So my horse doesn’t really take the contact very well-he’s not only inconsistent but also resistant sometimes. I’ve heard that for some of these sensitive TB type of horses you’ll have to step back one step and go with a softer, milder bit? Refer to this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y59T_CJNJ_s)
Just curious if anyone had success with bitting down instead of bitting up?
Lots of success bitting down. Usually to a soft, plain snaffle or French link. GM hates happy mouth bits ymmv.
And more leg. Lots more leg.
HS Duo.
Ditto the Duo:)
Agree with the others-- multiple horses have taught me to “bit down” before bitting up. And a HS Duo (or Nathe or mullen happy mouth) is an excellent bit to turn to for a horse who won’t take contact. A horse has to carry the bit and “take” your hand to be able to make a half-halt go through. If he hides from your hand, you can’t communicate effectively. A soft mullen mouth encourages the horse to take the bit and push into it, so you have something to half-halt with.
Be aware, though, that for many horses this bit is just a stepping stone. After a few months, a lot of them will learn to lean on it and get too heavy, but in the beginning you have to let them feel comfortable with contact. Many horses (particularly OTTBs) are a little bit afraid of the bit and don’t trust it; something soft and stable gives them confidence, because the bit acts gently and very predictably on the tongue and bars. Once they start leaning on it, they’re no longer fearing the bit and it’s often safe to move back to a KK, french link, or other jointed bit.
Great fan of soft bits - Mine have always gone just fine in them for everything, including fox hunting in a rubber mullen mouth pelham.
I work especially at getting a horse lighter and lighter in the mouth
Look at Nathe/Duo, Trust for a very nice plastic bit in D and loose ring and also Trust for leather.
Happy Mouths are cheaper and IMHO not worth it. Not soft at all… hard plastic.
I went to an eggbutt Mullen mouth with my boy, who was very worried about contact. Once we got some more confidence built under saddle and I needed a bit more refinement than Mullen, he’s settled pretty nicely with an Myler level 1 eggbutt. For him the quieter mouthpiece was key
I put a rubber D-ring on my 3 year old TB and he wore that all the way from then through Intermediate, all 3 phases. Start soft and maybe you won’t ever need to move into anything more severe. 
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8943534]
HS Duo.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Foxtrot’s;8943604]Great fan of soft bits - Mine have always gone just fine in them for everything, including fox hunting in a rubber mullen mouth pelham.
I work especially at getting a horse lighter and lighter in the mouth
Look at Nathe/Duo, Trust for a very nice plastic bit in D and loose ring and also Trust for leather.
Happy Mouths are cheaper and IMHO not worth it. Not soft at all… hard plastic.[/QUOTE]
Agree. Agree. Agree. I love my Nathe bits. Most OTTBs do not have “a mouth” or do not really understand how to communicate through the bit. First you go soft and work on connection.
I have also bitted up on occasion just to establish brakes, if they are missing. But this only takes a few rides to accomplish. You certainly don’t need a horse running away from you whilst trying to teach contact and communication.
And you may have to try a few. My TB likes plastic. Happy mouth only, not black rubber thankyouverymuch. Also he prefers a single joint. Bitting up for him is a Pessoa on the snaffle ring. And a flash.
My experience with the Nathe was as others described in that it was great for a while and one day she had the ah ha moment that she could blow through it. Then her preference was black rubber D.
Nathes, Duos, Happy Mouths, and rubber bits all have their place and some horses have a serious preference for one vs another. Toby, who is very over sensitive, actually prefers a Happy Mouth to a Nathe or Duo, but my horse before him LOVED a Nathe, and actually ended up with a wonder bit with a Nathe mouth. One mare I used to ride didn’t really care, as long as it wasn’t metal.
As for bitting down instead of up, I would say a lot of people OVER bit.
My Callie had the best mouth of any horse I ever owned. And she’d spent 3 yrs on the track, but just a touch of the bit and she would change direction or stop. I took off her metal bit and put a little happy mouth plastic bit on her and she was great to ride all her life.
ditto on happy mouth. I use a 3 piece snaffle on my guy and the PS of Sweden bridle combo and it made a huge difference.
I did find that the happy mouth mullen mouthpiece is probably too thick for a horse with a lower palate. I think the nathe/duos are softer and thinner FWIW. I just switched mine out of the HM and back to a double-jointed snaffle with a bean center after a few weeks, and the difference was remarkable. But maybe the HM got her to that point?
I hunted a TB that I put a kimberwick on when she got too strong after a few huts - big mistake. She just got madder and madder threw her head around, up and down and it went from bad to worse as we barrelled along. Switched to
a plastic bit and she took hold but was easy to ride. When she got strong in schooling, say to a fence, she would get a sharp tug to a stop, and soon learned not to blow through the bit.
Our Pony Club Prince Philipp Games ponies went in racehorse rubber D’s and except for the little rogues that had been yanked around all their lives, they all learned the Games and dd not need more.
I do think the narrow TB jawbone makes some horses makes some horses feel pain in a metal bit more, unless gently trained.
We use a lozenge snaffle metal bit on my mare for dressage as I feel it offers more finesse. (Third)
Lastly, some horses require a steadier mouthpiece - Baucher/Gold Wing vs.loose ring. Borrow a few from your friends to try.
My sensitive-mouthed OTTB really likes a double jointed Happy Mouth. I tried him in a regular French link (full cheek), and he liked it better than all the bits I tried previously, but he REALLY likes the HM vs a metal bit. The joint in the middle is more like an oval link/roller than a true French link, so it’s even softer.
I tried a rubber D ring with him before the HM, and it was too thick for his mouth. It was also a single joint, so that paired with being thick was too much for him (low palette, small mouth in general.)
The cheek pieces are just as important–he’s sensitive, so he HATED a loose ring. D ring was tolerable, but a full cheek is very comforting to him. He’s at a point now where I can use a beval cheek piece on him while competing (a lot more stable than a loose ring), but that can make a big difference as well.
I don’t think they make nathe bits any more but I am another Duo fan for my fussy horse. I am not convinced it’s a permanent solution and I don’t use it for jumping.
But definitely worth a try!
[QUOTE=asterix;8944392]
I don’t think they make nathe bits any more but I am another Duo fan for my fussy horse. I am not convinced it’s a permanent solution and I don’t use it for jumping.
But definitely worth a try![/QUOTE]
Lol…I remember struggling with finding the right amount of bit for Vernon around the time he was about to move up to training. He needed more than his Duo, but everything I had above that he took offense to…we basically had gallop or canter in place with anything other than a Duo. I finally just decided I would go out in his first training in the Duo, and be prepared to circle or pull up if I needed to. We were parked next to a BNR who asked how things went when I came back and I said something to the tune of “not bad. Almost go ran away with but he was otherwise good.” She laughed and said that almost getting run away with was perfectly acceptable and that I should be happy. He DID have a nice bold round, but I enjoyed it a lot more once he had just a wee bit more brakes at the next event 
[QUOTE=asterix;8944392]
I don’t think they make nathe bits any more but I am another Duo fan for my fussy horse. I am not convinced it’s a permanent solution and I don’t use it for jumping.
But definitely worth a try![/QUOTE]
They still make nathe bits! I’ve got a loose ring and 2 ring mullen mouth both from nathe.
North Dakota, where did you buy them?
Yb, yeah, I fear the moment when the monkey discovers the duo has no power to intervene in his enthusiasm out and about. We switch to a metal bit, which he clicks his teeth on but listens to.
