ISO: Bit suggestions and help

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Posted : 12/30/2013 8:23:58 PM

Hello I am new to this forum and i'm looking for some help. Long story short i'm not new to horses but I've only had my mare since June. And i'm still trying to figure out what type of bit to use on her. With my previous mare I used a Wonder Bit. I've been using the wonder bit on my new mare and she seems to work well off of it but the long shanks get on my nerves and make it difficult to fit headstalls properly. Her previous owners used a regular snaffle on her (which I've also been using) and she doesn't do as well in it. I've also noticed that it will slide in and out of the sides of her mouth when pressure is applied to one side or the other. I've been looking at trying a full cheek snaffle bit and in both my Western and English bridal on her and wanted to get some feed back on what others thought or suggested. I do mostly western trail riding with her and I've just began to show her the barrel pattern. We also do some English riding and jumping to switch things up.

danastark

Posted : 12/31/2013 4:43:32 AM

We ride English so use snaffles on all of our horses. I haven't had a problem with the bit sliding and I use a loose ring on my gelding, my daughter uses D-ring on her horses. If you ride western I guess you could add a chin strap? Make sure your bit is adjusted so the horse has about 1 1/2 wrinkles in the corner of its mouth. Welcome to the forum! Join us in our General Chat every day and get to know everyone ':)'

samsara

Posted : 12/31/2013 5:26:13 PM

I've used a full cheek snaffle on my horse. He'd walk right through it on the trail. I switched to a slow twist full cheek snaffle and got a little better response but, ultimately, I've switched to a Mullen mouthed shanked bit. He goes much better in that.
If you do any western showing or rodeo check the rules...I think a lot of times horses over 7 must be in a shanked bit.