Bit Change

Hey y'all!

I am looking to do a bit change on my Arabian/Paint gelding! He's an ex-barrel racer, and right now I have him in a simple snaffle, but he doesn't seem to respect it so I was thinking of upgrading it to something else. Any suggestions to what I could try him in? He has a fairly sensitive mouth (he's a baby) and very soft contact on the heel so I don't want to give him a super harsh bit, but something to help me get him more on the bit.

Thanks!

Marie

Last edited on 2017-01-16 at 19:27:03 by C.Jumper

Changing to a different bit is just putting a bandaid on a training problem. Go through better training with him and work with him through a trainer/instructor or such, because the bit isn't the problem (:

Also- life advice isn't allowed on the forums :p But you can message me if you'd like.

Sorry! I apologize!

Some horses also hate single joint bits. Maybe try a double jointed or a mullen snaffle. They're still non-leverage bits, but the pressure points are a little different. There are also a lot of different options on cheeks, some horses have a preference on how stable the bit is in the mouth (a loose ring vs a baucher). If you have a friend or instructor with a ton of bits you can just try out variations on metals, cheeks, and joints and see what your horse goes best in.

you could try a slow twist d ring or like helix said, a french link may be a good choice

You can PM me if you'd like.

Other than finding a bit that is comfortable for the horse, getting proper contact actually has very little to do with tack and other gear. You get a horse to push into contact by having them engage their hind end and move forward.

May help to clarify what you mean by being "on the bit," since I have seen people use the term incorrectly in reference to the head tucking in, which has been proven over 50 times over to be damaging (regardless of discipline, age, and other various factors). You can PM me with any questions if you'd like.

On the subject of bits, mine goes well in a French link loose ring snaffle. I have also switched to a Micklem bridle, designed to avoid sensitive areas of the face, and mine is much better.

With my horse I used a very wide spoon bit. (The larger the surface area, the less pain) Spoon bits are more or less the standard with paso finos though, so may or may not work. That said I did do a lot of various activities with my mare on her spoon bit. She took to it well compared to the snaffle. She never tried to fight that, where as the snaffle, she would slip her tongue over it and that caused far more problems than not, and the spoon bit really did alleviate that.



this isn't the exact one I used, but it is a good general idea. You also don't want to get anything with too narrow a shank/where the reins attatch. You want to get something forgiving, very curved. Definitely advise looking at paso fino sites for specific ones. I can help out if ya like, and I realize my option here is a bit controversial, but they're not, imo, as dangerous as tom thumbs.

One thing we did to get the horses used to these bits, and bits in general was using a large, soft rubber one and slowly changed them so they would accept them and not fight terribly hard.


You could also work on attempting a bitless bridle too. I never got the chance before my gal foundered and became unridable, but Ive seen them in use and they do seem to work really well.


Bits can be such a heated topic for some, but keep in mind, every tool is dangerous if not used right, and any tool can be good if used properly. Either way, make sure you do your -own- research on any option that might entice you. Remember, you know your horse, and how it will react better than anyone here ever could.

Last edited on 2017-02-01 at 07:40:41 by -❆-Buck

I don't know him and haven't seen him, so it's a little hard to make a suggestion on something as important as a bit change.

I have a purebred Arabian gelding and he goes fine in an eggbutt snaffle, but we change it to a loose ring copper snaffle when he gets too heavy in the mouth. That's just on my english bridle. For my western headstall, I use a dee ring snaffle. It acts more like a full cheek though because the dee ring is huge.

Hope this helps!