[hunterrider23]

My horse goes PERFECTLY jumping in a Happy Mouth Dr. Bristol Dee Ring, but I'd like to find something to hack/school him in so that he doesn't get too dull to the Dr. Bristol and continues to respect it. He's a TB, occasionally he'll get a little too fast, but a quick half halt/check and he comes right back. I think he tends to like happy mouths or rubber and double jointed bits better, but I haven't tried him in something all metal. I'm afraid that his mouth is too small for a single joint especially with the nutcracker effect, though I maybe wrong. So far I've tried a loose ring double jointed happy mouth with a roller, which he HATED. He was so unresponsive to it, wouldn't pick up a canter without running and running, it was pretty bad.

[poltroon]

Are you using it as a Dr. Bristol, with the knife edge against his tongue, or flat? This bit has two different actions depending upon how it is oriented in the bridle. If you don't have it on the flat setting, I would try it that way rather than experimenting with different bits.

[Rel6]

What about a mullen mouth happy mouth?

[hunterrider23]

Are you using it as a Dr. Bristol, with the knife edge against his tongue, or flat? This bit has two different actions depending upon how it is oriented in the bridle. If you don't have it on the flat setting, I would try it that way rather than experimenting with different bits.

I'm not sure, but I'll have to check!

[hunterrider23]

What about a mullen mouth happy mouth?

I feel like it would be too heavy in his mouth, I know he hated hated hated the loose ring I tried on him, and I think it was because all the happy mouth was just too heavy, and with the dr. bristol there is the break between a happy mouth piece and the metal piece. I do know of one in barn though, so I could ask the owner to try it out.

[SaturdayNightLive]

Oval mouth dee ring? That's what I school my horse in, and he also shows in a Dr. B.

[JenEM]

Oval mouth dee ring? That's what I school my horse in, and he also shows in a Dr. B.

Ditto this recommendation. Mine jumps/goes XC in a Dr. Bristol, with the link flat against the tongue. I switched to a metal one versus the Happy Mouth one I was using, because the HM versions kept getting chewed up. Horse hasn't seemed to care whether it's plastic vs. metal.


For flatwork and dressage, she goes in an oval mouth with a copper oval. She's quite happy doing flatwork in it, and we occasionally jump around (in the ring) in it, and she's definitely happier in that than several other things we've tried (Myler French Link, HMMM, plain D, copper roller).

[Tha Ridge]

If he's as soft as you say, I'd try to flat in a nathe: http://www.smartpakequine.com/nathe-...fle-7154p.aspx

Unless the horse is completely dead weight (which it doesn't sound like your is), it's my first pick.