Hi, having trouble finding a jumping bit for my eventing horse. She has naturally very high head carriage, does well in leverage bits as she is strong but will back off with too much leverage. She prefers a single jointed mouth piece. I currently ride her in a loose ring myler for dressage and a Dutch gag on the middle setting for jumping. I want something that will stop her from running around like a giraffe and fighting the contact. Any suggestions???
Sounds like you’re bitting up to fix something that is wrong with the flat work between the fences. I would go back to basics for a bit and work on suppleness between fences. Work over small fences and the relaxation.
If her head it already up like a giraffe, why would you want leverage? To lift her up more. Sounds like you want the opposite. Adding any leverage will work in her favour as its asking her to lift up, not come down.
Curb action (pelham) usually brings the head down and in. Gag action (3 ring, traditional gag, elevator, wonder bit) usually brings the head up.
Correct flat work and patience results in a proper half halt, balance, and response to the aids to improve rideability with any bit.
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My eventer also has a high head carriage and gets very strong. I recently started jumping him in a combination of a hackamore and Nathe loose ring with two reins. He is much quieter and relaxed. Good luck!
My horse used to have the tendency to put his head up high with zero connection in the bridle. He is gradually getting better with jumping in a rubber Nathe and going back to the basics with adjustability exercises. He occasionally will get heavy in the Nathe since it’s such a light bit, but at this point, I’d rather have that than head in the air and no contact. If you end up trying a rubber bit, I’d recommend seeing about borrowing a Herm Sprenger duo or a Nathe since I found that my horse personally did not go the same in a mullen mouth happy mouth since it was a lot less flexible.
