Sealtex is the product name: https://www.amazon.com/Sealtex-Company-568678-Bandage-Inchx1/dp/B001CCY67S
If you google it, you can see some examples of people wrapping bits with it (images and videos). Recently tried a Myler comfort snaffle (eggbutt) with slight port on a mare with a very sensitive and small mouth. I had planned to try wrapping with Sealtex if she wasn’t super happy with it, but she seems good with it plain for now.
Thank you!
I have used a few Mylers on her but they’re too thin unfortunately and then never stay where they should.
Echo the Sealtex suggestion. I have a gelding with a very delicate mouth and this was my answer; he goes in a two-ring rubber Mullen mouth for XC and I wrap the cheeks and edges so he can’t get pinched (bit guards don’t work for him either). His flat bit is a D-ring plastic Mullen mouth with big wide knobs on the end so he can’t get pinched. He also gets vaseline out the wazoo every time something goes in his mouth. Also, be sure your bridle and bit are properly sized. Too much motion of the bit within the mouth can cause issues. Ditto if you tend to pull with one hand or the other; you can pull the bit through the mouth and cut them up. Is she fidgety with the bit? What sort of noseband are you using?
I had one other thought is my sensitive small mouthed hony is that he likes the bit lower in his mouth then normal. Don’t know if this is common in horses with his mouth shape or his personal preference. It has helped with the corner of the mouth rubbing.
So more drama about my mare regarding the noseband LOL She has a very sensitive nose, so the only thing that works is a figure eight, otherwise she tosses her head or flings it around trying to get it off her nose. I had to change back to a figure eight for dressage also. She wears a Butet figure eight for SJ and dressage. I believe I have it fit properly, my dressage coach is very adamant about bit and noseband fitting and has OK’d it. Of course, I am bad with my hands. I have improved a lot over the last 2 years, it has been the main focus of my training but there is still room for improvement. I find in SJ she is ok because I can ask her to wait and she will and I can just keep my hands off her face, but on XC she does run into my hand because she loves to run and is very bold.
She has always been fidgety with the bit until now, with her dressage bridle and the plain D ring, she doesnt chomp or open her mouth. Same with her bombers 2 ring, until we get galloping, then she will open her mouth.
I am going to try and find some sealtex here in Ontario, I think I could use it on a plain 2 ring which she might like. I too always use vaseline, every ride.
I was looking in her mouth last night and it is almost healed from the weekend, but there is what looks like scarring from all the damage over the years. I feel awful she has been dealing with this for so long 
Also, can anyone explain what type of horse a true gag works for? Like a running gag with the ropes. I was thinking of a happy mouth snaffle but not sure if it would back her off too much.
Gags are for horses who lug with their heads down. It is thought the upward pressure on the corners of the mouth when the gag is engaged helps bring the head up. It can be quite severe for some horses.
As far as Vaseline, I used to use it all the time when I rode with a trainer that insisted on extremely tight nosebands. Funny once I stopped using tight nosebands I stopped getting bit rubs. I also noticed that sometimes vaseline would soften the lips which just made them more likely to rub. Kind of counter-intuitive.
One thing you should consider is whether the noseband is making her cheek flesh go into her teeth. When that happens, especially if the teeth are sharp, they can be very fussy or strong and cause all sorts of bites and rubs. Have you tried going without a noseband just to see if that might be the issue?
Ok definitely not her for the gag then, thank you. Also just a note, my noseband is not tight at all. Tight enough so she can’t have her mouth WIDE open but not tight really. I like it to keep the bit in place. I had considered taking the noseband off, but worried she would just open her mouth and the bit would move more.
I’ve heard some people have had success with taking it off completely. I guess even the feel of it causes some horses to keep opening their mouths against the feel of it. Once off they stop opening. May be worth a try.
Another consideration, have you tried different metals for the bits?
It’s definitely worth a shot and it wouldnt surprise me since she hates anything on her nose. Even if her halter goes to low she gets seriously aggrevated.
Just the bombers blue, any suggestions?
My “baby horse” rides with his mouth chomping - Even with no rein contact he will open and close his mouth like he’s having a conversation. For a while he was opening it wide so it looked like I was really jerking on the reins when I wasn’t. That was in a regular snaffle so I tried a french link which was better, it’s a fat one. But even that wasn’t working so I am now using the Level 1 Myler and having great results but I did see you aren’t crazy about the fit of that on and it’s too thin.
My oldest horse is 35 now but when he was younger and did a lot of jumping I put a copper double roller in his mouth. I am not a bit connoisseur so I can’t talk to the hows and whys but I can say that for that particular horse, I found it to be a magical solution.
Different metals:
I assume you’ve used stainless steel, being your run-of-the-mill bits.
Sweet iron - usually only found in western bits, but I know people who have had success with a simple loose-ring snaffle. I read that English bits that are a shiny blue metal are actually sweet iron that has been “flamed”. No experience with that.
Copper. I think of copper as being the orangy-metallic, but evidently it’s also the gold/brown.
Aurigan (doesn’t contain nickel. Some say nickel causes issues with sensitive horses). This is the material of the popular KK snaffles.
I’m not sure if Aurigan is the same as the slightly yellow-coloured metal. I’ve had an eggbutt snaffle that is over 30 years old that is that yellow colour that horses really seem to like. It looks like it might be a brass alloy.
It might be worth a try to play around with a regular cavesson or no noseband. Try a couple rides in each, to give her some time to adjust and figure it out; she might gape at first, but settle into it when she adjusts to the freedom. Having the space to adjust her mouth and lips when things get uncomfortable might make a big difference for her. I’m not a big Micklem fan but it worked well for a time for my sensitive guy who needed the bit to be very stable in his mouth.
I think we we all struggle with our hands! Mine also gets quite strong XC and I was unintentionally getting strong with one hand to try to keep him from bearing down. For me, riding in a bridge and/or holding a chopstick under my thumbs really helped me get used to using my hands as a unit and not pulling with one or the other. Not that I think you are necessarily doing that, but when you have a horse with such sensitive cheeks, it is that much more important to keep the bit centered where it belongs.
Just wanted to post an update, and thank you to everyone who helped with suggestions. I ended up going back to the 3 ring French Link, but wrapped in sealtex. It was the perfect fix. The bit is still strong enough for her, but not sharp enough to back her off or cut her lips and cheeks. We have had 3 succesful events since the switch. The only downside is how much the sealtex stinks when you remove it to put a new wrap on LOL. I had never even heard of this stuff, but leave it to Coth to save the day.
Here is a helmet cam from our latest event if you want to see, you can see how much better she is listening and waiting!
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