Bit for horse with TMJ

[mydogs]

It has been determined that my horse has TMJ. I’ve tried a long list of remedies, services, and evaluations as I had a strong feeling that something around my horse’s head was not quite right. He has significantly improved in the last 2 months with chiro & acupuncture and shows obvious signs of feeling better. His chiro has known him for years and says he feels better than ever but he has always been tight in his poll/jaw.

While better, he still displays signs of discomfort. My gut feeling tells me he does not like any of the bits that I have. He likes one better than the other but I don’t want to rule out that there could be something that he truly approves of. He does have a fat tongue & a missing tooth so his tongue does get pushed out to the side when riding.

I have two:

1. Neue Schule Verbindend 12mm Loose Ring - I really think he hates this one
2. Neue Schule Turtle Top Hunter D Ring - he likes this better than the verbindend, but I don’t think he likes how thick it is or the way it lays in his mouth

I have been told that if he can be a bit picky about bits and that if he doesn’t like a bit, he will push his tongue to the side.

Any recommendations on bits that previous horses with TMJ liked?

I have a few that I am interested in renting but would like to hear what others have liked. He has normal palate type & flat bars.

There are other areas that I am going to have evaluated, but so far, the rest of his body seems to be feeling fine, so I am hoping I have at least isolated our problems to one area of the body.

[Petstorejunkie]

So much is going to depend on the anatomy of his mouth. You’ll want to evaluate his palate arch, bar spacing medial/lateral as well as bar length from canines to molars and that in relation to the corner of his mouth, tongue thickness and shape, and finally his lip thickness and elasticity.
All that said, until he is properly educated on how to respond to the bit, and the rider is properly educated on the correct actions of the reins to create effects to the bit there isn’t a bit in the world that will solve his tension in his poll and jaw. A horse with these tensions does not manifest just from a bad bit.

[mydogs]

@Petstorejunkie

So much is going to depend on the anatomy of his mouth. You’ll want to evaluate his palate arch, bar spacing medial/lateral as well as bar length from canines to molars and that in relation to the corner of his mouth, tongue thickness and shape, and finally his lip thickness and elasticity.
All that said, until he is properly educated on how to respond to the bit, and the rider is properly educated on the correct actions of the reins to create effects to the bit there isn’t a bit in the world that will solve his tension in his poll and jaw. A horse with these tensions does not manifest just from a bad bit.

I don’t think it is riding or educational issue for various reasons.

I have discovered that he may have a sensitive face and the placement of the bridle may be touching nerves that are causing him discomfort. Through some trial and error last night, I believe I may have pinpointed one area that is bothering him.

[uncanny580]

Do you yourself have any jaw problems?

I ask because I was in a car accident in August, and as a results, am having TMJ issues. Since my accident, my horse has been having some issues…all related to where I am also sore. She has a “pulsing” in her jaw as per her bodyworker, but doesn’t seem to be sore in it.

So that is something to keep in mind.

Said horse HATED a Verbinden, I couldn’t even get her to the arena she hated it so much. I ride her in a french link baucher which she seems to like. I also ride her in Fenwick Equestrian TMJ wraps and they made a huge difference in the first ride for her as well.

[mydogs]

@uncanny580

Said horse HATED a Verbinden, I couldn’t even get her to the arena she hated it so much. I ride her in a french link baucher which she seems to like. I also ride her in Fenwick Equestrian TMJ wraps and they made a huge difference in the first ride for her as well.

I was actually looking for something like that!! Thank you! Do you think it provides some sort of padding to help soften the pressure from the bridle?

How is a baucher different than a loose ring?

[uncanny580]

@mydogs

I was actually looking for something like that!! Thank you! Do you think it provides some sort of padding to help soften the pressure from the bridle?

How is a baucher different than a loose ring?

It’s a bit of padding, but I would look for a different bridle. I need a different one, but finding something that has big enough ear cutouts is proving to be difficult.

A baucher is far more stable in their mouth then a loose ring. I suggest it just because it seems to be something that my mare prefers, and yours might too seeing as they both seem to have sensitive jaws. Might be worth a shot.

I am interested to see how fixing my tmj issues helps her. I JUST got my splint last friday though, and haven’t been able to wear it much because I have been so sick!

[mydogs]

My biggest problem that I’ve had is finding a bridle that doesn’t ride forward into his ears when he is “on the vertical”. I found that if I adjust the bridle a few times during my ride I can keep him much more comfortable. Browband is pretty large at 18" so I would be surprised if I need to go larger.

