When I have young ones I always start them in an eggbutt. I have used KKs or just plain old stainless snaffles. One thing to remember is thicker is not always better and to make sure it is adjusted correctly.
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My previous mare was a difficult fit. She liked the HS training bit (double jointed, silver, straight) better than the angles of the KK Ultras. NO single jointed bits, NO Dr. Bristols. Slight movement of the bit in her mouth worked wonders. She was very expressive about which bit she liked and didn’t like. I went through a bunch of bits with her sensitive mouth. I started her in a thick but bit which she initially was OK with but then hung on the bit. She ended up liking the 14mm training bit the best later in her training. She had a KK bradoon and an a very mild curve to the curb. Be prepared to try different ones through her training!
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My guy was started in a myler loose ring, level one mouthpiece…and then I switched to a level two with a small amount of tongue relief. He loves the amount of play it gives him. When I switch bits, it seems that you can have a honeymoon period as they work off of different pressure points. I give it a week to see how they are, unless they just hate them off of the get go.
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Full disclosure; I am not a dressage rider, but it looks like he’s wearing a flash in the video. What’s he like without it? My horse (teenage TB, very well schooled) will do similar things with his head and mouth if he’s wearing a flash to try to avoid coming to the contact. He doesn’t do it nearly as much without the flash though.
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I’ve had very good luck with a Nathe on my sensitive guy who liked to back off and constantly mouth everything else I tried. He now carries a contact so much better.
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I have ordered the Novocontact bit but it wont be here for 3 weeks apparently. After trying the turtle top I just wanted to leave him in the KK and not change anything else until the Novocontact turns up. I didn’t think much of your comment initially because the noseband and flash are quite loose but today I thought I would take the flash off anyway just to see.
He went SO MUCH better!! So thank you! Hopefully it was not a one off but he could handle his mouth being touched and changes of direction. He has tomorrow off and I will see if he is still better after that. So thankyou!!
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Nice to hear that the lack of flash helped! I watched your video and agree with what a few others said, the head tossing/fussing is more likely a symptom of loss of balance. It takes a ton of discipline on our parts to address stuff like this with our legs rather than our hands and I could see how the lack of flash gives him a bit more freedom to adjust his mouth when he comes against you so that he doesn’t have to be so dramatic about it. Your homework is then to think leg yield and forward any time his head starts to come up like that so that you can adjust his balance without the fight.
It is also worth having a dentist look in his mouth and assess his mouth shape. You may find that he needs something with a more dramatic shape to it to better fit the contours of his mouth. The mylar or the NS verbindin are good options for horses with a fleshy mouth and not much room for a bit.
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I have super sensitive Lipizzans that hated most metal bits except for a Baucher. I finally tried a HS Duo and a Nathe, they preferred the Duo and go So beautifully in it. Very soft, responsive and lightâ¤ï¸
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He does the exact same thing my coach’s young mare does - and they are built very similarly, very compact and athletic. Fussy in the transition, lots of head shaking and rooting. It’s balance. It’s taken her mare about 4 months to settle into transitions, especially the canter. Her hands are mostly passive, sometimes even no contact, she supports with the leg and rebalances her with a strong neutral seat (“here I am, this is cantering, stay with me”). She spent about two months without cantering a full circle, going to a down transition when the mare started to question her balance.
That being said, I switched my fussy mouthed mare from a double jointed eggbutt snaffle to a Myler level 3 eggbutt, the one with the wide port. I noticed she was constantly sucking her tongue back from the minute the bit touched her mouth. She’s much quieter and more steady in the contact.
Interested to hear how the OP @Balmonty has progressed, and if the Novocontact was helpful.
I thought I would chime in that I started my DeNiro granddaughter in July, and she is incredibly light on the contact. I have her in a NeuSchule eggbutt, and I don’t think the bit is the issue; she just has to learn to trust the contact a little bit. However, in addition to the flash/no flash decision, it might be worth thinking about other aspects of bridling. I ended up going with a Montar Monarch bridle which is sort of an anatomic drop design. When my other mare was very green, I had her in a PS Sweden Nirak, which is a similar design to a Micklem, and keeps the bit quite stable because it is attached right near the noseband instead of to a separate bit hanger.
Horses with a low palate can resist jointed bits of any kind. Have a vet look at this horse’s mouth.
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Thanks for the update and glad the new bit is working out for him!
What the?
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That is great you found something he likes.
I have never heard the term reefs. What do you mean by that?
Reefing = rooting or yanking. It’s a verb that comes from sailing. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reefing
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Thank you
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I love my HS duo dee ring. It’s super flexible, thin enough for my horse’s small-ish mouth, and exceptionally stable. I had the same bit in a loose ring, and for him, the ring was just too much movement. He chewed one side of it. The dee ring (or an eggbutt if you prefer) really made a big difference. If he couldn’t have that, he would take a Myler Level 1 low port dee or eggbutt. He also likes the Myler Level 1/2 wide port.
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Try a Sprenger Duo, I tried dozens of bit, my sensitive horses all agreed on this one!
Nearly two years later and this horse has still been unsteady in the bridle. Now much more rideable and I can keep him in a frame through transitions, but flexion changes, changes within the gate or even if you had been doing the same thing for more than half a circle he would have a snatch, tilt, toss or something.
Then, a friend suggested I try a nose net! I would never have thought of him as a head shaker as he doesn’t strike, he always just seemed to fuss over the bit but what do you know, he is SO MUCH better! He will even accept left flexion now (which he has never been happy about!). So if have a horse that is super fussy in the bridle, maybe try a nose net too!
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That is so interesting! I have a horse that is fussy in the bridle, and like you, it’s gotten better with a bit change (Herm Sprenger Dynamic RS single jointed eggbutt) but still not 100%. I also wouldn’t think he was a head shaker, but I agree that is worth a try! It’s my understanding that the head shaking is (or can be) a reaction to sunlight – do you mainly ride indoors or outdoors? Do you also use a fly mask with extended nose for turnout to help keep the stimulation to a minimum?
Thank you for following back up with this! A great reminder to keep thinking outside the box! 
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