Horse constantly sticking tongue out, which bit will help

[morgansnmind]

My morgan mare does this. I’ve tried all sorts of bits…she seems to be worse in a myler comfort bit. It really bothered me for awhile…nothing more attractive that a tongue flapping in the wind. I think it’s bit of a ocd thing.

For shows what works for me is a medium port pelham bit…it helps about 90% of the time. If she hangs it out I remind her with jiggle of the reins and it goes back in (curb is not on super tight so it’s not that). Other than the port the next best is a rolled snaffle but she still does it …just less than some other bits.

[olim2005]

[QUOTE=Bluey;6817555]
If you tie it right, horses seem to just go on with what they are doing.
You put the piece of string around the tongue, twist it a time or two under it, run it around the bottom jaw and tie it there.
It is a bit loose on the tongue, has room for the tongue to move around, just not over the bit and it is a bit tighter under the jaw.

Most race horses, when running, are tied by the trainer in the saddling paddock, as you have to do it just right for that horse, or it will be a hindrance.
The stewards would not like seeing anything that may keep a horse from running to form.
They would consider it one more sneaky way to try to throw a race away and that is frowned upon.:eek:

As I said, it was the very rare horse that ran with his tongue tied, not very common, at least years ago it was not, only those very few horses that trained better with it and only until they learned not to get their tongue over the bit.[/QUOTE]

That is evil to tie their tongue & long term they aren’t going to get any better with it.

If the horse is getting his tongue over the bit then try a high ported correction bit.

[LookmaNohands]

You could contact an Osteopath or someone who does cranio-sacral work on horses. The tongue is attached to muscles that go all the way down into the chest. It could be that some work in that area could change this.

Also, TTouch mouth work is very helpful with mouth and bitting problems. It is very simple to do but you have to know what you are doing so you don’t get bitten.

If it was me, I would just take the bit out and ride without, but I am funny that way.

[blairasb]

My gelding was big on throwing his tongue out the side of his mouth and wringing it when he felt stressed, or getting it OVER the bit , and then out the side…

I have had really good luck with the Bomber’s Bit Happy Tongue mouthpiece with my guy. I don’t think he’s gotten his tonge over the bit since i started to use it and is generally a LOT quieter mouthed. I think he honestly really hates tongue pressure…

[jessiesgrrl]

Actually, racing ties are done to prevent the horse from accidently biting their own toungue or swallowing it. Its a safety thing.
And it is only done by the horses owner or trainer as they know what they are doing.
When the TB are training at home they aren’t used…its just for race days and race training at the track.

Like all things equine related, there has been some bad apples who use it for evil. I have seen running QH (retired) that had parts of their toungues cut or completely off because some A$$hat used wire :mad:

This is not typical in the racing industry!!! We use 2"wide pieces of cloth (like a cotton sheet) and its tied very specific to each horses preferance.

It is just a habit that sometimes some horses keep going with…and it can and does look funny…

I can’t offer any help with breaking that habit, sorry

[fourmares]

Try getting a chiropractor out. I’ve seen tongue lolling cured by chiropractic.

If it doesn’t fix it show anyways. There was a very successful hunter in the it’s named Tongue in Cheek.

[gaitedincali]

[QUOTE=olim2005;7693105]
That is evil to tie their tongue & long term they aren’t going to get any better with it.

If the horse is getting his tongue over the bit then try a high ported correction bit.[/QUOTE]

Yes, tongue ties are ~mean~ so just slap a correction bit on the sucker. That’s much nicer. :rolleyes:

What’s with all the old threads getting bumped up lately?

[WNT]

I’m actually grateful this thread popped up. Someone I board with has a horse that like to flop his tongue around when ridden. He goes in a Sprenger loose ring, currently with no caveson. I’m just curious what folks have used to gently discourage this habit as the owner wants to event, and tongues out in the dressage ring are a no go. So the bit would have to be dressage legal, too.

[fourmares]

There is also a difference between a horse who sticks his tongue out to avoid the bit and one who casually lolls his tongue.

[alto]

[QUOTE=WNT;7694146]
I’m actually grateful this thread popped up. Someone I board with has a horse that like to flop his tongue around when ridden. He goes in a Sprenger loose ring, currently with no caveson. I’m just curious what folks have used to gently discourage this habit as the owner wants to event, and tongues out in the dressage ring are a no go. So the bit would have to be dressage legal, too.[/QUOTE]

Does horse flop tongue around only when ridden, or also when in stall, paddock, pasture?
If the former, it’s likely easier to “solve” by exploring bridle & bit options … and training/trainers :lol:
If horse has been doing this for years, it’s going to be much more difficult to alter that habit.

