I just had my gag rein made from an old set of draw reins, to be perfectly honest. 
They were cut down to size, then had a buckle added for over the crown.
Man I will jump on that in a HEARTBEAT. Since I canāt get PM to workā¦PM Me?
Atlas - exactly how does the beris work for a horse that leans? Im imagining if theyāre like nathe it wouldnāt be appropriate but given your suggestion Iām open to hearing about it!
If you want to make a gag rein to go on any bit, get some soft climbing type rope, run it through the bit, over the poll and down through the other bit, then back until you can make a knot and it will be the same length as your regular reins. Ride with 2 reins. When you want to slip it off after warmup, just untie the knot and pull it through. drop in your ringside bucket and walk in the ring. I used to do this a lot. Cost = $4.
Iām imagining this to be a rope burn waiting to happen?
hahah. for you or horse? You donāt pull on the reins that hard! I have used it for years and never been rope burned and I hate riding with gloves, so 99% of that gloveless. I always keep the regular rein too so that limits how far they can pull it out of your hands. I actually find they have a super light, delicate but effective feel I love.
If you want to be sure, just make two loops right past the bit (one on each side) and attach regular reins to the loops (or pony reins if you want your bight to be equal as the loops will take up a few inches of the beginning of the rein). Or you can pay $60 or $100 for an āinstant gagā that is basically the same thing. But I have never felt the need to do either.
I got the worst rope burn ever from a cotton longe line when I horse bolted and the extra end burned behind my knees. OMG, it went in an inch and it was brutally painful. wearing my tall boots at a show that weekend was pretty much like tortureā¦ so I am sensitive to rope burn concerns but havenāt had issues. Not saying it canāt happen though!
The only other thing I can think of that I didnāt see mentioned was a triangle/dull knife edge bit. Theoretically they sit flat until horsey is not behaving. I think I have one in a 5" if you want to try it. Itās too small for anything I have now.
I screwed up and put something on your profile page but then I think I figured out how to send you a new PM.
So I have that one too. Ok. I might be a hoarder. A tack hoarder. Itās on my list!
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The whole point of climbing rope or climbing web is that it doesnāt give you rope burns. I have a lunge line that I made from climbing web by sewing a snap on one end with my Speedy Stitcher and tying a knot in the other end. Doesnāt burn. And I made it a bit longer than a regular lunge line. It is kind of an awful shade of yellow, but no one has ever taken it.
Update from over the weekendā¦
For some reason I am slow twist averse, have had a couple of not great experiences with it, so put that at the back of the list.
The first thing I tried was a D ring āknife edgeā or triangle bit. NOPE. Lots of head tossing. The next thing I tried was this:
Which has a curved mouth, even though you canāt see it in the pic. This was a wonder bit for the flat. The horse has never been more soft, supple, and light. Improvement on steering, self carriage, and balance. However, jumping he was just a leaning lug. We were fine (6th out of 30 in our warm up class), but I donāt need that kind of back muscle.
Based on the wonder experience of that bit, I picked up this one to try.
It was AMAZING. No head flipping, hardly any pulling. Itās a custom bit, so Iām seeing if I can order in a full check, as I could use a little more up. Not a cheap solution, but it was a wonder in my hands. Itās called the PJP brass with ball, and as I understand it, Peter gets a royalty for design. Itās hard to tell in the pic, but the bottom part of the brass that lays against the tongue has an angle carved out of it so itās not an edge against the mouth.
Iām excited to see how he feels in a full cheek, but wonāt know if I can get one for another week or so.
The saga continuesā¦
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Where did you purchase this bit? I have been looking for the one next to the one you purchased (with twisted link mouthpiece) your picture.
Quail Hollow Tack
https://www.quailhollowtack.com/products/d-ring-figure-8-bit-brass
They call that one the infinity or figure 8. It was originally called the pletcher, but now peter made his own version (which can be seen in my pic behind the bit Iām holding). Peterās side pieces are thicker, while the infinity is more flat.
Hope this helps!
Thanks Nickelodian!!!
I have not read the entire thread so if this has already been suggested I want to apologize ahead of time, what about a Nathe? My horse does not get heavy but is so sensitive in the mouth it is the best bit for him to seekā¦We have it in the loose ring and the full cheekā¦
I donāt think Iād ever get him stoppedā¦that would be me cantering around the ringā¦still.
Iām just astounded that a bit can cost $425! Good heavensā¦Glad I have horses that go in āregularā bits.
I also had no idea that Peter had his own line of bits. Genius on his part I guess.
LOL I have a horse that goes lovely in a Nathe Duo to flatā¦until I want to slow down or stop. About the only bit she doesnāt nervously chomp. But I wouldnāt use it on a leaner. I have had great success with it on 2 mares that had an aversion to contact. Seems like it is better for that than a horse that gets heavy and leans.
Actually I am about to put a nathe on my gray horse. He wants me to ride him with no contact, period. Aversion is a term not to be used lightly with that one. He used to land and get strung out so the nathe wouldnāt have worked. But now in his trained self I think it would be a good option.
Rubber full cheek with keepers? Little bit of elevator action but still mild. Maybe a leather bit?
I have a strong mare (jumpers though) who used to take off with me or bounce in front of the jumps. Tried literally every bit known to man and ended up putting her in a rubber snaffle (counterintuitive) and she goes just fine. Use a rubber gag for cross country or when sheās being particularly pully. She will not jump well in a plain snaffle or pelham (either wonāt go forward or bolts).
Sometimes less is more. Bitting can be tricky for some of them.
