[QUOTE=whicker;4086176]
an osteopathic check-up would pick up a TMJ or other joint issue. Teeth ok?[/QUOTE]
My first thought as well. 2nd thought: put on a noseband. It actually distributes the pressure differently and HELPS the horse…
Yes have had all that done. This is not an easy fix I fear.
Patience.
I have known two Spanish Riding School beriters (spelling) that always carried sugar cubes and they would feed them to the horses during lessons … maybe three cubes spread out over the hour.
They also used to feed them to my dog. Of course my dog would go sit next to them :yes: but they also would tell the dog begging was rude and they would not let them beg.
Anyhow, sugar is bad for thier teeth :winkgrin:, but is really does help with encouraging chewing.
It really doesn’t matter how you get your horse to relax her jaw, as long as you find the key. Then the other parts will be able to fall into place.
Patience and persistence.
I’ve never heard that it’s “bad for thier (sic) teeth”…can you tell me where you heard this??? 
Thanks BP. I changed her bit today back to the Myler and she was heavy in it and rude so will go back to the snaffle. She is a lot better in that but sometimes a change is good too. She has been seen by an osteopath, chiro and Bowen. Nothing has shown up in the neck specifically. so I think it is a training issue and will keep at it. I used to give her sugar cubes but she didn’t like them much. Not while riding though as I’ve never been a fan of bribes lol hey but I’ll try anything! After all I bribe her to take her bit when I bridle her!
Sugar is bad for everyone’s teeth.
Sugar is bad for eveyone’s teeth. It creates plaque, plaque leads to decay …
Once in a while it would be ok, but not on a daily basis.
Honey is better, but oh what a mess. It does work though. I do it when I am not riding the horse. Just let the horse suck on it on it’s own.
I don’t resort to bribes either. I always though it was strange when I saw old SRS guys doing it.
I have hung a snaffle in a horse’s mouth (headstall only w/out the noseband or reins) and fed them their oats, turned them out to graze or eat their hay. I do that with young horses before I ride them.
Now, if I think it is related to my riding, then I go back to the basics of getting my seat better first and I don’t try to develop a strong contact until my seat and aids are a lot more steady, accurate and really under control.
I don’t expect a lot from the horse as much as getting my own conditioning and accuracy under control.
And ‘vibrating the bit’, combing the reins’ and ‘squeezing water out of a sponge’ are all exercises designed to teach the horse to ‘play’ with the bit. That is all they are. They are for ecouraging the horse to get comfortable with the bit before advancing to putting the horse on the bit or on the aids.
See-sawing and pulling back have no place in good schooling. Now, if a horse is trying to run away or buck you off …that’s a different story.
how is rewarding a horse for a job well done a “bribe”
and i know MANY excellent trainers that use sugar.
i personally used to use bits of apple but it would always end up a big squishy mess in my pockets so switched to sugar. so much easier.
The bits made of copper alloys, “aurigan”, “salox” etc are supposed to increase salivation and help with jaw locking. Mine is going really nicely right now in a loose ring Sprenger KK 
Well, I’ve given sugar cubes on a daily basis to many, many horses of mine over the years and there’s never been a problem. NO vet/dentist has ever commented that my horses’ teeth are plagued by plaque or anything else. :no:
I don’t think large amounts of sugar would be good, but sugar cubes are relatively small compared to the size of the hors’es jaw and teeth.
If they consumed as much sugar as some people maybe there would be an issue.
Not quoting a scientific study here, but I like to stay away from sugar anyway.
As far as treats go it does seem to work well for some horses. Some horses don’t care if they get treats or not. And some get very nippy.
I don’t personally use them. I think sometimes it is a very good idea.
ETA: some people can actually consume a lot of sugar and it doesn’t affect their teeth at all. That I have heard from several dentists, but they highly recommend people staying away from sugar if they want to keep their teeth. Just a rule of thumb.
Hello Kit,
You’ve had excellent advice from Pintopiaffe and a little from Ideayoda. I would agree with the latter that Lyons’s flexions have nothing to do with mobilizing the lower jaw,and no, slc2, dead mouths don’t start in the hindquarters,they start in the mouth.
Hi Kit,
I have been working on a couple of greenies with mouth issues in addition to the tense body. As everyone has said, there are many elements. I bought the HS dynamic RS loose ring snaffle at the suggestion of my equine dentist, who had heard good things about it from Janek Vluggen, the Dutch equine osteopath. The horses have made a huge change with the bit. They are now giving soft contact instead evading. It is worth a trial, I think, for you.
The rest of the body issues take time and patience. The neural pathways can start changing in a few days, but the muscles, at least in people, take 6 weeks. You might want to look at Pintopiaffe’s post on endurance conditioning for her dressage horses. The tendon and ligament work benefit from hard surfaces and major hills. I work up the sides of the Blue Ridge mountains to teach balance and strengthen stifle and back. Amazing how the attitude improves afterwards…
[QUOTE=BaroquePony;4093077]
I don’t resort to bribes either.[/QUOTE]I do and it works! I use to give my mare those small horse cookies and she was …eh, didn’t care much. Then I tried peppermints… holy cow! She is willing to work for a treat so much better and after we do something challenging and I stop and pet her, she is all over me as soon as she hears the peppermint wrapper crinkle! She also really loves cut apples, but they are a mess to carry in the breeches pockets. I don’t use carrots since it’s so difficult to chew them with 2 bits in the mouth.
Horses are animals and reward is essential part of the training.
So you do this while riding?
[QUOTE=whicker;4093337]
You might want to look at Pintopiaffe’s post on endurance conditioning for her dressage horses. The tendon and ligament work benefit from hard surfaces and major hills. I work up the sides of the Blue Ridge mountains to teach balance and strengthen stifle and back. Amazing how the attitude improves afterwards…[/QUOTE]where is this post? Can you post a link please?
I also work a lot of hills and walk a bit on the hard ground to build the hoof. But I’m always wanted to learn more, since hills can be quite damaging as well. You have to be careful with working on hills and uneven ground.
[QUOTE=Ambrey;4093418]
So you do this while riding?[/QUOTE]I assume you are asking me? Yes, I reward with peppermints or soft sugar candy when I ride. I like it better than sugar cubes, since it’s wrapped and ants don’t get all over it and it doesn’t melt if it’s 100F+ outside. (I live in a quite hot place)
I give one treat right after mounting to teach my horse to stand for a couple of minutes when I mount - that is a must for trail riding 
Then after the warm up we start on our collection movements and if my mare does a good transition or a row of flying changes or collection - I stop and I give her a peppermint. She knows by now that she gets a reward if she gets it correctly and she expects it. So NOT stopping and giving her a reward, but continuing to school the same movement also sends her a message that she needs to try harder - and she does try harder until we stop and then she turns and looks at me, starts begging for the reward.
Very seldom she doesn’t want to take peppermints, so this is also a sign for me that something is not quite right: may be she is too stressed or tired and I need to ease up.
I’m a very strong believer in food reward with animals. There are so many positives from it.
Thanks, DA, I think it sounds like a great idea!
I’m not sure your horses need more treats ambrey… they appear to be on the verge of founder and cushings.
[QUOTE=spaghetti legs;4093578]
I’m not sure your horses need more treats ambrey… they appear to be on the verge of founder and cushings. ;)[/QUOTE]It’s one thing to be mean spirited towards humans, but seeping poison towards horses is just not right. You should try to learn how to love all horses and wish/hope for the best for all of them… if you r heart is not big enough for that, at least try not to send bad wishes to horses – they are innocent and didn’t do anything bad to you.
