My horse goofs around with his bit and it really annoys me. Time for a Mullen Mouth?

[goeslikestink]

[QUOTE=purplnurpl;3916852]
SLC nailed it. That is exactly what he does. My horse, as seen in the picture, has a teeny mouth.

goeslikestink repeated what I said about the bridle in the picture, which is fine. Thanks for posting. The links I found useless. One was about evasions that don’t apply to me. The other was written by someone who obviously rides in a halter and lead rope. That’s fine too. I took the time to look at them.
I should have found a different picture to post.

Like these two:
He was quiet here as a 4 year old
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p189/xckaboom/boombit2-1.jpg

he turned 5 and had his issues with his molars and has been rattley with the bit ever since.
I think I did get in the habit of leaving it loose when his mouth was hurting during that 5 year old time.

Here he is with it as a 6 year old with the bridle fitted a little loose.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p189/xckaboom/boombit1.jpg

and his mouth grew. 5’ bits no longer fit him.[/QUOTE]

your cheek pieces are still to long therefore not comfortable for the horse at all
and his bit by your hands will be constantly banging him in the gob

if your on the last hole then you need shorter cheek peices and i would say by current photo at lest 2inches of so your not using the last hole on the brow band
look like you in a full size bridle and it should be cob size sometimes ottb or arabs have finer heads even in cob size so you change the cheek pieces to pony size ones so they are shorter

as for his mouth heads do grow so its a bit obvious his mouth would to

constant banging with bit how you have it at the moment will eventually brusie him insde his mouth but hes honest enough to work still for you

[slc2]

tragic.

[pines4equines]

Hay

Just food for thought, I read your post and you’ve tried two different bits. What about the metal taste? I had a Sprenger KK ULtra or something or another on my horse, it had that goldish color metal. I switched him out because he just did not go well in this bit? It wasn’t anything obvious but in hindsight, a saddle fitter once told me that some horses hate the taste of that metal.

Just throwing this out there. Now I’ll go back and hang out in Horse Care.

[Hampton_Bay]

My very young horse does this, though he is just barely 3 and has maybe 15 rides on him. I can sympathize with how crazy it can drive you though. My little boy is still trying to figure out everything to do with a bit, so in addition to the constant chomping, the tongue is also trying to go over the bit and the head is up, then down, then up, then out, the left, then right… After about 10 minutes he starts to settle down thank the Lord.

I did switch my little guy to a Korsteel mullen mouth bit, eggbutt cheeks. It is metal, not too thick but not thin either. He plays a bit less with that, or at least it drives ME less insane because there is less clanking of metal and he cannot suck the arms into his mouth and chew on them.

My boy also has a tiny mouth in every meaning of that word, and he has the stretchiest lips ever. His 4.5" bit is almost too big, he has very little room for much of a bit, and even with two wrinkles the bit is loose. Does your guy have a mouth like that with the stretchy lips and no room for a bit?

Mine is also quite like Gumby. The neck is just not connected to the rest of the body. It certainly makes trying to teach him to steer from the hand interesting.

Good luck! Try a mullen mouth, it very well may help. My boy finds it less interesting to play with.

[ThreeFigs]

You know Purple, if that bit clanking becomes too distracting and hard to take, feel free to send him to me. Nice horse!

For sure the cheekpieces on that first bridle (the head shot of him nose to nose with a buddy) are too long. In fact the whole bridle looks a size too big. Things don’t look so bad in the photos of him under saddle – though in the galloping photo those cheeks do indeed look too long.

I used a Mullen on my mare in an effort to find a bit that she really, truly liked. She put her tongue over it. My Arab went very well in a Mullen and fussed in any kind of jointed bit. Individual tastes!

