I’m having an issue with my horse at the trot that I’m thinking might be related to his bit. He will walk and canter very comfortably on the bit and pushing into the contact, but at the trot he objects frequently to my outside rein, going into giraffe mode. I switched from a loose ring snaffle to a D ring Myler to try to relieve pressure on his tongue, and I think it helped a little but he still resists my hand at trot. I think he might be objecting in part to my hands as well, which I’m working on, but does anyone have any recommendations of bits for a horse with a large tongue to help keep them comfortable? I want to rule out that he just hates the bit. Teeth were just done last month and saw no change in him so don’t think its related to that, but my vet did comment on how big his tongue is. Thanks for any advice!
Does he have the same issue when ridden by someone with more experience? If not, perhaps try longe lessons for yourself to sort out the balance probs that are causing you to use your reins too much. In general, for a fat tongue I usually look for a fairly thin mouthpiece. The Myler you describe would fall into that category.
A friend of mine did a partial lease on him last summer for show season, and if anything I’d say she struggled more with him than I do. My trainer broke her hip and hasn’t been able to get on, but I just started taking lessons with another eventing trainer right before the corona virus hit my area (WA State). Since then I’m lucky that my barn is still allowing limited visits, but no training/lessons, so we’ll have to wait until things settle a bit more before I can get someone on him. He also had a minor injury in Jan that put him off for a few weeks, so timing hasn’t been on our side! I’ve heard that a mullen might also be a good choice if anyone has any input on that,
I like Mullen mouthpieces a lot for horses that are fussy about contact. Some of them just don’t like all the movement of a double-joint/rollers/etc., or the nutcracker effect of a single-joint. But a Mullen mouth flattens the tongue against the bars, so it’s not like there’s NO pressure. You’ll still need to work out whether it’s his comfort level or an unbalanced rider creating the issue. If you have a video clip you want to share with me, I’ll be happy to chat through PMs. Lots of free time these days. 
Thank you! Let me get something recent this week (all the vids I have are from last show season and we’ve changed a lot as a pair since then) and I’ll send them over! I’m sure I’m a contributing part of this as I’m far from an expert, but I took my previous horse successfully through Novice and he never complained lol!
I’ve had fairly good luck with a Bomber Happy Tongue bit on my thick tongue, low palate bit hater.
Also, someone here posted that she was told that these bits need to be just a bit smaller than you would fit a regular snaffle. No one ever told me that, but that is consistent with my experience as well - I tried one size, thought it was too small, tried the next size up, which I thought was just right, but the horse let me know that he preferred the smaller one.
And they’re too expensive to do any experimenting with unless you can return them, so if you do want to try one, make sure you check the store’s return policy before your buy.
Some of these are USDF dressage legal, but I’m not sure about eventing.
My horse with a thick tongue and a low palate liked the PeeWee snaffle (mullen mouth, sweet iron). My mare also likes it. I tried the Bomber bit and he was okay with it but preferred the PeeWee.
But is the PeeWee legal for any kind of competition?
I had a bitting expert come out a few years ago as I was really struggling with a 17.2hh young horse. The summary was that her mouth was only 5 inches (I had her in 5.5) and that with her big tongue and lips that she needed something which gave room and did not place too much pressure on her tongue. The suggestion was for a curved single joint (very different action to a nut cracker style). It as been a revelation along with her developing her own balance. I have now moved everything into the same type of bit and it tends to work for them all. I always thought the lozenge would be more space but can see how it doesnt work for so many. I used a hyppus for many years but it wasnt dressage legal so have now have a bomber version which is.
http://www.dressagedeluxe.co.uk/Shop…EaAsvqEALw_wcB
Shows what it should look like - there are loads of cheap versions as well. I have a cheap one on another horse and it works well. All my horses are now in much smaller bits as well. 5 or 5.25 max whereas I had everything in 5.5 previously (all 16.2hh plus). I found investing in a bitting expert well worth it and will do it again when lockdown ends to help with a jumping bit for the 17.2hh who gets strong xc but will curl her neck and not keep the contact forwards but ignores the half halt to rebalance.
