I’m looking for a set of bits for a gelding with big fleshy lips, a narrow jaw and a very low palate.
Nothing in my bit box really makes him happy. I’ve only started him in the double in the last couple months. He usually goes in something like this but he’s not super happy with it.http://www.winningedgesaddlery.com/horse-bits/weymouth-bits/centaur-stainless-steel-wide-port-curb-bit.html#.WC5UlvkrLIU
And now, because I tried my friends set of Neue Schule bits on him, I understand why he’s so difficult to bit. My friends horse loves his Verbinded bradoon and Warmblood Weymouth. When I put it on my guy, he couldn’t close his mouth. At. All. The port just dug straight into the roof of his mouth, even while it was wide open. He kept his mouth so wide open that I was able to get a really good look inside his mouth. His palate is really low and his jaw much narrower than my other horses who are similar in size. His mouth looks big from the outside but he’s all lips!
Needless to say, I did not ride him in the NS bits.
Any thoughts before I start paying shipping and return shipping on a bunch of bits?
Ah yes… been there… but mine also had a fat tongue to boot. :winkgrin: I had good success with a mullen mouth curb and a double jointed bridoon. Ended with this bit which was the best of everything for that horse: http://www.dressageextensions.com/h-s-short-shank-special/p/1023/
The picture is a bit deceiving. The top is actually almost straight… the port is only within the mouthpiece itself to very kind to tongues and palates. A test bit is available
I cannot recommend highly enough the experience of talking to a bit fitter. I organized a clinic with Stephanie Brown-Beamer with Neue Schule and it was a fantastic experience. So much so that some of the other local chapters have contacted her as well! It was surprising to see how some of the more sensitive horses preferred a straight Weymouth with no joints and palate relief. Short smiles and low palates seemed to be a running theme with the horses participating-very interesting and educational to see.
digihorse, I have your final bit in a size that’s a little too big for him. I’m thinking I should dig it out and give it a try. I can always get one the proper width if he doesn’t hate it. I think he’s also in the fat tongue club with your horse. There’s just NO room in there!
sortofbyx,I didn’t even know such a thing existed!
[QUOTE=Goforward;8941065]
sortofbyx,I didn’t even know such a thing existed![/QUOTE]
Not many people do! She did a clinic with a friend of mine in PA. The premise sounded intriguing, so we had her come down the following month. It really was remarkable to see the instantaneous change with a focused change in bit. I don’t think anyone was unable to find a better fit for their horse, even those who were fitting for snaffles. There was one particular mare who was quite fussy in the bridle and inconsistent with contact. The owner went from a simple french link loose ring to a NS turtle top full cheek and the difference in the mare was unbelievable. I was quite impressed with the overall experience, and am actually going to audit another chapter’s clinic with NS and PS of Sweden!
I didn’t know there were bit fitters either! I can see it now- an independent bit fitter…
For whatever it’s worth, my narrow-jawed, low-palate, monstrously-fleshy-lipped horse ended up in a Sprenger HO Weymouth in the narrower thickness (14mm) and a 14mm single-joint turnado bradoon. Mine does better in thin and subtly ported rather than fat and straight.
Oddly, the single-joint bradoon seems to work better in spite of the low palate and the fact that the best bit I’ve found for the snaffle bridle is a double-jointed one.
It’s always a struggle to find bits that suit my princess-and-the-pea and fit across the jaw without pinching the lip blubber (and haven’t had much luck finding eggbutts with a mouthpiece that the picky pony can stand). I’d love it if someone in my area had a bit clinic! What a great idea!
[QUOTE=GiantSteps;8941186]
(and haven’t had much luck finding eggbutts with a mouthpiece that the picky pony can stand).[/QUOTE]
Have you tried this one? http://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Myler_Wide_Ported_Barrel_Eggbutt_Bit_MB_33WL/descpage-MEWPBB.html
It is dressage legal. It’s the only one my fat lip, narrow jaw low palate fat tongue horse would stand, in the beginning. After about a year of going well in it I started to get the feeling he would be even better in something that wasn’t so much a mullen, so I put him back in a KK and voila, he now goes great in it. He had been unrideable in the KK before. He learned a lot about carriage when in the Myler.
[QUOTE=digihorse;8941012]
Ah yes… been there… but mine also had a fat tongue to boot. :winkgrin: I had good success with a mullen mouth curb and a double jointed bridoon. Ended with this bit which was the best of everything for that horse: http://www.dressageextensions.com/h-s-short-shank-special/p/1023/
The picture is a bit deceiving. The top is actually almost straight… the port is only within the mouthpiece itself to very kind to tongues and palates. A test bit is available[/QUOTE]
I have almost the linked bit it’s from before Aurigan was a thing and it’s thinner, which might work for your horse. It’s the same in that the top is very slightly curved, but there is room for the tongue in the small “port”. I pair it with a pretty thin double-jointed (peanut) bradoon. Everyone that has worn this combo seems to like it just fine, but I can’t say I’ve had any as tricky to fit as yours.
Mine has that conformation plus a short smile. She seems happiest in the NS Pacifier which has the port angle reversed so that it stays high in the mouth and doesn’t ever engage the palate. I use the verbindend bradoon with it. She also likes the shaped Balkenhol single joint as her snaffle.
I didn’t think of putting him in a single jointed bradoon. He likes his single joint KK snaffle. It’s mildly shaped around the jaw. Hmm…
I looked at the HO online and thought it might be something he’d like. Thanks for all the help everyone!
Check out the Dewsbury Revolver Curb. I’ve had a lot of luck with it.
