should be well trained enough to respect a snaffle, but that may or may not be the bit you start your “process” with.
Sometimes you can start with something a bit stronger (like a correction but) for a short time, re-teach the horse how to be soft to your cue, and then back them down to something softer.
I don’t know about a gag for this type of training. I like something that is both going to be a quick cue and a quick release, and gags don’t necessarily provide that. With retraining them to be soft, it’s really important to give them instant release when they soften up.
I agree! And I did try a correction on him the other day...he was slightly better but still not great, but that could just be the relearning taking place. I know it will take time. |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | Anything with a port will get them to back off the bit. The Paul Humphrey ported bit is awesome. Molly Powell’s long shank chain is also a good one as is the ported petska. Had a gelding who was pretty tough mouthed from previous owners and didn’t want to have to pull and pull on him. He worked great in the petska. One mare worked at home in the Paul Humphrey ported bit and was ran in either a short shank pozzi lifter or a no hit bit. It got her to back off and mind you.
Id love for all of mine to work in a snaffle, but sometimes they’re so hard mouthed from previous owners, or it’s just them, and snaffles don’t work and you end up pulling more and making the issue worse. |
|
| |
|
Regular
Posts: 81
| Some horses have a better nose than mouth. Maybe consider a hackamore. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| My gelding isn't hard mouthed per say. He gives to any bit slow work but sometimes gets real pushy when picking up the pace to work him at speed. I started putting a ported bit on him on the days we do more intense work. It's, "yes ma'am" with super light hands. I've found he hates gags and prefers something with more of an instant feel. I run him in a short shank dog bone Sherri Cervi or a Jr cow depending on set up |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
Location: Northwest | Dreamingofcans - 2018-01-07 12:08 AM
Anything with a port will get them to back off the bit. The Paul Humphrey ported bit is awesome. Molly Powell’s long shank chain is also a good one as is the ported petska. Had a gelding who was pretty tough mouthed from previous owners and didn’t want to have to pull and pull on him. He worked great in the petska. One mare worked at home in the Paul Humphrey ported bit and was ran in either a short shank pozzi lifter or a no hit bit. It got her to back off and mind you.
Id love for all of mine to work in a snaffle, but sometimes they’re so hard mouthed from previous owners, or it’s just them, and snaffles don’t work and you end up pulling more and making the issue worse.
I rode him in my PH Soft Correction today and noticed a BIG improvement. I’ll keep him in that for now! |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | 07milch - 2018-01-07 5:46 PM Dreamingofcans - 2018-01-07 12:08 AM Anything with a port will get them to back off the bit. The Paul Humphrey ported bit is awesome. Molly Powell’s long shank chain is also a good one as is the ported petska. Had a gelding who was pretty tough mouthed from previous owners and didn’t want to have to pull and pull on him. He worked great in the petska. One mare worked at home in the Paul Humphrey ported bit and was ran in either a short shank pozzi lifter or a no hit bit. It got her to back off and mind you.
Id love for all of mine to work in a snaffle, but sometimes they’re so hard mouthed from previous owners, or it’s just them, and snaffles don’t work and you end up pulling more and making the issue worse. I rode him in my PH Soft Correction today and noticed a BIG improvement. I’ll keep him in that for now!
Love that bit!!! |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 966
Location: Loco,Ok | When you pull they push. He was pulled on to much to long. Horse will give to pressure,but run into pain. The more it hurts the harder they run. More headgear is added until there is no where else to go. Most of those I found are extremely light actually. I never put it back in their mouth. Reason that's what they know. Put it on their nose. Slow down and take them out of the trap. When you trap their head put a horse in a bind all they want is relief out of the trap.Because a horse is an animal of flight. I get them here regular and have found that. Before the rider braces up against them and they brace up against you get stiff anxious nervous fractious aggressive all those are escape mechanism. Let them out of the trap. Give them relief. It takes time and patience. Most people tend to get frustrated cause ol Pudden ain't getting it. Put it on their nose and give them relief. Something to think about |
|
| |
|
 IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
| I would use a twisted wire snaffle and work on a lot of side to side flexion. Anytime the horse speeds up or takes the bit I would flex or disengage the hindquarters depending. IMO less is more. We had a horse that was very dull when we got him. Had been passed around, went through 5 owners in under a year. My husband managed to make him light again! Sometimes it doesn't hurt to go up to a leverage bit for a day so that you get a better result the following day in the snaffle, but to make a horse light a snaffle is key IMO and from my experiences. |
|
| |
|
 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | Dreamingofcans - 2018-01-07 12:08 AM
Anything with a port will get them to back off the bit. The Paul Humphrey ported bit is awesome. Molly Powell’s long shank chain is also a good one as is the ported petska. Had a gelding who was pretty tough mouthed from previous owners and didn’t want to have to pull and pull on him. He worked great in the petska. One mare worked at home in the Paul Humphrey ported bit and was ran in either a short shank pozzi lifter or a no hit bit. It got her to back off and mind you.
Id love for all of mine to work in a snaffle, but sometimes they’re so hard mouthed from previous owners, or it’s just them, and snaffles don’t work and you end up pulling more and making the issue worse.
Wouldn’t a Molly Powell Chain bit NOT be very harsh? I’m dealing with similar issue as the op and was considering purchasing a ported bit. But someone else had mentioned the Molly Powell chain long shank as well. I was always under the impression that chain bits were easier on a horses mouth because of all the breaks in it. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | ~BINGO~ - 2018-01-08 12:06 PM Dreamingofcans - 2018-01-07 12:08 AM Anything with a port will get them to back off the bit. The Paul Humphrey ported bit is awesome. Molly Powell’s long shank chain is also a good one as is the ported petska. Had a gelding who was pretty tough mouthed from previous owners and didn’t want to have to pull and pull on him. He worked great in the petska. One mare worked at home in the Paul Humphrey ported bit and was ran in either a short shank pozzi lifter or a no hit bit. It got her to back off and mind you.
Id love for all of mine to work in a snaffle, but sometimes they’re so hard mouthed from previous owners, or it’s just them, and snaffles don’t work and you end up pulling more and making the issue worse. Wouldn’t a Molly Powell Chain bit NOT be very harsh? I’m dealing with similar issue as the op and was considering purchasing a ported bit. But someone else had mentioned the Molly Powell chain long shank as well. I was always under the impression that chain bits were easier on a horses mouth because of all the breaks in it.
It's got pretty long shanks on it and I think that combined with the full pressure across the tongue and bars from the chain, it made my super hard mouthed horse back off quick. For that particular horse, I preferred the ported Petska. Another bit that I have in my arsenal is the Lynn McKenzie/Neil Merrill "yes ma'am" bit. It's not as much bit as the petska or the MP chain, but it worked for another mare I had. It really depends on your horse on which one would work best. I absolutely love the Paul Humphrey ported bit though. It worked wonders on an older mare whose previous owners let her get away with murder in a snaffle and would stick her head out and evade the bit. The PH was enough to grab her attention without being too harsh - perfect bit for basic flat work. I was able to ask for what I wanted without having to fight her.
If you lived closer I'd let your try them!!
Good luck with everything though. My husband thinks my bit collection is ridiculous, but they all like something different, and you never know what you'll get in.
|
|
| |
Bit For Hard Mouthed Horse