I’m picking up a mare soon and they said she rides good in a Jr Cowhorse w/tie down. I’d like to go with the Jr Cowhorse bit, but they’re so expensive! Any extremely similar bits that are cheaper or know of any places that sell cheaper? I know the saying ‘you get what you pay for’ but a $60 bit is a little excessive IMO for a mostly pleasure horse. I’m probably looking in the wrong places if the bit is $60 but I’m not good with bit choices haha.
What job was the mare doing?
Every horse that comes into training here goes back to a snaffle. It allows me to find the horse’s holes. If yours is just going to be a pleasure horse, put it in a snaffle and put a few rides in. If you find holes, you could buy the new bit or have your instructor help you fill those holes (or both, if it works out that way). Good luck!
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Well she used to be a barrel/gaming/drill team/trail horse, an all around horse basically and that’s what I’d like to get her back to. She’s got a lot of attitude and is smart, she’ll learn how you ride and react and sees what she can get away with (hence the tie down, she’s learned she can ‘escape’ the bit which hopefully I can work her out of). When I get her I’ll be conditioning her so she’s safe enough for my mother to ride (consistent work kind’ve brings her out of her moody phase). They did say she will ride in a snaffle with a tie down, and I do have a snaffle and will try it, but the trainer said she just works best in a Jr Cowhorse. And anywhere outside the arena she’s said to get headstrong sometimes so I’m not sure it’d be enough bit. I personally am good with riding out and correcting things like that but if my siblings or anything were to get on I’d need them to have enough control once she gets herself conditioned and out of the moody phase.
Basically, for me she will be a gaming/working riding horse. For the rest of the family she will be mostly pleasure/trail horse.
Based on your other thread, I would NOT say that she rides well in a Jr. Cowhorse.
A horse that raises their head and fights against you needs to be re-trained. So my thoughts on your other thread stand true. Forget about looking for a specific bit, and go back to the basics with this horse.
Do not let anyone else ride her until she is coming along well enough to be controlled.
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The Jr Cowhorse has some gag to it, which means it puts upward pressure on the horse’s lips, telling it to raise its head. You then put a tie down on it, telling it to lower it’s head. Horse now feels more confused/claustrophobic. All you will get out of that combination is bracing.
I totally agree that this horse needs to be retrained in a snaffle, and not some horribly thin twisted wire snaffle, but a smooth snaffle. She’s not trying to get away with things, she’s uneducated and the solution in the past was to use a bigger bit, not take time to work with her. It’s going to take extra time, but in the end you will have a much better horse for taking the time now.
If you need a little leverage at some point, start small and avoid the gag bits. An Argentine is a good choice, and you should be able to find one for a decent price. But a snaffle should be the first step.
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