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 Veteran
Posts: 173
 
Location: Wyoming- where its always windy! | I need advice on bringing back a horse who has no mouth. I took a mare in on trade whose mouth was ruined. She also is pretty hot and has a lot of "go." She has decent lateral flex but no brakes especially when speed is added. Through trial and error I have learned that picking at her puts her on the fight and you might as well quit because she stops listening. Less is more so that's what I've tried to do. I've tried numerous bits on her, different mouthpieces, hacks, etc. The only thing I have found that she seems happy with is a Molly Powell Rookie with a chain mouth piece. I can make an ok run with her with this bit in a small pen but she's going to need more whoa for running outside. So for the most part I have put runnung barrels on the back burner and am doing slow work. Im trying to use my seat and my voice to get her to slow down, even if its only a slight slowing in her feet i reward her. My plan is to get a snaffle with a chain mouthpiece and do a lot of slow work with a German martingale. Get her to travel in a collected frame and stop on her butt. Because now she's wanting to brace and root her nose out. When she speeds up I do a one rein stop. I just need to know if I'm on the right track or close to it. I'm so frustrated and ready to give up but I feel like I owe it to her to try and fix what someone else did to her before. TIA
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
Location: Lost in the swamps | I know someone who's horse would take off with her, started doing alot more slow controlled exercises away from the pattern and is using a Paul humphries rope gag for vertical gathering without a fight and backing and backing off the bit. has helped a bunch!!! I've seen this horse change right before my eyes!
Also a few other people that use calming agents to chill them out in the beginning when rehabbing one. |
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Veteran
Posts: 173
Location: Wyoming- where its always windy! | I tried googling that gag and didn't find anything. Is it like a draw bit? I also have calming cookies on the way! |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
 
| I would also get her vet checked by an equine lameness specialist, in my experience people bit up when the horse starts blowing turns instead of getting to the root of the cause, lameness issues.
I also would check teeth and treat for ulcers
To get a horse to listen, what I do is at a walk when I want to stop, I sit down, say whoa, then pick up on the reins and back the horse up till where I sat down. I don't go any faster till they are stopping when I sit.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
Location: Lost in the swamps | Yes that too full lameness work up, ulcer check. The bit is on Paul humphries website, I've been trying to find a similar set up. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | I would try a pretzle bit. They are comfortable for a horse, but yet has enough whoa to get their attention. If you have to you may start out your slow work using the bigger bit, if that's what it takes to get her attension. I'd rather use a bigger bit and lighter hands than have to fight one in a ring bit. Once she starts to get the picture you can back off and go back to a ring bit. I recommend finding a routine and to work on stopping say whoa, sit, and evenly pull the reins back to your cantle and hold them until she stops and tucks her nose. Then let her stand for awhile so she understands what whoa really is. Take a few steps and repeat. She should catch on to this quickly. An everyday routine will help her to settle and learn to ride relaxed, not on the muscle 24/7. And your right picking on them only makes them hotter. You have to lower your expectations, go easy, and have lots of patience. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I have brought one back, but man does it take time and PATIENCE, which I didn't have but do now, lol. The mare had been run through a steel nose, long shank, twisted two piece bit. I just started back in a smooth mouth snaffle. For a week we did nothing but one rein stops it seemed like, and my arms have never hurt so much. I couldn't pull back with both hands because she would just tuck her nose to her chest. So it got to where if she walked to the back of the small pasture, I got off and walked her back to the pens. Her reward for walking. Then we progressed to longer walks. Then we started on her whoa. I DID NOT pull back on her, I just put a mullen mouth colt bit on her and I would say whoa, sit and hold my reins steady and let her walk into them, not pulling back, but giving the instant she stopped. That's when she got her cookie. I also used the fence to help stop her at that time. I did this through all the gaits. Always giving a cookie for a stop at first and especially at the faster gaits. I eventually was able to run her in a kimberwicke and then a s hackamore. This mare had a lot of set at the barrels I found out. But not until I could stop her at all gaits. This probably took all summer and since at times we would only ride for a few minutes, I was able to ride in morning and evenings. I was eventually able to teach her to do sliding stops. A amateur reiner saw us and wanted to buy her. He did not understand why I wouldn't sell her for a reining horse.  |
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Veteran
Posts: 173
Location: Wyoming- where its always windy! | She had a full lameness exam last spring. X-rays showed mild arthritis in her hocks so we injected. I don't remember it helping a ton with getting her to stop better but it might have. As far as treating for ulcers, what does everyone recommend? I have her on Forco now. Sounds like maybe I'll inject her hocks again and keep doing the slow work. I'll also try to find a pretzel bit to see if it helps. Does L&W make anything like one? |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| chasincans85 - 2015-03-23 5:17 PM
She had a full lameness exam last spring. X-rays showed mild arthritis in her hocks so we injected. I don't remember it helping a ton with getting her to stop better but it might have. As far as treating for ulcers, what does everyone recommend? I have her on Forco now. Sounds like maybe I'll inject her hocks again and keep doing the slow work. I'll also try to find a pretzel bit to see if it helps. Does L&W make anything like one?
Generally hocks will need to be injected every 3 months.
Ulcer meds I use omeprazole as it is the only thing proven to cure ulcers
As for the pretzel bit, ed wright sells it |
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What Name?
Posts: 1994
| Have you tried working on her woah from the ground? When I had problems with my gelding, we worked with verbal ques and round penning. When he started responding favorably to woah on the ground, I moved back to working on it while riding. He has an awesome, sliding stop now. Lots of backing too. That always helps while riding. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 494
| Put something like a sweet six or cowhorse bit in. Something that still has movement, but will give a quicker response( no o rings.) Start at a walk, gradually apply rein pressure until she stops and backs up a few steps. The lighter the pressure the better. Do not get frustrated if you apply pressure and she does not stop and keeps walking for a while. It will be a process. As you master the walking easily then go to a trot. I had to do this with one, it took about a good 2-3 wks before we could get it down good at a lope but it is SO worth it in the long run. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1056
| trail riding, get out of the arena........................ walk only, pressure ..... release.......... carson james rhodenizer on Facebook will give you some ideas. he has got videos also. he can explain how pressure release method fixes just about anything. |
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  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | I would start her over just like a colt from the ground. I would spend a lot of time working on the ground working on whoa and following her face, and then progress to under saddle. I wouldn't work her in anything but a rope halter and then a simple colt starting snaffle. Just get her soft and relaxed first.
When I worked on actually stopping, I would always back up after stopping and just sit. Lots of just sitting and resting and going no where. Give her a reason to want to quit. I would be really consistent with relaxing my body when asking her to stop too. Horses learn by repetition and consistency. If you do the same thing every time, they will get to where they stop when you just quit riding.
You also have to make even more of an effort to relax on a horse like this and be diligent. They feed off of any tenderness in your body, and they're equally as sensitive to any shifts and changes you make. |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| No draw reins and no martingale, they never actually release the horse they are gimmicks. Find you a good reining, cutting, cow horse trainer to learn how to use your hands for release. Feet to punish, hands for direction. Ask with your hands, tell with your feet. |
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