bit that calms a horse down

[Cavesson]

What kinds of bits help calm a nervous/excited/strong type horse. Do you find something different in there mouth helps? Copper rollers, sweet iron.......
Just wondering if something in his mouth other then plain would help and give him something to do. Whats kinds worked for you?

Thanks:)

I'm who asked about the Mikmar bits. They seemed to help there nervous horse in their vid

[tBHj]

I don't know if any bit has a 'calming' effect. But try a copper roller. It gives them something to play with.

[MCarverS]

I've had great success with the different types of metals: sweet iron and copper and as previously suggested, something for them to play with: rollers, keys, or the Waterford bits (ball bits) i find these great for horses that pull because they collapse in their mouth keeping them from getting a grip on the bit and hauling. Good luck!

[Allagash's mom]

I've had great luck with copper rollers, specifically the D ring w/ rollers type of bit.

[*JumpIt*]

It really depends on the horse and finding out what they are happiest with. I know of one excitable TB who loved his rolly copper bit and kept him happy and amused but then my own TB mare was very stressed with all of the "stuff" in her mouth and is content with a simple egg-butt snaffle anything more complicated stresses her out.

[heartinrye]

My gelding clams right down when he gets a happy mouth french link bit. The kids who rode him last year rode him in a pelham, and he would run through that thing like nothing was there, but I would get on in a loose ring and jump around and have to kick! I think its mostly b/c I would show him, with that mouthpiece in the jumpers, where he belongs, and pelham meant eq and he doesn't like corners! Haha

[chelsealaurenmurphy]

i would definitely suggest a copper roller. my tb loves it

[findeight]

But sometimes multiple or moving parts make a nervous horse more nervous-or flat out scare them. So try everything.

Including going the other way and trying a mullen mouth, maybe the Happy Mouth version. Also, make sure the bit is not too wide for the horse...I see alot of 6" bits on 4" 3/4 dainty headed TBs. They hate that. I also found huge differences in preference for a wider or narrower mouthpiece depending on the interior shape and clearances in the mouth-sometimes it's not about the "severity" of the mouth. It's how it sits in their mouths and how comfortable they are just carrying it.

[RugBug]

But sometimes multiple or moving parts make a nervous horse more nervous-or flat out scare them. So try everything.

Including going the other way and trying a mullen mouth, maybe the Happy Mouth version.

This is what works best with my soft-mouthed-but-nervous horse. When he gets too strong for the HMMM, I'll ride him a few times in a KK Ultra and we're back to goodness.

[findeight]

A long time ago in a corral far far away...

I remarked to this old, leather faced geezer of a cowboy-you know, the kind that are so bow legged after 50 years chasing cows you could drive a truck through their legs-that a colt I had was busy mouthed and nervous all the time and I needed to find a bit to calm him.

Old guy just said "try one that fits, he's not nervous, he's trying to spit that one out".:confused: He was, of course, correct.

Sometimes it's not nerves, that thing is uncomfortable or downright hurts and they are not playing, they are trying to get rid of it.

[RugBug]

Sometimes it's not nerves, that thing is uncomfortable or downright hurts and they are not playing, they are trying to get rid of it.

Yep. When the 2 year old I was working with started wearing a bridle, I had him in a french link and man did he just seem to resent the bit. He was so fussy and annoyed. I switched him to a HMMM and he was again, much happier. Stopped the constant fussing wtih the bit, etc. He's 3 1/2 now, under saddle and still wearing his HMMM and doing well.

Not to say the HMMM is the answer to the OP's question...just that it worked for me. And the fussy-ness was just dislike of the bit.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

My current horse gets very hot jumping, he's a total worrier in general, but really is a peach otherwise (this was true when I got him as well--so I don't take all the blame). He normally goes in an egg butt or d snaffle. I tried a copper roller bit and he went balistic playing with the ball. Then he started sticking out his tongue and head tossing. Ugh. I think, but am open to your ideas, that I might try a Mullen like this next (if I can find a cheap one) http://www.doversaddlery.com/herm-sprenger-duo-16mm-d-ring-snaffle-bit/p/X1-011921/cn/4662/



Past TB was a jumper by trade that really wasn't broke on the flat. I think they got him off the track, got lead changes, realized he could really jump and that was about it. He was in a milkmar combo (the one with the rawhide) when I got him. His mouth was iron and he had a nasty sieze the bit and rush the jump issue. What he needed was major flat work--took about a year to retrain and develop the right muscles, etc (way inverted leaning on the bit and the martingale). We went from the combo to several months in a pelham, then to a Waterford (really liked that one) and finally to a snaffle (wanted to show some dressage with him). He could even jump around in the snaffle.