[WNT]

As I have seen, it only happens when he’s being groomed/tacked up and ridden. He’s an OTTB, and I imagine may have been tied in the past. He doesn’t wring or flail his tongue about like some I’ve seen evading the bit or contact, it just kinda hangs out. Standing, working, hacking: just lightly flapping in the breeze.

Mind you, he is not mine, nor am I the trainer. I just see something I’m not familiar with and explore solutions, they may come in handy in the future. Curiosity killed the cat and all.

[Cherry]

Linda Tellington Jones in her book on T-touch gives her two cents on the subject of horses sticking their tongues out. I can’t gove you particulars because I loaned the book out years ago and never got it back. I do remember it involved rubbing your fingers around the inside of the horse’s mouth, especially the inside of the corners of the lips and the gums. Don’t recall her reasoning anymore.

I know with my TB mare a cavesson seemed to make her crazy so a clinician had me take it off and told me not to use, that in time she would stop sticking out her tongue–he was right. :yes: He told me to remember that although I was in high school my horse was still in kindergarten. Have patience!

John Lyons said, “the more you try and contain a trainwreck, the bigger it becomes.”

Go back to square one and take your time. Your horse will thank you later.

[Howlin_Wolf]

[QUOTE=Buglet;6815424]
Many judges see it as a bad thing. In most cases when a horse does that its because they are avoiding the bit. My trainer is a usef judge and told me I will get penalized for it.[/QUOTE]
My 19yo gelding has done this since he was weaned. For him, it is a form of “stimming”: (akin to kids thumbsucking or hair twirling.)

He does it if his food is not coming through the gate fast enough, when he’ll also suck his tongue and do this weird neck corking-screwing thing … like a big foal trying to nurse on a small dam.
Wearing a halter, ANY bit, ANY hackamore.
Not constantly: more like when a person gnaws a hangnail every so often.
Some horses just do it, and nothing will cure it.

I just ignore it.

[doublesstable]

I have a horse that does this… I rode Dressage and the flash kept it in. BUT when I wanted to do Hunters with him - yeah not extremely good and can’t ride in a flash.

I found he liked this bit and kept his tongue in - Rubber Mullen Mouth D ring.
http://www.europasaddlery.com/d-bit-rubber-mullen-mouth.html

But saying that, in Dressage is was a huge mark down with the tongue out, in Hunters, a bit. My trainer said not to worry about it.

[rcloisonne]

[QUOTE=Bluey;6817220]

I don’t think it is that common.[/QUOTE]
Did you see the 1.5 million Whitney Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday? Almost all of the horses, including the highly favored Palace Malice (who lost), were wearing tongue ties, with most tongues sticking out to the left. Tongue ties, like Lasix, are practically standard operating procedure at most tracks.

Both of my OTTBs wore tongue ties when they raced as did many others. There are cards in front of each stall telling grooms what equipment the horse goes in (bit type, hoods, run down bandages, etc.). Nearly all of the cards I saw while walking through the barns at Suffolk Downs had tongue ties listed.

[greysfordays]

I’m resuscitating this thread because I’m having problems with this currently.

My horse sticks his tongue out to evade the bit, it’s not something he does when just hanging out in his stall. He will move his jaw from side to side to avoid rein pressure and stick his tongue out. He’s 5 years old and I think has the potential to be a wonderful hunter (beautiful mover and fantastic scope with a long slow step).

We’re working on getting him lighter on his forehand. He really sticks it out when I give him a strong rein correction. So when I halt or when he drops too low at the canter and I’m trying to correct him up.

I really don’t want this habit confirmed and have tried a small port myler bit, a figure 8 etc. The dressage trainer encouraged me to give with my hands occasionally and kick him forward at the canter when he leans so he has nothing to lean against and has to self-carry.

He’s gotten a few pro rides from both a respected dressage trainer and hunter jumper professional. Would stick out then too.

If anyone has ideas for what I can do while riding him, I would be so grateful. Because he’s a hunter, I’m pretty limited in terms of what I can do from a bit/bridle perspective. I would rather work smarter from his back than fix with tying the tongue down.

[vali]

Some horses may be more comfortable in different types of nosebands or bits. My mare doesn’t stick her tongue out but does get quite fussy with her mouth and head and will grind her teeth. After trying many combinations I now use a figure 8 bridle adjusted loosely with the toulouse eggbutt rotational snaffle, which is like a mullen mouth in many ways. For temporary cures to sticking the tongue out, some people wrap fruit rollups on the bit, and a friend swore by a dollop of peanut butter right before they went into the dressage thing for her Intermediate level event mare.