Ugh. Ouch. My late mare was extremely strong to fences (yet I could collect her to nearly canter on the spot if no fences were involved, go figure), and her mouth was so sore after the Happy Tongue attempt, she also needed time off. Not a year, but several weeks.
yeah, it was unfortunate for me at the time my mare was really becoming more rideable and was much softer than ever before, but one Ill fated half halt ignored and then another coming into a tight coffin (she has a massive stride) and that was all it took. Her mouth was ripped and I was lawn darted into the ground and took down the frangible fence lol. She was definitely strong I wasn’t pulling so hard there should have been damage from that.
Very annoying too she had to suffer that because I was spending thousands on bits to try and make her more comfortable in the first place 
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I tried a Bombers Happy Tongue titanium bit (all the horses have told me titanium bits only in their mouths when I ride them.) I occasionally try out interesting bits, this bit looked interesting and possibly humane.
Both horses hated that bit in my hands. Before I read the above I thought it was just because of my MS handicapped hands, but now I wonder.
The impression I got from the horses was that they were leery about the bit if it moved from side to side. Since there is no way that I can guarantee that my hands will be still enough and sensitive enough to keep this bit ALWAYS perfectly centered in the horse’s mouth it is now in my bit box until a lesson horse rejects all my other bits.
The reason I thought it was my hands is that these horses have objected to EVERY tongue relief snaffle I tried, the Bombers one, a Fager snaffle, and a Shires one.
I now depend on LIGHT contact (except when I need to temporarily make my hands hard) to deal with the tongue sensitivity of these rather old-to-ancient school horses who do not like tongue pressure.
These horses also HATE IT when I try to ride with a mullen mouth snaffle bit or snaffle bits that “lock up” easily. Their mouths become hard, their jaws lock down, and they are not happy with me at all.
And it is not just the snaffles. I tried a Fager titanium “tongue relief” curb bit. Neither horse would accept contact with it (one mare insisted on going to her owner and telling her about how horrible it was). I usually ask the horse to go on contact with just a curb bit for a short while so they learn that it is not an instrument of the devil, but according to the horse’s reactions to the sagging rein I did not dare take contact with it alone, and after one or two tries of light halting aids I just did not use the curb rein again. With my Mullen mouth Weymouth contact and rein aids are fine.
I just am not capable of guaranteeing that the bit will never move side-to-side or of being able to keep my hands perfectly centered and the reins always with exactly the same tension so that the bit does not get askew and lodged in the horse’s mouth. If I could do that the horses may like these bits better.
For me tongue relief bits end up being a rather expensive failure, no matter the maker or the material of the bit. That is too bad, I just want to make the horses more comfortable.
Same.
I have found the NS bits to be the missing link in my life. All my horses go in them now and I have 0 issues since. Now if my mares mouth would hold up to a bit again, we would be good to go!
See, outside of the verbindend, my mare hates all my NS bits. Turtle top (which I had high hopes for!), no. Tactio, no. Trans angle, no. Team up, no.
The ported bomber is the only one she likes. It isn’t a mullen, but it doesn’t collapse either. Wish she could talk!
Update: USEF has responded back. It’s legal! 
"Hi Endless!
We have mailed your bits out today – they are on their way back to you! Following review, both mouthpieces of the bits submitted measure within the tolerances of the 30mm height maximum/minimum 30 mm width of DR121.
Please let me know if we can provide any more information! Thank you!"
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