Barrel Racing Bit Advice

[Madirosescott]

I need a little bit of advice. For the longest time I have been riding my horse in a Merrill bit (https://merrillbits.com/collections/gag-bits/products/long-gag-three-piece-twisted-wire)

until I noticed he was getting behind it. I changed him into this lifter bit (https://nrsworld.com/products/professionals-choice-brittany-pozzi-medium-lifter-smooth-lifesaver-bit?variant=MN210426&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_C9b_79AM6w8Wx67bJ_6FNcWrbG&gclid=CjwKCAiAivGuBhBEEiwAWiFmYQAgulKgiIt6LaxpDz-oB7uyJG7sPEMlIdGup8D-hD_R82NWlOYd_RoC2cEQAvD_BwE)

and it definitely helped. The only problem I’ve run into is that he hates it. There have been multiple times that he’s run off with me when he can’t just bury his head in his chest. So I want something with a little more woah that he can’t get behind.
Side note: I work a lot on rate and getting him to respect my seat pressure and slowing down off of that. I don’t love to pull on him but he’s strong and sometimes I find it necessary when he just won’t listen.

[jvanrens]

Have you tried just going back to basics, throw on a basic snaffle and start working on brakes and control from slower gaits? If the bits you are using won’t help stop him, his basic training could use some sorting out.

[Blueeyedroan]

Training is the problem not the bit.

[Madirosescott]

Is there a specific snaffle that you would recommend?

[jvanrens]

Personally I like a D-ring with a shallow, hinged port, but that is mostly because I was lucky and my last two riding horses liked it.

[beau159]

@Madirosescott

I need a little bit of advice. For the longest time I have been riding my horse in a Merrill bit (https://merrillbits.com/collections/gag-bits/products/long-gag-three-piece-twisted-wire )

until I noticed he was getting behind it. I changed him into this lifter bit (https://nrsworld.com/products/professionals-choice-brittany-pozzi-medium-lifter-smooth-lifesaver-bit?variant=MN210426&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_C9b_79AM6w8Wx67bJ_6FNcWrbG&gclid=CjwKCAiAivGuBhBEEiwAWiFmYQAgulKgiIt6LaxpDz-oB7uyJG7sPEMlIdGup8D-hD_R82NWlOYd_RoC2cEQAvD_BwE )

and it definitely helped. The only problem I’ve run into is that he hates it. There have been multiple times that he’s run off with me when he can’t just bury his head in his chest. So I want something with a little more woah that he can’t get behind.
Side note: I work a lot on rate and getting him to respect my seat pressure and slowing down off of that. I don’t love to pull on him but he’s strong and sometimes I find it necessary when he just won’t listen.

Can you post a video of a run where he does this?

When a horse is trying to either evade the bit, or run through it, they’ve got some serious holes in their training. For you, it might not be there in slow work, but it’s there at speed. (A hole is a hole!!)

Now, I’m kinda picky when it comes to bits. And the two that you posted I would NOT use for my horses. Look at how high the purchase sits on both of those bits. That is going to put your curb strap way up higher on the jaw. (I know, barrel bits very commonly look like this.) For me, that doesn’t work well for the way I train my horses nor the way I ride. The curb strap is supposed to be closer to the horse’s chin. That’s how (for example) a reiner learns to travel around. Or how a show horse learns to travel around.

So I personally tend to stick with bits that are also legal in the show pen. You can still have a little bit of purchase, or maybe even a little bit of gag if you need it, but that Merril you posted has A LOT of gag. Think about what that bit is actually doing in your hands and in the horse’s mouth, if it slides the whole way.

Truthfully, get back to SIMPLE and get back to basics. It is really, really hard to retrain a horse that has learned to evade and put their nose to their chest to “get away” from the bit. But at the same time, it is downright DANGEROUS for a horse to run off. Period. I have no problem (for example) putting a bit ported correction bit on a horse that wants to run off and teach them some respect. Now. My safety depends upon it. Now, you might make the evasion worse to begin with by doing that, but you’ve got to start somewhere and get some control.

Are you anywhere near a Paul Humphrey barrel racing clinic? It would do you and your horse a world of good. It’s boils down to training your horse correctly, and using the tools correctly (the bit).