Bit for young "wet noodle" type of horse?

[Jackie_Cochran]

Look at some of the Fager snaffles. They have the Lilly snaffle in titanium, available in fixed rings and loose rings. They designed the mouthpiece of this bit so that the single joint in the middle will not hit the horse’s palate, https://fagerbitsusa.com/titanium-bits/products/fager-lilly-fss-titanium-loose-ring.

The Fager people make a LOT of different types of snaffles, different mouthpieces, different side pieces, different metals (titanium or sweet iron) in regular versions and tongue relief versions. The problems are selecting the right one (you can message for advice) and also the price (today it is US $165.00 for a lot of their snaffle bits).

[merrygoround]

I agree that some horses take a dislike to a particular bit. I remember spending a fortune on an Aurigan bit, and being informed that the idea was very unpopular.

The tucking can be a challenge and one that I 've found cn be addressed while hacking out,along with some physical hanges in the rider’s carriage.

[Jarpur]

@beowulf

One observation about my group of greenies is most of them haven’t liked loose rings. They’ll fuss and fuss in them but an eggbutt with the same mouthpiece they’re fine with.

I’ve noticed this as well. I’ve got one who has stayed in an eggbutt all his career, with another in a mullen. Had one who really loved a full check with a single joint. For what it’s worth, none of my horses have ever had low palates.

Some horses just don’t care for all the movement of a loose ring, and perhaps especially a loose ring with a double-jointed mouthpiece.

[eightpondfarm]

Beowulf and Jarpur, my experience is pretty much the same as y’alls re Orings.

I generally start mine with a fullcheek snaffle, then progress to an eggbutt snaffle. Sometimes i use a mullen if the broken bit fullcheek isn’t working. As it was with my baby standardbred. Just a stainless bar, not one of the bumpy plastic or smoothe plastic ones. And i almost never use a double jointed.

[KendraLW]

Yeah I don’t know if it’s something about me or the horses I ride but I have never had a horse go better in a loose ring than in an Eggbutt or dee ring. They all prefer a more stable bit.

[Bluey]

@KendraLW

Yeah I don’t know if it’s something about me or the horses I ride but I have never had a horse go better in a loose ring than in an Eggbutt or dee ring. They all prefer a more stable bit.

Exactly, same for the hundred’s of horses we started and retrained.
Then, decades ago, loose ring snaffles were considered cheap stuff, not well made, that pinched/sored horse’s lips.

Maybe lately loose ring bits are much better material and craftsmanship, they may work well?

I never liked full cheek snaffles because I saw the rare horse get hurt wearing those if the horse hit or fell, so have tried to avoid them, unless a trainer insisted.
Those poking ends one more place to … poke.
One horse I had been training, on a jumper class, he fell to his knees, nose on the ground, still got up and finished the course and placed high.
Checking him as he came out, his nose was scraped and the bottom bar of the full cheek was bent backwards, probably as it hit the ground in the fall.
Bet he had a sore mouth, but we could not see any bruises.

It seems that when it comes to what bit any one horse may like or dislike, “never say never”, there are always exceptions out there.

[outerbanks77]

Another vote for Fager. They are slimmer mouthpieces and I think many horses like the lighter weight of the titanium. They also have sweet iron bits, and have mullen, single and double jointed styles.

[slp2]

Timely topic! My new guy (very green and noodley) was started in a loose ring. He was a “restart” project since he had been sitting for 2 years. His owner said he went in a loose ring so I started him back with an NS loose ring (I already owned it—I think it is the “team up” double jointed snaffle). Anyway—he has the tendency to go behind the bit and was not comfortable with much contact. A few weeks ago I decided to try a eggbutt bit on him. Big difference! He is going very well in it—better with contact and really seems to like the stability of it. It is also a double jointed snaffle—but the difference seems to be the stability of the eggbutt.

My older mare also goes in an eggbutt, she is super sensitive and will make it very obvious when she is unhappy. I have never found a loose ring she worked well in. So here we are ----at 3rd level, and still in our eggbutt (Herm Sprenger)

[Posting_Trot]

You might also look at a Nathe or an HS Duo mullen mouth. These are soft plastic (not rubber) bits that many green horses like. Smartpak and Dover carry them both in a loose ring and a Dee.

HS Duo loose ring bit at Smartpak

The pliability of the bits is very appealing to some greenies. (The bit is reinforced with a steel cable). Horses do tend to chew them, so they don’t last a super long time; the one I used years ago lasted about a year. But they are a nice bit for a horse that has a tendency to suck behind and avoid contact.

They have a very different feel and weight from a Happy Mouth bit. The Duos are soft and not hard plastic.

A baucher is also a good possibility.

[theresak]

I sprang for a bit fitting with my noodle of a young horse that had always been uncertain of the bit and chomped his way through rides. We were doing ok in HS Duos and Happy Mouth Mullens but he was chewing through them.

The bit fitter said he had “sharp bars” and would need bar relief. I would have never known that without her nor looked at bits with the right structure. A double jointed bit was too much movement for his brain and he backed way off, but a single joined HS KK Dynamic was pretty good. The great bit for him was a Bombers ultra comfy lock up single jointed snaffle. When those became illegal for USEF/USDF, I got a Bombers ultra comfy single jointed snaffle without the lock up.

I’ve always ridden everything in a double jointed HS schooling snaffle, so I needed some help from someone with a pile of bits to try different things. That’s the benefit of a bit fitter who has baskets of bits in their car. I ordered the HS dynamic from her but she wrote down the specs of the Bombers and I ended up getting that and my second Bombers through the Dapper Horse website.

[luvmyhackney]

If he has a tiny mouth I would try the myler comfort snaffle without hooks. And you used to be able to rent bits to try if you didn’t want to build up your bit collection.
This one: https://marystack.com/myler-wide-barrel-comfort-snaffle-dee-mb-02-level-1-dressage-legal/

[KendraLW]

That would be nice but I live in North Dakota. Our stores don’t even sell different sizes of bits lol.

[theresak]

@KendraLW

That would be nice but I live in North Dakota. Our stores don’t even sell different sizes of bits lol.

I wonder if you could do a virtual fitting with someone helping hold a phone camera. Let me know and I could PM you the fitter I used.

[joiedevie99]

I don’t like riding wet noodles in loose rings. I think a D ring, or even an eggbutt, gives them a bit more stability. I’d probably try a Sprenger Duo D ring, and a KK ultra (or the Ultra Soft version with the rubber bean if you happen to have one).