From: Riaan
Hi Jessica,
I am from South Africa.
We where looking at some horses and ponies for the kids when I started doing research on the Net and came across your Website. Well Done!
I did my Military Service for 2 years in the Mounted Infantry in 1982 and that was my last stint with a horse, thus all the research.
We decided on a “Nooitgedacht” one of our own indigenous breeds and directly translated means “Never Thought”. http://www.sa-breeders.co.za/org/nooitgedachter
He is a 13-year-old 14-hh gelding, very loving and inquisitive. He’s been at our riding school for a week now just doing the bonding bit.
He has been jumping, used for out-rides and some dressage.
When we tested him he was terrific and now comes the question!
I had a look at the archives but could not quite find the answer we are looking for.
All tack is new and still a bit hard - possible problem.
He seems very uncomfortable with the bit (4 piece egg but steel jointed Snaffle) yes, confirmed and the correct length in the mouth. I tried different thickness and no solution. We had him with a cavason and tried the drop-nose band to no avail, He keeps chewing the bit and looks as if he wants to push it out with his tongue. This makes him hard to stop and a tad un co-operative. STRONG He seems well schooled and reacts well to voice commands, in general he does what is asked with no hesitation except with the stopping move.
This by the way he obviously did not do at the previous owners. According to them they also used a snaffle I can’t remember. Do we need a synthetic bit?
There are no problems with his ears and mouth although the Vet said that his teeth would have to be floated some time.
Obviously something is bothering him but what? Please advise!
Many Thanks Riaan
You're right, something is bothering your new horse. I think that you are probably on the right track, as it does sound as if the problem is in the horse's mouth, but I'm not convinced that a synthetic bit would be the answer. For every horse that accepts a synthetic bit happily, there is another that appears to despise the taste and/or texture.
The problem may lie with his teeth, or with the thickness or position of the bit, or with its adjustment in his mouth. Or it may lie with something else entirely. Horses have a limited number of ways to say "Ouch, something is bothering me, help!" Fussing with their heads and mouths is one of those ways, and although it's always best to check everything to do with the bridle, the bit, the horse's mouth and the rider's hands, you should also consider the possibility that the horse may be experiencing pain elsewhere, perhaps from the saddle. New tack should not be very stiff; if it is stiff, it may be causing painful rubs. Check the bridle, too. A wide, stiff browband, even if it isn't too short, can rub painfully against the base of a horse's ears. If the browband is also too short, the pain can be excruciating.
Without seeing the horse, it's hard to make good suggestions, but I can offer a few ideas.
If the horse needs his teeth floated soon, I would suggest having them done NOW rather than later, and be sure that the vet or dentist uses a speculum and a series of rasps, and does a thorough job. That can only help.
I would also suggest trying the horse in a bridle without a bit - not in a mechanical hackamore, of course, but in something more gentle such as a Western sidepull or, better yet, the Bitless Bridle. If none of those items are available locally, take a dropped noseband with rings and adjust it high on the horse's face, two fingers' width below the cheekbones, and keep it loose enough to allow you to insert two fingers between the noseband and the horse's face. Then attach reins to the rings, and try riding with this "bridle". I've used such an arrangement for years, particularly when riding indoors in cold winters.
If the horse doesn't have to wear a bit for competition purposes, why not simply allow him to go without one? Some horses, because of tongue injuries or other problems, find it difficult to tolerate any bit and/or any amount of tongue pressure.
If you need to use a bit, I would suggest that you try a fairly slender French-link snaffle, and if the horse has difficulty dealing even with this, try a Baucher with the same mouthpiece.
Meanwhile, pay attention to the way the horse is being ridden. If he is accustomed to being halted from the rider's seat rather than from the hands, he may simply not understand why his mouth is being pulled. If he is accustomed to a single squeeze of the rider's fingers as a "halt, please" request, he may not understand a steady pull. Experiment with him in an enclosed arena for safety's sake, but do try various methods of asking him to halt, and find the lightest and softest method that achieves the effect you want.
If you can, by all means contact the horse's previous owners and ask them exactly what sort of bit they used, how it was adjusted, and find out precisely what their signal for "halt" was. If they don't remember, try to talk to the horse's last regular rider and ask that person to close his or her eyes, imagine that he or she is riding the horse, and then "talk you through" the process of halting. You may find that a small change, such as sitting tall instead of leaning forward or backward, will make a large difference to the horse.
The important thing to remember is that this is a nice, willing, well-trained horse that is doing its best to do what you want it to do. Any problems are almost certainly a matter of mutual miscommunication or misinterpretation - confusion - NOT a matter of unwillingness on the horse's part.
Good luck, and please let me know what you discover and how it works out!
Jessica
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