[MsM]

I have found that eggbutt snaffles seem to quiet my guy’s busy mouth - seems to sit more stable.
If he doesnt “clank” the bit when he’s working, it may not really be a problem except to your nerves :winkgrin: It is certainly preferable to him bracing against it!
Oh, I did have a friend who wrapped a french link bit, even over the joints. Made the bit less wiggly. Her horse didnt fuss with it so much altho he did suck on it from time to time! (She didnt like that noise either) :lol:

[goeslikestink]

i stand by what i said - also had another look at your pics you have a crackle or figure of 8 or flash on which i pressume to help becuase he pulls and the to help keep the low bit in place

your having trouble perhaps as he pulls but the he would pull as bit doesnt lie in his mouth correctly ie in the right place due to cheek peices being to long so therefore you heavy in the reins to ride to keep the bit in position another words you crank up his head via the reins and hold the bit in place and useing your own bodyweight directly in the reins to keep bit from moving – so are pulling the horse into a frame or round a course of jumps rather than having the bit in the mouth where it should be so you can set up the horse and prepare him via working from an indepent seat into soft hands
its painful for a horse with a low bit and hes been telling you that for yonks hence goofing with his bit –

Look at the two corners of the horse’s mouth and make sure the bridle is adjusted properly and the bit is hanging evenly on both sides. It shouldn’t be higher on one side – the two sides should be even.
Once the horse is properly bridled, look at the corners of his mouth. Is the bit creating one to three wrinkles? If so, brill That means the bit is adjusted as high and comfortably as it will go in the horse’s mouth.
As the old saying goes, the horse should smile, but shouldn’t die laughing.

a low hanging bit will not be as effective as a bit in the correct place if you changed the cheek peices lenght so the bit fits correctly then you wouldnt probably need a flash or figure of 8 or crackle to a- keep the bit still b-- becuase he pulls or trys to get his tongue over the bit

[purplnurpl]

As for bit metals.

He goes well in:
copper
stainless steel
german silver
and sweet iron
I have not ever noticed a difference in one metal or another.

---

eggbutt
loosering
fullcheek
loosering with bit guards

XC: When I use anything other then a loose ring in XC he drifts so hard left that I hit the flags on the left side of the fence. Found this out the hard way with bit guards too.
DQ: When I use anything other then a loose ring he doesn’t feel right. Locks his lower back or something.

Riding Gumby with a french link loose ring is one for the clowns I tell you. But it works best for him. Clinicians crack up when I do lateral work.

I tightended up the cheek pieces after the first set of posts last week. Fixed it up so that when I pulled the cheek pieces out and let them go it was like elastic underpatines. lol. SLAP! I thought of this thread and laughed out loud. He had three wrinkles instead of two to get the slap.
I think it cut down the play by 30%.

And for the record, my last horse LOVED her bit loose. She went in a 5.5 inch plain snaffle and it just hung there. She liked to hold it herself in her very own ‘sweet spot’.

IMO a horse is supposed to hold the bit themselves, if it is adjusted a little low he should pick it up. His mouth is not going to end up bruised.

I LOVE the wrapping idea. What is that stuff that people use to wrap the bits with? I’ve seen it used on sensitive horses once or twice but never asked about it.

A figure 8 is called a Grackle.

but he now goes in a crank with no flash. And Neooooow I don’t crank it because there aren’t enough holes and I’m too lazy to get my hole punch. LMAO! Actually I think he likes not having a flash.

[purplnurpl]

@goeslikestink;3918105

i stand by what i said - also had another look at your pics you have a crackle or figure of 8 or flash on which i pressume to help becuase he pulls and the to help keep the low bit in place

Na, he doesn’t pull. Infact I run around XC on a loop. I taught the boy to do it himself. ; )

@goeslikestink;3918105

your having trouble perhaps as he pulls but the he would pull as bit doesnt lie in his mouth correctly ie in the right place due to cheek peices being to long so therefore you heavy in the reins to ride to keep the bit in position another words you crank up his head via the reins and hold the bit in place and useing your own bodyweight directly in the reins to keep bit from moving – so are pulling the horse into a frame or round a course of jumps rather than having the bit in the mouth where it should be so you can set up the horse and prepare him via working from an indepent seat into soft hands

That is an interesting thought. But na, I just sit my hands just above the wither for our dressage paces and he does his thing.
And I jump him on a loop. If I need to set him up I do it with my back and seat and say whoa. The rest is up to him.

