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| *Yes her teeth have been done, chiro, vet, and all so none of those suggestions. She was started by a man with very heavy hands that uses a cavesson on everything.
Just favorite bits for horses that gape their mouths and are very sensitive and light.
Edited by cgbarrelracer 2017-06-23 4:09 PM
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  Ms. Marine
Posts: 4642
  
Location: Texas | Softer hands by the rider is a good cure for that, along with not balancing on the reins. |
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| Thanks but I'm looking for BIT suggestions from people who have had experience with this type of horse. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
 
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | cgbarrelracer - 2017-06-23 4:00 PM Thanks but I'm looking for BIT suggestions from people who have had experience with this type of horse.
What type of bit do you have on this horse now? |
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| Her favorite so far is a chain mouth tender touch w a leather curb |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| A mullen mouth, then I would play with shanks, gag, etc. to get the right feel.
Something else to think about is make sure you don't have her under bridled. Sometimes we think that by using less we are saving their mouth but then we begin to wrestle with them instead of getting immediate responses and they end up becoming dull and evading the contact. More isn't always bad. |
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Expert
Posts: 1857
| cgbarrelracer - 2017-06-23 4:35 PM
Her favorite so far is a chain mouth tender touch w a leather curb
That would be something I would try, she still gapes? |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| I've now had two that were 'gapers.' The first was my rocket mare. She has -0- in the way of pallate concavity. She trained for the most part in a mullen mouth lifter. She needed the lift to complete her training to stay off the barrels. As she seasoned she got so strong that the mullen lifter was not enough whoa. She graduated into a futurity lifter with a large twisted mouth and copper dog bone/roller combo, special ordered from B&W. This combo only went on her when we were ready to run - she did her warm ups and works in a chain mouth offset or a hack.
My current colt in training is also VERY sensitive in his mouth. He has a slightly flat pallate but is just very sensitive in his mouth. Rides on the flat well in a hack, but hacks don't let you TRAIN well. His trainer is trying him on lots of bits right now to see what he will respond to best. I also rode him in a chain offset on the flat while he was home last year and he liked that bit. Again, not enough bit to train for the pattern, but I had him working well in it on the flat.
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 966
Location: Loco,Ok | You can train in a hackamore if you know how. Horses today have such a shallow mouth. And if they are worried about the bit then.all trying to do is get away from the pressure. I have had many. Just put a anything in their mouth and you feel them become anxious. Take off put one I make one and they relax and ride off. Horses are more sensitive today than ever.When you trap them. They become anxious. If the horse is worried about any other thing they are not focusing on the job. I can show you. |
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| Can you PM me pics of your hacks? |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I have a mouth gaping head shaker that came to me evading bit pressure by doing both those things plus yanking his head to his knees. Bit wise, he needs a little tongue relief, he doesn't like his tongue trapped. But by far, I've gotten the most done in a little side pull hack with a leather curb--he's much more relaxed and receptive in it. I had trained a horse in a hack before so I knew it could be done. Some things are a little harder going that route, but having a horse really body broke goes a long ways towards making up for it. I'm pretty sure I could ride mine bridleless at this point, he is so tuned into subtle body cues. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | You could try something with a port--maybe she doesn't like anything on her tongue. I really like the ported-chain mouthpiece. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1069
Location: Oklahoma | Something with no gag and not a 2 piece
When choosing a port pick something that is WIDE enough for the tongue - a lot of "ports" like the pretzel etc are too narrow so won't provide any tongue relief
O rings good too |
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 Ms. Poutability
Posts: 2362
Location: In my own world | If you don't think she is gaping from discomfort I would put a cavesson on. One trainer told me once you have to teach a horse to "carry the bit". He left it a little loose and on all the time. They had to eat with it and learned to hold it and not gape. Now he was a bit unorthodox |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | I had one. A Hodges with chain mouth worked for her. |
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 Famous for Not Complaining
Posts: 8848
Location: Broxton, Ga | Paul Humphrey
Correction bit
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Expert
Posts: 1599
| Good question! I am in the "bit trading business" lately with everything I've been trying! I had a lot of luck with loomis gag just getting her soft (still gapes and rolls her tonguq but she's soft.) After reading the comments here I ordered a mullen mouth short loose shank, also have a warner hack to try this week. |
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Veteran
Posts: 217
| MB02 myler worked perfect for my mare, it's only a d-ring but it's plenty of bit for her. She did like the chain start to finish bit but she wasn't near as soft in it. She was much softer in the s-hack.
New guy, I leave two holes looser. He has a fragile mentality and he's more confident when he actually holds the bit. He will do flat work in a hack but there is zero brakes at a run. The only thing he will not gape at is the chain piece.
The mare I'm selling would head shake and gape at EVERYTHING until I tried a thinner mouthpiece. No room in her mouth and a ridiculously thick tongue has made everything, including the myler uncomfortable to her. Also rode her with no wrinkles in the corner of her mouth. |
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Location: KS | I currently have 2 of them. One who has an abnormally small mouth-according to my equine dentist, and one who had his tongue nearly cut off by previous owner. Both horses are much more comfortable and relaxed in a hack. I have one that my husband made (sort of like the Clampitt ugly hack) that I ride in at home because I can still get the softness and flexion that I like when I work them, then I run in the Ed Wright swivel shank. I spent about a year going through bits with each one before I completly switched them both to the hack. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
Location: Northwest | CJE - 2017-06-25 7:37 PM
Paul Humphrey
Correction bit
This is what I am currently using on my gaper. It took three rides before he worked well in the bit (the first two he absolutely hated it). So it sat in my trailer for months and then I tried it again recently and he worked AMAZING in it. No gaping and beautiful collection (and sooooo light). I've tried using it on another horse and she HATES it. I've tried it twice on her but I'll try it a few more times before I give up. |
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