Best Snaffle for a pony that leans

[showingmad152]

I am wanting advice on the best snaffle to put my daughters section B into. The pony is rising 6 but tends to lean and sometimes sets her mouth. She seems to prefer a copper bit. A waterford has been suggested but I feel this is too harsh as my daughter is only rising 12 although she has good hands. Any advice please.

[dai7y]

I used to ride my cob in a waterford and it helped to stop him leaning. As you say it can be a harsh bit but in the right hands it is totally fine. I now ride him in a eggbutt snaffle but sometimes he goes back into a waterford as he tries to pull a fast one on me

[GinaGeo]

To start with I'd look at the cheek of the bit. A loose ring will help to aleviate leaning due to the moving rings, unlike the eggbutt which holds the bit stiller in the mouth, and gives the horse something to lean on. As a rule native ponies have thicker tongues and have little rooom in their mouths, so need a bit with a thinner mouthpiece. You will only find the best solution with your mare through trial and error.

I tried hundreds of bits with mine, Sprenger's, Neue Schule's, Myler's (all snaffles), he goes best in a bradoon, loose ring, a touch too wide for him, with a tiny thin mouth piece and single joint. I never thought he'd like it, but he loves it. He went better in all the other posh bits than he did his bog standard French Link Eggbutt, but his mouth is much stiller with the loose ring and he's very responive to it. He has a large tonuge and I think other bits were taking up too much room in his mouth...

[snowflake]

Hmmm - I wouldn't particulary suggest a Waterford if you yourself do not feel you your daughter is ready. As has been perviosuly said they are good in very capabale hands.

Have you tried a Tom Thumb bit? My SHP, goes fabulous in any snaffle or pelham however, after a while she seems to have 'clocked' the idea of the bit. On the Eggbutt snaffle she pulled a bit, but mainly leant on it, & see doesn't seem to like the gag pretty much! We stuck her in a basic loose ring, which she then leant on. I wanted to keep her in her pelham but felt it wasn't nessecairy. Then I tried a Neue Schule - she was great in that, fabulous little snaffles. However, she can be quite 'strong' so, someone suggested a tom thumb. My old SP which bucked was in this & our old FR had one of these. They lift them up much better, they can't lean on them & it isn't quite as severe as the Waterford. It deals with several ponies but they can't lean on it - PLUS it has a copper mouth piece. These bits are great, work my SH in it & pelham for the show ring.

If you're looking for something a bit less severe try a Neue Schule. They've got a website. Had our sec A in one & she as our SH quite liked the bit - she had a slightly bend rounded one & it fitted her small mouth well.

[iluvmyponies]

For a pony that leans, a Waterford is perfect. My Section A was very heavy infront & after numerous lessons & different instructors there was no improvement. We got a Waterford & after a week of him being in it, he was back in his pelham & hasn't needed it since.

[sageandonion]

Sprenger KK WH bit. This is a dressage legal loose ring snaffle and has a little roller in the lozenge in the middle, a kind bit. If you can get it small enough, I think it will be perfect for the purpose. If they take hold the little roller turns but stays quite and still otherwise.

Otherwise, I was told by a bitting specialist that a loose ring single jointed bit is better for a leaner. This is because it is less comfortable and slightly harsher than the lozenge. The theory being that you don't want them to be so comfortable if they are going to lean on it.

I am a snaffle fan, but I don't think it will do your pony any harm if your daughter hacks on a loose rein in a waterford which should be ordinary loose ring. If you prefer a warmer metal, you can get a neue schule waterford. I also think changing bits helps as they then have to spend a bit of time working out how one leans on this particular bit.

All of the above are to help as your daughter is young. I am sure I don't need to tell you that leaning really is a schooling, rather than a bitting issue. The very best thing you can do in conjunction with the bit, is to have a small qualified person in to school your pony for he is not working forward and through his back.

In my opinion, a Tom Thumb is totally unsuitable.

[snowflake]

S&O we were suggested a Tom Thumb from my instructor who said, when used lightly in the hand ponys' much prefer to have a tom thumb in the mouth due to it being copper. Mine is much happier in a tom thumb than a gag or double.

[showingmad152]

Thanks for some suggestions, we have tried her in a tom thumb and she does lean less, I know the pony is on the forehand and hope to get her schooled by a more experienced rider, I thought about lunging her myself in a pessoa to get her working from behind. My daughter has a private lesson every week and she is working on getting her working from behind but she is only young. Just trying to make life a little easier for her. I was always under the impression that the waterford can ruin a ponies mouth and the pony is only just rising 6.

[sageandonion]

No bits don't ruin a pony's mouth, harsh hands do. If he were mine I would lunge him in a headcollar (if save to do so) and make him carry himself. If your daughter likes to do little jumps then ride him forward and go jumping. He has to lift his front to jump.

The answer is as you say, he is on the forehand, so will always feel heavy until that is corrected and he is only young so schooling and time. No poll action bits.

[bennybee]

If you email the Horse Bit Bank they give great advice, helped me decide which myler to get for my boy. And its perfect, massive range of bits too lots of them you can have on trial too.

[Dipsy]

My horse leans on you and the bit he goes best in is a tom thumb....got both the snaffle and the pelham !

[Deleted]

I would go back to a breaking bit, then he will remouthe and hopefully soften.

[delfachhighwayman]

Jan 24, 2012 16:58:14 GMT cayberry said:

I would go back to a breaking bit, then he will remouthe and hopefully soften.

I totally agree and the idea of getting instructor in to get him off the fore and stop leaning. Too easy to try and mask problem with a bit. Better nip it in the bud with good schooling as will make it easier for you in the long run x

[gooogle]

Hi,Try lunging the pony over trotting poles with your daughter. Gradually lift the poles onto low blocks to elevate the outer ends to about 6". Get your daughter to count strides out loud whilst you practice (8-12 poles if possible), this regulates breathing and relaxes you sitting you naturally deeper.
Practice relaxing her elbows and ensure they "hinge" nicely ensuring that there is no bobbing up and down of her hands and that her shoulders slightly follow the curve of the circle.
Practice controlling the trot using this technique along with the rider "holding" the trot or "riding out" by either rising slower or slightly higher and longer. You help her by making sure that the pair of them are either on a smaller or larger circle to hit the right point on the poles. This a useful skill if the pony tanks on on the go round in the ring.
Use the lunge whip to keep pony forward going so your daughter can concentrate on her position and clear aids. How many times you will need to do this depends on both the rider and the lunger, 1-3 times approx.
The poles are really there to occupy the pony whilst your daughter can get on with it. If the pony gets "yompy" as my mother puts it or just tanks vary the poles try 6 at each point of the compass or canter distance the whole circle. Most ponies behave if there is a remote possibility they will trip over!
As for the bit try a loose ring narrow mouth piece french snaffle, wriggly enough to encourage mouthing difficult to set against. Pm me to let me know how you get on. Good luck