Talk to me about bits and bridle combination

[CrittersMom]

Hello,

To make a long story short, my new horse needs brakes.

I’m currently riding him in a crank noseband (loose) with no flash and a sweet copper, loose ring, snaffle bit:
http://www.doversaddlery.com/stubbn-stltec-angled-loose-rng/p/X1-0100012/

Because I just bought him, I wanted to start out with something fairly lightly and then make adjustments as necessary to resolve problems. The first issue we have is he does not like to stop - at all! You can sit back and use a series of half halts to get a nice downward transitions as long as it’s from either a slow canter or trot. If you ask for a downward transition from anything as forward as an extended canter or after a jump, it’s a pulling game, or you have to crank him around in a tight circle. Needless to say, I don’t want to have to do either of these things and would prefer to find another solution.

I have fairly soft hands so I’m not too worried that I might misuse a strong bit, but I still don’t want to close his mouth shut if there’s no reason. That said, I’m looking at switching to a figure eight or flash noseband, and/or one of these bits:
type 3 - http://www.doversaddlery.com/grooming-box/p/X1-010533/
Twisted Copper Dr. Bristol - http://www.doversaddlery.com/full-cheek-copper-dr-bristol/p/X1-0179/
EZ Control - http://www.doversaddlery.com/stbbn-stltec-ez-cntrl-3-rng-el/p/X1-010245/

Any ideas, feedback, or suggestions.

Many Thanks.

[HicksteadFan]

If you absolutely have to change your bit I wouldn’t go with the twisted copper Dr.Bristol. Dr. Bristols are very severe and I personally would never have a twist bit in my horse’s mouth.
I think more training is really going to be the solution. I love tight circles for horse’s that get fast (or in your case don’t slow down). Horse’s hate it because its a submissive move and it doesn’t hurt the horse, if you pull its head to the side the pressure is on the opposite side of their face not inside their mouth. When I have a horse that won’t slow or take off I give the slow down cue, with seat then reins, harder rein, then its a tight circle until they slow down. Then I just let everything go and relax. The last two horses I had to do this with understood after about 3 tight circles. (I mean I had to bring them back 3 times not that I circled 3 times to get them to slow down.)

[CrittersMom]

Thanks - Hickstead

On-going training is definitely a component. What I’m looking for is a tool to use during the interim jumping training rather than just pulling on his mouth or circling after every jump or transition. As time goes on, I expect to go back to a lighter bit, but, until he figures out not to run off on the other side of a jump I’m trying to find a solution.

[Huntin_Pony]

Pelham? with or without jointed mouthpiece . . . if you are good with two reins, this should give you brakes.

[Satin_Filly]

I agree with using the least amount of tack/bit as possible, but if you’re being ignored something has to change. First thing is to rule out whether this is a physical problem or an obedience problem. Is this a green horse? If so, it may be a balance issue at a faster pace. Sometimes pain in the hind end will cause faulty braking, too. Check teeth. If you can rule out those things, then I would play with the equipment.
You said this is a new horse, what equipment did the previous owner use? Did it work?
If the horse is opening his mouth to evade the bit and no dental issues, I would try a different noseband.

If the horse is a leaner on the bit, a waterford might do the trick.

Whatever you do, change one thing at a time give it a few rides before deciding if something is going to work or not.

Edited to mention that if you horse is opening the mouth due to discomfort from the bit, using a flash/drop/figure-8 noseband will only exacerbate the issue.

[independentlyawesome]

I like the Pelham suggestion (mullen-mouth) as one to try. You can ride as though your horse is wearing a snaffle, until you need a little bit extra “oomph.”

Are you working with a trainer? It sounds like this horse could do with some serious flatwork before you worry about jumping over fences.

[woodhillsmanhattan]

Third the Pelham suggestion. I would keep him in your current set up for flatting if you are happy with it (besides the stopping part :lol:) and then just use the Pelham with a similar mouthpiece for jumping or more serious flatwork. Another option could be a gag if he is pulling down very hard when you ask him to slow down and you need to lift his head up (again with two reins). My first instinct though is to find a bit that you use two reins with so that you can choose whether to use the extra oomph or not.

[vxf111]

A pelham is a good bit. I find it gives you a little “lift” in addition to the additional stopping with the second rein. I would also suggest, if you have educated hands, an elevator with 2 reins. A waterford is also a good suggestion although I had found some horses curl and just get behind it.

I tried the EZ Control bit on a horse that liked to build and found it was no help at all. It was worse, gave him something to lock and pull back against. I do like them on my very soft/responsive horse-- he seems to feel the light touch better with the EZ control D ring snaffle than the equivalent non-locking D ring snaffle. But I would NOT recommend it for a horse that’s hard to put the brakes on. The name is really misleading. It was more like a “no control” bit to me!

[eventer_mi]

How does your horse pull? I know I’m an eventer, but Jimmy Wofford says that horses pull in of three ways - up, down, or out. If they invert and pull up with their ears up your nose, then a pelham or something with leverage and a curb strap helps. If they pull out, then something with a slow twist or edges that they can’t grab on to helps (like a waterford or a cherry roller). If they pull down, something with a lifting/gag action.

My Trak pulls like a freight train - straight down. He’ll curl, get on the forehand, and will just tank on. I’ve tried everything on him, and the combination that has worked for the past year or so is a Pessoa Metalab full cheek (it has ball bearings, like a waterford, but it has a mullen mouth action, so he can’t grab a hold of it). He’s touchy - doesn’t like a bit that breaks in the middle, so mullen mouths keep him happy, but he can lock on and pull in one, too. The thing that truly worked for us was to not allow him to put his head down in the first place - the minute he starts to curl, I use a quick lifting action with my hands to “bump” him back up, and then kick him on to engage the hind end so that he keeps his withers elevated. That works 100% of the time, and he can no longer pull. So, if you have a pony that likes to lug DOWN, this works wonders without being harsh or resorting to a lot of hardware. HTH.

[IPEsq]

I don’t understand why you’d go with a figure 8 or flash without first trying to just tighten the noseband you have? Other than that, I’m with eventer_mi, the type of bit you’ll want for better brakes will depend on in what direction your horse is trying to evade by pulling. If you do have to still resort to some circling, I’d first try a bit that has more to the cheekpiece (like a D or full cheek)–loose rings are not good for the one handed emergency stop kind of pull.