I’ll give the baucher a bit a try, can’t hurt! If you find a bridle you like, definitely let me know! I have the Solo Equine Swerve and if it would just stay farther back instead of going into this ears, it would be perfect. I might try adjust the bridle a bit to see if I can get it to stay put, but then I worry about putting too much pressure on a nerve.

[uncanny580]

@mydogs

My biggest problem that I’ve had is finding a bridle that doesn’t ride forward into his ears when he is “on the vertical”. I found that if I adjust the bridle a few times during my ride I can keep him much more comfortable. Browband is pretty large at 18" so I would be surprised if I need to go larger.

I’ll give the baucher a bit a try, can’t hurt! If you find a bridle you like, definitely let me know! I have the Solo Equine Swerve and if it would just stay farther back instead of going into this ears, it would be perfect. I might try adjust the bridle a bit to see if I can get it to stay put, but then I worry about putting too much pressure on a nerve.

I can see that bridle coming forward. My mare has HUGE ears, which makes finding something with the right cutouts hard.

I have been looking at the Schockemohle Stanford, just keep forgetting to pick it up to try on her. Its cut slightly different where all the straps come together up near the brownband. I have high hopes for it. The micklem I had on her didnt seem to bother her ears but she hated the part around her mouth.

[Jackie_Cochran]

Two things that seem to have worked for me.

The Micklem bridle.

The Fenwick Face Mask with Ears.

The Micklem bridle relaxed the horses when I put it on them the first time. One mare let out a BIG sigh of relief when she realized that the cheek pieces were no longer rubbing against her cheeks. All the horses I’ve used the Micklem bridle on have liked it, especially when I took the chin strap off (due to the comments of the above mare, she HATED how tight I had to make the Micklem bridle’s bit straps/cheek pieces to get the bit high enough to run the chin strap in front of the bit.)

The Fenwick Face Mask with Ears–ALL the horses like this. They quiet down, quit being so reactive, and they generally chill out.

I have come up with a hypothesis that a lot of horses have headaches, and that the Micklem bridle helps to not trigger a headache, and the Fenwick mask eases their TMJ pain and any pain they have in their poll (from slamming back into the halter when tied.) The face mask with ears also seems to relax their ear muscles.

The mare who sighed when I first put on the Micklem bridle used to compulsively rub her cheeks against anything she could reach–her leg, the fence, my husband or me. She improved with the Micklem bridle, and she improved even more with the Fenwick face mask. She rarely rubs her cheeks any more.

I have not tried the Fenwick TMJ wraps, but they are a lot less noticeable than the face mask so I would try them if I showed.

[mydogs]

@Jackie Cochran

Two things that seem to have worked for me.

The Micklem bridle.

The Fenwick Face Mask with Ears

How do you think the Fenwick mask benefits the horse different from the back on track poll cap?

Did you see improvements with the micklem within the first ride?

[mydogs]

@uncanny580

I can see that bridle coming forward. My mare has HUGE ears, which makes finding something with the right cutouts hard.

I have been looking at the Schockemohle Stanford, just keep forgetting to pick it up to try on her. Its cut slightly different where all the straps come together up near the brownband. I have high hopes for it. The micklem I had on her didnt seem to bother her ears but she hated the part around her mouth.

That was actually my second choice for a bridle for the same reasons. But the price is one reason I decide to give the solo Equine a try first. I’m going to put on a sheepskin pad to see if that also helps with keeping it back and padding more comfort too. If you get the schockemohle, I would love to hear how your horse likes it.

[Jackie_Cochran]

@mydogs

How do you think the Fenwick mask benefits the horse different from the back on track poll cap?

Did you see improvements with the micklem within the first ride?

I still use the BOT poll cap under the Fenwick mask with ears. All three horses I ride are VERY firm that they want the BOT poll cap on first (as in I get dirty looks from them when I don’t put the BOT poll cap on first!)

But my riding teacher only uses the Fenwick face mask with ears on her Arab gelding that has some stuff wrong with his reactions to the big, cruel world. Sometimes she forgets to put the face mask on and her gelding immediately becomes super reactive again, startling and shying, wanting to run away from scary stuff, and he does not listen well to her. When she puts the face mask back on he calms down, listens to her, and is a lot less reactive out on the trail. Before she had used just the BOT poll cap, and she has noticed a BIG difference in her gelding when she started using the Fenwick face mask with ears, and this big difference started the day she first put the Fenwick face mask on. She no longer feels the need to use the BOT poll cap.