[LuvMyTB]

I am currently riding my OTTB in this bit: http://www.doversaddlery.com/myler-mullen-barrel-dee-snaffle-bit-mb-32/p/X1-01196/cn/4662/

I started him out in a fat, hollow snaffle, but he has a small mouth/low palate and I think the joint was jabbing the roof of his mouth. I also tried a thinner 2-piece dee ring but that didn't fit him well either. I switched then to a 3-piece snaffle with a big fat bean in the middle. He was more comfortable in that to a point, but he played with it excessively and it was rather easy for him to grab one side in his teeth and try and yank the reins away from me.

I tried the Myler mullen almost by accident; a friend gave it to me and I just wanted to see if it fit and was worth keeping. Surprisingly he keeps his mouth very quiet with this bit and has a much harder time rooting/yanking on the reins.

I was really surprised that this bit works the best so far. Granted, this was not for a horse that needed "calming" per se, but he does need to learn to be soft and relaxed in his mouth while undersaddle.

[NeverEnd]

What kinds of bits help calm a nervous/excited/strong type horse. Do you find something different in there mouth helps? Copper rollers, sweet iron.......
Just wondering if something in his mouth other then plain would help and give him something to do. Whats kinds worked for you?

Thanks:)

I'm who asked about the Mikmar bits. They seemed to help there nervous horse in their vid

I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you having problems controlling your horse? Is he strong? Or is does he chew and play with the bit?

If it's a control issue: a new bit is not your resolution.

If he plays with the bit too much: try a flash noseband, Happy Mouth, and/or Rubber

[Showbizz]

I agree with those who have said sometimes nervous horses need *less* in their mouth to fiddle with.

IME, a lot of nervous horses are types that try to duck behind the bridle, so a mullen or something really thick can encourage them to take ahold of it.

[goeslikestink]

What kinds of bits help calm a nervous/excited/strong type horse. Do you find something different in there mouth helps? Copper rollers, sweet iron.......
Just wondering if something in his mouth other then plain would help and give him something to do. Whats kinds worked for you?

Thanks:)

I'm who asked about the Mikmar bits. They seemed to help there nervous horse in their vid

if you have an exciteable horse look at what your feeding him as most are food related
problems ie feeding to much energy feedstuffs for no or little amount of work warrented for that type of feed

people just wont read the back of a feed packet or not understand what a type of feed does or give a horse add that with lush grass good hay and little to no work and its a time bomb waiting to go off

so -- take all grian away and just feed hay for at least 3 weeks horse wont strave as they can live on hay alone -

feedstuffs take days to enter the system but a couple of weeks to come out of the system
so you wont see any changes for a few days or so
once the hrose has calmed down then you can work the horse in the normal way
if it lack energy then you slowly re introduce feedstuffs in small meals if how ever it to much energy you reduce the intake of the feedstuffs so its trial and error till you have a happy medium you can work with

you also want to check you tack- as in both saddle and bridle as ill fitting tack can make a horse do xyz as its not comfy
you also need to check his teeth for the same reasons

you also need to be honest with yourself as rider and look at you
in how you ride to hwo the horse is going --
look here as its relevent - http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=223453


and read my helpful links pages read all of page one and all links as its all relevent
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=178116

once you have found the cuase then you can sort the problem

[SOTB]

My "busy" horse did a lot better in his waterford bit.

[HenryisBlaisin']

Enlist the help of friends with bit collections and just try different bits fro a few rides. My current horse resists any kind of single jointed bit. He's a bit better in a double jointed bit, but goes best in a plain old mullen. OTOH, a mare I once had was a puller-until I read the advice of a very old-school English trainer about the Argentine riders she knew who rode in a pelham with just a curb rein. I tried it with a short-shanked rubber mouth pelham, and it worked like a charm-she was light and responsive on a loose rein and stopped pulling and resisting. Another went best in a kimberwicke. It's such an individual thing-and the reason why horsepeople have large collections of bits they don't use anymore.

[chawley]

You kind of have to do trial and error because they are all different. We always broke the babies in a copper roller and a majority of them did well in it. They Happy Mouth bits work on some horses, as do rubber snaffles/Ds. I always try to go w/ the most gentle bit and work from there.