[QUOTE=goeslikestink;3918105]
Once the horse is properly bridled, look at the corners of his mouth. Is the bit creating one to three wrinkles? If so, brill That means the bit is adjusted as high and comfortably as it will go in the horse’s mouth.
As the old saying goes, the horse should smile, but shouldn’t die laughing.

a low hanging bit will not be as effective as a bit in the correct place if you changed the cheek peices lenght so the bit fits correctly then you wouldnt probably need a flash or figure of 8 or crackle to a- keep the bit still b-- becuase he pulls or trys to get his tongue over the bit[/QUOTE]

The figure 8 looks cool. : )
He goes in the crank now. I LOVE the big padded noseband. He seems to like it as well.

And yes, I gave him a smile with three wrinkles after you guys suggested so and it did go a little better.
Thanks so much.

I think I may still try a mullen just once to see what happens. Adding a mullen to the bit bucket never hurt anyone!

[goeslikestink]

[QUOTE=purplnurpl;3918417]
As for bit metals.

He goes well in:
copper
stainless steel
german silver
and sweet iron
I have not ever noticed a difference in one metal or another.

---

eggbutt
loosering
fullcheek
loosering with bit guards

XC: When I use anything other then a loose ring in XC he drifts so hard left that I hit the flags on the left side of the fence. Found this out the hard way with bit guards too.

thats not the bit thats being unbalanced or more than likely your to strong on one side
so give as in you give on your strongest side horse will then be even

DQ: When I use anything other then a loose ring he doesn’t feel right. Locks his lower back or something.
bits are only servere as your hands read the links this time take note they are not useless but informative

Riding Gumby with a french link loose ring is one for the clowns I tell you. But it works best for him. Clinicians crack up when I do lateral work.
obviously they do as it to low in the mouth and not effective

I tightended up the cheek pieces after the first set of posts last week. Fixed it up so that when I pulled the cheek pieces out and let them go it was like elastic underpatines. lol. SLAP! I thought of this thread and laughed out loud. He had three wrinkles instead of two to get the slap.
I think it cut down the play by 30%.

better but i personally wouldnt have pulled the check peices out as unfair on the horse

And for the record, my last horse LOVED her bit loose. She went in a 5.5 inch plain snaffle and it just hung there. She liked to hold it herself in her very own ‘sweet spot’.

lol – so becuase she did you think this is correct to do on any horse

IMO a horse is supposed to hold the bit themselves, if it is adjusted a little low he should pick it up. His mouth is not going to end up bruised.

how do you know – look inside his mouth the bit surpose to lay half way up his tongue and look at the roof of his mouth and see if any brusing there
perhaps buy a dental twitch so you can hold his mouth open porperly to have a clear access
to his mouth
I LOVE the wrapping idea. What is that stuff that people use to wrap the bits with? I’ve seen it used on sensitive horses once or twice but never asked about it.

no need to if the bit fits correctly and the horse has been bitted correctly

A figure 8 is called a Grackle. really oh whow some call it a figure of 8 some call it a grackle i was being polite to use both terms and not just one

but he now goes in a crank with no flash. And Neooooow I don’t crank it because there aren’t enough holes and I’m too lazy to get my hole punch. LMAO! Actually I think he likes not having a flash.[/QUOTE]

didnt say you was did i , i said get some shorter cheek peices so you have room to adjust the lenght

after all you asked this my horse goofs around with his bit and it really annoys me time for a mullen mouth? – unquote
no not nesscary to change the bits just adjust the one you have and are used to simple thing and no sarcasium require but a little brush up on your position and your hands wont go a miss

[Ambrey]

My horse goes best in the mullen, worst in the standard french link (although he’s so used to the mullen now that he gets mighty annoyed at a jointed snaffle too!). In the mullen, he does all of the “right” things- mouths, foams, chews down, etc. In the french link he’d actually grind it in his teeth, making this horrible fingernails-on-chalkboard sound.