I did not notice any huge difference with the Micklem bridle until I took the chin strap off and let the bit down so it touches the corner of the horse’s mouth. Then their mouths softened, they licked and chewed, and they were a lot more forgiving about my hand faults. Contact improved greatly, with soft responsive mouths instead of tense iron hard mouths. Before they protested somewhat vigorously when my hands deteriorated, now they just indicate that my hands are not ideal and they adapt to them while I improve myself. Before I got my Micklem bridles I was using regular English hook-stud bridles without any cavesons.

Since I am so handicapped I am very reliant on the horses being willing to take care of me when my body does not cooperate with me. With the Micklem bridle and the Fenwick face mask with ears the horses give me a little bit more leeway when my riding gets worse, though the horses still expect me to improve or at least try to improve.

[Milobloom]

I have a mare who was having some behavior issues so she got a full vet workup only thing she found was tightness at three TMJ and thick scaring on her tongue between her molars. French link baucher is the winner for her, initially a plain cavesson and as stretches helped her TMJ I tried a flash to keep the bit even quieter (which in the past had made her more tense) she now seems to prefer it.

I didnt try any differences in the bridle other then a bigger browband because the original brow was noticeably tight

[mimiro23]

Ditto on Milobloom’s comment… Baucher bit is great for TMJ and poll problem horses. My old horse went great in a Baucher, ours was just a simple snaffle version of a Baucher since she hated tongue pressure, and she had both TMJ and poll issues.

[mydogs]

Thanks everyone!

I have a french link baucher bit that I picked up at Dover. The girl at the register also recommended it based on her experiences with a previous horse.

Horse had his teeth done today by a dentist who has a background in osteopathy. She gave me a lot of really good information and feedback on what my horse is experiencing, what I am currently doing, and her opinion on some of the other things I want to try. She said my horse has had TMJ problems for years based on how his teeth are and what she felt around his TMJ & poll area, so there isn’t much I can do at this point to fix it but I can certainly do a lot to help. She thinks he would actually be a good candidate for an injection, which, she said, she rarely ever recommends.

When he has a bit in his mouth, he holds his mouth open so his front teeth don’t touch, which puts much pressure on his TMJ. It is unfortunate that horse’s can’t compete in a bitless bridle, since his dentist and I both think he would be much happier. He is an older horse so the thought of retiring him from competition but allowing him to be a riding horse is also an option.

[Milobloom]

A friend of mine had a teenager gelding who was well educated and she noticed by accident he liked a basic sidepull bridle. So she would ride him in that until a day or two before a show, swap into his bit to show then back to bitless at home. Could that work for you?

She had started riding him without a bit because she was dependent on her reins to much and taking away that helped her really use her seat, the gelding did not have any mouth issues

[mydogs]

@Milobloom

A friend of mine had a teenager gelding who was well educated and she noticed by accident he liked a basic sidepull bridle. So she would ride him in that until a day or two before a show, swap into his bit to show then back to bitless at home. Could that work for you?

Possibly! Did he have any problems going back and forth between the two types of bridles?

[MysticOakRanch]

Regarding bridles and sensitive ears - you can buy a bridle that is cut back on the poll - I have an Albion that is ergonomically shaped so it is cut around the ears on the poll - I have a sensitive pony, and he prefers that. I’ve tried a TON of bits on him too, and he is happiest in an eggbutt Novocontact. In his case, he prefers a single link (found through trial and error).

Like Uncanny’s horse,he also resented the Verbinden violently. He was fussy and twisted in any of the “lozenge” bits I tried - KK, French link, and Myler. Some horses prefer the stability of a bit like the eggbutt or Baucher, and as I learned with him, some do not want the extra lozenge in their mouth - that really surprised me, but he’s been very firm in letting me know his preference.

[Milobloom]

@mydogs

Possibly! Did he have any problems going back and forth between the two types of bridles?

The biggest problem was making sure the bit and noseband where put back on correctly lol. The horse had no problems with it, I’m sure it wouldn’t work for all horses but I don’t need see what harm it could do to try.
In their case since she was riding him better he was that much more honest into the contact with the bit when he wore one. Iirc he showed in a French link baucher with a crank noseband and flash, he liked how little the bit moved and the flash kept it even quieter the crank noseband was because the bridle was on sale with that being the only option not adjusted particularly tight or anything

[China_Doll]

there are muscles in the jowl that may need massaged. I would consult a message therapist. You also can take a flat piece of crown, lay it on a board and carve out larger area for the ears with a utility knife.