I have one of these for sale, but it’s a 5.5 (I don’t remember the mm-s, it’s stamped on the bit). OP, let me know if you’re interested. I also have their plastic type bit (Bomber blue, I think?) with the port for sale.
Agree - my gelding loves his Bombers Happy Tongue. He goes in the loose ring for dressage and the 2.5 ring for jumping. I ordered mine from the Bit Bank in the UK and even with shipping they were significantly less expensive than anywhere here which is why I just went for it and ordered before trying - I figured worst case scenario I could resell for what I paid. Luckily horse loves it so no need. They were super helpful via email in making sure I had the right fit too.
You might also think about the Neue Schule Turtle Tactio. I have an Irish Draught mare who has a large tongue and relatively low palate. This is by far her favorite bit.
https://nsbits.com/products/mouthpiece/turtle-tactio/turtle-tactio
You can buy it from the horsebitbank in Britain–with the strong dollar vs. British pound the price is substantially less than what you’d pay from a U.S. shop, plus they carry all of the sizes of the bit.
You might look into the Neule Schule Verbindend:
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/neue-schule-verbindend-loose-ring--16mm-12140
It has similarities to the Bomber Happy tongue but many horses really like it; I think Dressage Extensions has a bit trial so you can test it out for two weeks.
I graduated my mare with a small mouth, low palate and biggish tongue into the Turtle Top (she preferred that to the Tactio - I tried them both for two weeks) from the Verbindend; she initially went well in the Verbindend but started leaning on it (her “go to” since she is VERY long-backed and long-necked and is not uphill), but every horse is different, obviously!
Worth trying out a few options to see which he prefers and accepts 
Another option is the Sprenger Novocontact which has helped my mare with a big tongue immensely. It sounds like a contact issue however if it does not appear in the walk or trot.
Having a few more weeks of turn out and no schooling might actually be very helpful as it could heal or resolve many injuries and niggles. If “a minor injury in January put him off for a few weeks” and we are still only mid April, I would leave alone, try him again when life returns to normal and then see what kind of horse you have.
Not dressage legal, but otherwise, yes.
Wow! I’m overwhelmed by the input from people on this post. It’s nice to know this isn’t an uncommon problem, though I sincerely hope for all of us to find answers that keep us and our horses happy! A few updates for those interested:
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I did a very light ride today and really focused on keeping my hands connected to the bit but soft. He gave me a great response. Was it Perfect? Absolutely not, and I did have to focus on half halting with my outside rein to get him to the right place, but he was able to keep himself at that place for a lot longer. I ordered myself an Equicube to help work on really riding from my core and not using my hands unnecessarily, so it will be interesting to see how that affects my riding and experience.
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I’m definitely interested in playing around with some other bits and just figuring out what he likes. I’ve only ever had him in a loose ring snaffle and now the D ring myler, so I appreciate all the suggestions. I’m interested in the Happy Tongue and Neue Schule options (I want to be one of those people that ‘has a bit for that’ and end up with a ton of bits lol!).
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He’s still in a rehab program of sorts from injury; we’re taking things super slow as I want him to be able to go up through at least training level and given the fact that our summer is pretty much canceled I have the chance to take things super slow. We’ve just started incorporating trot sets into our workouts, so I think building up his top line will improve his steadiness. However, he’s a chunky 16.3 warmblood and letting him sit for extended periods of time, while maybe good for his brain, is very bad for his musculature and joints. He gets 24 hour turnout with stall access, so I think the taking things slow but making him walk on a regular basis is the best option for him.
Again, I SO appreciate all the advice. He’s my first horse that I’ve owned outright so I want to do right by him. I may also look into bitting experts in my area if things don’t get better over the next few months!
I’ve had two.horses with that issue. Both did well with a French link Baucher.
I recently purchased this bit as well for a young horse with much of the same issues. He’s never been so quiet or easy to work with. I made the mistake of putting him back in his old bit (a neue schule team up) when I switched bridles and didn’t feel like swapping them out. Thought he’d be fine. He threw a total tantrum under saddle and we got nothing done. He can be a bit of a drama queen. Went back to the bomber and he was quiet and easy again. Could not recommend this bit enough! Worth every penny!
