Wednesday 27 September 2017

Talk to Me of Bits

Thanks for the welcome back and the good wishes!

I've made you a thank you gift. Free word vomit for everyone!!! (You're welcome, aren't I the best?)

For the tl;dr crowd (or anyone halfway sane): 

I want to try a new bit on my pony. It needs to be dressage legal. The problem is an aversion to/hiding behind the contact. Not stopping power, we have tons of that. We can nix plain eggbutt snaffles and loose ring french links. Anything else is fair game. I'd love to hear suggestions or comments on what is working for you.

bonus gift of pony mare side eye


 For the more...detail oriented...:


Regarding the riding recap, a  few of you mentioned trying out a new bit might not be such a bad idea. Honestly, I sort of put that thought on hold a while ago because I tried a new bit and my coach (who rides B now and then) immediately commented she really liked her in it. It's a loose ring french link I put on her dressage bridle (and meant to remove, lol). Obviously, that wasn't the feedback I was expecting, because I actually didn't find her better at all in it. I actually still find her slightly easier in the eggbutt snaffle I have on my jump bridle.

II'm trying to turn over a new leaf and have more media for this blog. This is what happens when you expect barn cats to pose for last minute cute pics. More practice is required  - my iPhone is for photos, not a target for attack.

Better. Good kitty.
I thought on that and chalked it up to me needing to ride better...my suspicion being my hands are not as steady as my coach's and with the loose ring that translated to being noisier than B would prefer. I do have a solid position and seat, so my hands are independent and actually fairly good, but I do not have the finesse EC has. I feel like this new added focus on keeping my hands very still is having the undesired side effect of making me a bit tight in my shoulders. Not good, either, because we've gone from maybe being slightly 'noisy' to not giving enough. We're talking really minor changes here, but it's B. Despite her laziness, she's very sensitive and fussy. I'm sure partly that's just how she is, but partly it's probably I am her main rider so we've had plenty of time to annoy each other. Like in any long term relationship, seemingly minor issues in communication can have quite dramatic results if given enough time to fester :)
A quiet forest scene to make up for the communication breakdown drama. breathe in....breathe out.
Actually, I was out walking last weekend and a bear ran across my path in this very spot.  I took this pic as kind of a CSI hint should they find my phone and not my body. But don't let that bother you. And, relaaaaxxx....
Long story slightly shorter, my coach is away for a month, so my schedule is temporarily more flexible and I have time to try out some new bits without worrying about paying for a non productive lesson due to bit change shenanigans. It's all well and fine for me to learn to ride better, (and spending time and focus on that is never something I'll regret doing) but maybe I am looking at this wrong and there is a bit that works for both of us, as we are now. Maybe it is simply an issue we need to work through and it's not about the bit so much as the riding and training. This evading contact thing has been an ongoing since I bought her (Seriously, when I bought her they told me she didn't go in a bridle...and yet, she had driving experience. Also, zero issues with the actual bridling and wearing of, tons of issues with any rein contact. I suspect there's a story there) So, although the improvement in general has been  huge, we've hit a wall the past few months and it can't hurt to try new things.

Wheww, hopefully I didn't scare you all away. Overthink it much? LOL

This barn kitty is actually young and friendly, but his grumpy old man face is on point, and seems an appropriate reaction to my epic wordiness on bits.

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18 comments

  1. Do you think it's the fixed sides of the eggbutt she likes? Connor isn't great in a loose ring french link either. The french link baucher has been amazing for him - but not the thin mouthpiece one, he hated it, had to get something slightly larger diameter.

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    1. That's kinda what I was thinking.. Sully was AWFUL in a loose ring french link, I just couldn't get him to TAKE the bit and STAY THERE. So we switched him to a fat rubber single-joint D ring and he goes super in it - gives him something to hold onto that's very stable. Worth a try!

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    2. Great feedback, thank you! So much to think about!

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  2. I have no idea if it's dressage legal but Henry likes his fugly happy mouth mullen mouth. He's not super forward moving and it doesn't give us too much "brakes". I really want one of those rubbery blue bits that are like 300 dollars.... but not right now haha.

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  3. Have you experimented with bit thickness at all?

    She might prefer a big fat hollow eggbutt vs a thin one, or vice versa.

    My kind of "go to" bits are: french link loose ring, rubber double jointed happy mouth, and some type of double jointed bit with a lozenge in the middle.

    I actually just tried Annie out in a copper lozenge snaffle and she doesn't seem to like it much - I need to school her in it a few more times before I decide to sell it, but she seems to prefer her fatter french link.

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    1. I was going to suggest the same thing. It might be as much about the mouth piece as the sides. Maybe worth trying out a thinner and a thicker bit plus a single joint and double joint. Mostly I'm not good at but suggestions since I've been using the same one pretty much since I started Katai. For her this bit was the right thickness which was very thin since she has a low pallet

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  4. Emi needed tongue relief! I recenently switched her to a myler and she is so much quieter with her mouth...as in no chomping and nice foamy lips. We are going to experiement further with the cheek piece as I think an eggbutt would be ideal. This is what Emi is using https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/myler-level-1-dee-8408 and I only tried it because it was fairly cheap at a second hand store in town.

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  5. I just wrote a review about the Stubben Golden Wing bit. I really like how it works with Carmen.

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    1. That was such a great review, and I'm intrigued. It does look like it would be worth trying on B and the price is decent too

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  6. I see that everyone is mentioning bit thickness, but I want to go ahead and throw my support behind trying that as well. I went from a loose ring French link to an HS Dynamic RS Aurigan Eggbutt (ridiculously long name). I think the fixed sides help quiet my noise, but I also think the significantly thicker diameter of the bit helped as well for comfort.

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    1. I definitely think thickness might be a key to what's going to work.

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  7. i fully approve of all barn cat related media!!!! :D

    also re: bits.... lots of good ideas already above. i'd echo experimenting with bit width in addition to shape. you could also try a double jointed bit that has a bean/lozenge center part instead of the flat plate. my jump trainer is a huge fan of nathes (where they taper slightly in the center) but they can be harder to find than the typical mullen mouth bits. i had a good experience with charlie playing around in a myler for a little bit (only ever one ride at a time) just to catch his attention and change the conversation.

    personally my favorite bit is the sprenger KK (any metal), and i have it in a couple variations (including a three ring universal cheek piece that charlie wears to jump). from what i can tell tho, each horse likes slightly different things and it can take a lot of experimentation to find both the right mouth piece and the right cheek piece (and then both of them combined in one bit lol). good luck!

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    1. Thank you for the ideas! Re: the cats, the little black one ("Thug") I was like "C'mon pretty kitty, pose for a pic for Emma!"

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  8. A horse that likes to go behind the verticle and not reach out to the bit usually responds well to a Mullen mouth straight bar (wavy) happy mouth snaffle.

    It is important to look at all things though, size of the bit, placement of the bit in the mouth, have the teeth been done recently, and finally the nsoeband and tightness. Depending on the issues, each of these can play as a factor. I recommend changing one thing at a time. Try this bit for at least 7 rides, then try another if it doesn't work. You have to try them for a while before giving up and trying something else.

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  9. Nothing to add here except I'm totally following along because I'm not convinced P loves the loose ring KK snaffle I have him in now. Probably for the same reason as B, I think my hands, while definitely improving, are still too unsteady and it's knocking around P's mouth. When I focus on keeping my hands still, my elbows lock, durrrr.

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    1. And, once you fix your elbows, it will probably be your shoulders locking, lol, ask me how I know :) I've trialled a couple of bits this week, and while neither seem perfect, they've confirmed to me what we've been using could be improved upon.

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