Not salivating with bit.

[pixie]

This is an imported Dutch horse that does not salivate at all. I have tried many different bits including ones with copper inlays and all copper, different mouth pieces, side pieces, shapes. He has been in a Mikmar, a Mylar, snaffles, french links, 2 ring, etc...nothing seems to be the right one. In general his mouth is very dead. He needs to be resoftened EVERY time he gets ridden. In many of the bits he visibly looks uncomfortable as he opens his mouth and kinda chomps it a bit. He is the most responsive in the 2 ring but we can not show with that. He is a Hunter/Equitation horse. He is never strong or heavy just kinda dead mouthed in anything I have tried except the 2 ring.
Could this dry mouth be an imbalance of something in his diet? When he eats hay he constantly dunks it in water. He has had his teeth floated by an expert 2 months ago.
Thanks in advance!

[sublimequine]

Have you tried sweetiron or a happy mouth?

[katarine]

I would be talking to the vet, I believe.

[BornToRide]

Sounds to me like he really braces when being ridden - only soft mouthed horses with correct poll flexion will salivate. Perhaps have a bodyworker look at him - he could be out somewhere at the poll or elsewhere in the body which might cause this.

Also, as you know, not all bits are created equal and he may respond better to a diifferent bit. Challenge is to fine the right one. The book The Bit & The Reins is a good resource.

And last but not least try riding bitless, just to see what you get.

Good luck!

[kdriding]

This is an imported Dutch horse that does not salivate at all. I have tried many different bits including ones with copper inlays and all copper, different mouth pieces, side pieces, shapes. He has been in a Mikmar, a Mylar, snaffles, french links, 2 ring, etc...nothing seems to be the right one. In general his mouth is very dead. He needs to be resoftened EVERY time he gets ridden. In many of the bits he visibly looks uncomfortable as he opens his mouth and kinda chomps it a bit. He is the most responsive in the 2 ring but we can not show with that. He is a Hunter/Equitation horse. He is never strong or heavy just kinda dead mouthed in anything I have tried except the 2 ring.
Could this dry mouth be an imbalance of something in his diet? When he eats hay he constantly dunks it in water. He has had his teeth floated by an expert 2 months ago.
Thanks in advance!

Hey, give me my daughter's horse back!!! JK! This sounds just like my daughter's horse when we first got him. I actually posted a similar thread too. :) We have had him just shy of a year now and he is totally different. She flat's him in a Mylar D-ring snaffle with a port and rides him in the same bit, but the pelham version over fences. I school him occasionally in the 2-ring elevator. Finding what worked took a ton of trial and error, and I spent a small fortune in bits. He also gets a massage monthly and sees the Chiro as needed. Over the the last 6 months he has really started to soften his poll, relax his jaw and lift his back. Some days he still has a dry mouth. But other days he is dripping goo everywhere.