Yes...yet another bitting thread

[hybriseris]

Hate to start yet another one of these but have a sort of specific set of criteria I haven’t been able to find in a previous thread.

Before I start, teeth/back/saddle fit have been checked, Adequan and hock injections are done. Horse feels otherwise fantastic, just unhappy with her bit.

Currently I’m riding her in a thinner stainless steel French link hunter dee. Lately she’s been chomping and grabbing at it, and when the work gets more complex she’ll lose her brakes or attempt to come above the bit. I’ve noticed her gaping her mouth. She does salivate a little. The bit in my box she seems to like most is a Happy Mouth single jointed hunter dee, but she tends to tear them up quickly so I’d prefer something metal for her.

I know she likes: wider diameter bit, the fatter the better. D or eggbutt rings.

I know she doesn’t like: thinner bit, loose rings.

She seems neutral about whether it’s single, double, or mullen mouth. Maybe slight preference for single joint.

Her vet who is also her dentist recommended something that curves due to her having a somewhat short smile.

I’m looking for recommendations for fatter bits, maybe with interesting rollers or metals. She is an anxious horse, and I wonder if something more substantial but gentle is what she’s craving.

[EmilyM]

have you tried a copper bit? some horses really like the copper. can get a not so thin D. i have a nice one that is a three piece. the middle piece is thickish but not a roller. maybe that’s considered a lozenge? it’s not a french link or a dr. bristol

[IPEsq]

Hollow mouth eggbutt snaffle is a good bit. Korsteel makes one.

[StormyDay]

In any horse being fussy with bits recommend trying a waterford bit. They are gentle but have a bunch of moving parts to keep them entertained.

If she’s actually just really soft in the mouth then I recommend a French link happy mouth bit. The horses with soft mouths just really like the plastic bits.

[scislandsprite]

Mine really liked the Cupreon D-Ring by Mikmar. The copper roller is nice since they can play with it instead of trying to run through my hand. The Cupreon material is also sweeter which mine really prefers. It’s a good width but doesn’t have a super strong curve. Mylers have more curved mouthpieces if that’s what you’re looking for.

[hybriseris]

Thanks everyone!

@scislandsprite I like the look of that a lot, and that’s what I’m hoping - something for her to play with when she’s thinking that’s not my hands.

@StormyDay I was considering a Waterford because it looks like there’s so much for her to play with, but didn’t know much about them. I AM considering the possibility that I’ll just replace the Happy Mouth whenever she chews it up, as they’re relatively inexpensive compared to other options and she is genuinely soft in the the mouth, just a worrier.

[StormyDay]

@hybriseris

Thanks everyone!

@scislandsprite I like the look of that a lot, and that’s what I’m hoping - something for her to play with when she’s thinking that’s not my hands.

@StormyDay I was considering a Waterford because it looks like there’s so much for her to play with, but didn’t know much about them. I AM considering the possibility that I’ll just replace the Happy Mouth whenever she chews it up, as they’re relatively inexpensive compared to other options and she is genuinely soft in the the mouth, just a worrier.

For my soft mouthed and worrier/busy mouth gelding, I ride him in a waterford. For my soft mouthed but chill gelding, he gets the French link happy mouth. His lasted him 3ish years; the most damage was done in the first two or three rides. It’s actually still useable; it was just starting to look kind of nasty. Those bits are harder to clean than steel or copper since you can’t use copper wool on them.

[Renn_aissance]

It’s not cheap, but I’ve found that the Sprenger KK Ultra is often a good fit for a horse who doesn’t need more than a Happy Mouth but who is active in the mouth and doesn’t make them last. Horses seem to like the way they feel in the mouth.

[Posting_Trot]

I think the Sprenger KK Ultra is a great choice–my previous horse was very fussy in her mouth and really liked that bit.

The other possibility, if you want to go with a Neue Schule bit. Their Turtle Top bit is a really nice bit that comes in a D-ring:
Turtle Top D

It’s pricey, but Neue Schule does a lot of work on creating bits that work with the horse’s anatomy in the mouth.

[Pally]

I know you said she doesn’t really have preference for joints vs mullen, but have the mullen mouths you tried offered ample tongue relief, or were they fairly straight across? I ask because some horses that are fussy in a double joint (and even sometimes in a single joint, depending exactly how the joint sits/breaks) are really quite sensitive to pressure on the tongue.

My current horse is one of those. He’s also goes somewhat “best” (but it’s still far off ideal) in a single jointed happy mouth eggbutt. But I think I figured out that is partly because the plastic coating makes a bit of a… um… buffer/gap around the joint itself so it’s less likely to rotate an edge into the tongue.

He’s also “very good” in a tongue relief bit that looks like a low port (no leverage though). Much more accepting than any jointed bit. I just run into some other problems, like feeling like I don’t have brakes (I do, because body cues/he’s inherently lazy, but the feeling I get in downward transitions isn’t what I’m after). I have some ideas of what I’d like to try next, but haven’t bit the bullet yet because of course, they are the most expensive ideas I can think of (a NS Tactio or Fager).

[kaya842]

I was having a similar thought - my chompy gaping horse was worse with jointed bits (the NS were the worst but any jointed bit would making her chomp and chew), but because she was a chewer I wasn’t sold on putting her in a happy mouth or leather bit for fear of her destroying them. She is happier with fixed rings over loose rings as well (overall I think she gets overstimulated by a “busy” bit - loose rings, jointed, rollers), and all of the “horse friendly” metals made the chewing worse as well (sweet iron, copper, the NS metal, the HS metal). So I ended up with a bomber blue drop cheek and she LOVES it. There is no more fussing with the bit incessantly, no more bearing down on the bit or hiding behind it, she is happy to take the contact and just be there. The tongue relief was a big thing for her.