Snaffle to suit fussy mouthed native with huge tongue?

[Kerbeck]

One of my fells is a very fussy boy and the only bit we have found that he really likes is the Neue Schule warmblood pelham which he goes like a dream in, however I need a dressage legal snaffle for him that he isn't going to object to! He doesn't like anything with tongue pressure and isn't keen in a french link or peanut but that's what I am dressaging in at the moment but he just plays with it a bit and isn't as settled as I know he can be.

I've tried him in the NS Verbindend but he isn't keen on that either as I think the mouth piece is quite thin, does anyone have any reccomendations from similar experiences? He isn't at all strong and is lovely and light so I don't need breaks just comfort for him!

[LinsopStud]

One of my TBs has a little mouth but a huge tongue and I use the NS Warmblood Pelham for showing, it's the only Pelham he doesn't open his mouth in, love it! For every day I use an NS Trans angled with a peanut which he goes well in. Not sure if that helps!

[Kerbeck]

Thanks, I was thinking to try the Trans angled as it sounds quite kind, will look in to it :-)

[dancer]

I have just tried a Trans angled NS on our small pony as he likes to play with the bit & doesn't like a french link or joint - he seemed better than normal but I had ordered the wrong size so it was hanging too low in his mouth which didn't help!

[BSH]

Loose ring with a half moon. Two joints much nicer than 1 nutcracker for natives with big tongues and has a decent tongue port.

[bramble]

www.horsebitbank.com/loose-ring-comfort-snaffle-wide-254.phtml

I have ridden 2 exmoors in the past who also have very large fleshy tongues but they both used to like these myler snaffles which sit slightly higher in their mouthes.
Maybe worth a try on a 30 day trial ?

[jakkibag]

Hi ive had the same issues with my fell who drove, I have a everything in straight bars, and currently do dressage/novice classes in a straight bar hanging cheek, he was very fussy & hates ports/joints/rollers/peanuts/angles lol lol,he just seems to like the stability of the hanging cheek and is very happy in his straight Pelham, it was a whole new ball game for me as everything previous to him went well in loose ring French links which he refuses to move in Lol!!!

[dancer]

Also meant to say that all of ours with fleshy tongues have gone really well in the Hartwell pelham but not sure what the snaffle equivalent would be?

[Kerbeck]

Thanks all, Bramble I like the look of that one, will investigate. Jakkibag straight bars are a no go he hates thoughs along with anything with only a small port as it has too much pressure on the sides of the tongue. Dancer her liked the Hartwell but not the fixed cheeks so I think he definitely needs a loose ring - Who ever said natives were easy?!

[sarahp]

Daughter's big coloured youngster was guineapig for a Myler demo and was prescribed the comfort snaffle, which he wore ever afterwards and went very well in - she needed something dressage legal too which it is.

[fellephant]

My fell hates anything with a joint. I didn't like the idea of not having a joint or losenge / peanut for dressage but he's so much better in a fixed mouthpiece. He's in a myler mullen mouth hanging snaffle and I use a myler pelham with the same mouthpiece for showing - it's made a massive difference.

Sorry,. just seen you've said he doesn't like straight bars - I'd still investigate mylers as they have a curved mouthpiece.

[lulah]

My native likes the ns trans angled snaffle.

If you go on - the horse bit shop . com you can hire bits and pay just the trial price first.

[cre8tivekid]

I have a fussy native and very very fussy TB (who hates any tongue pressure and has a low flat palate) and both go better in the verbindend but like you say it is quite thin, and I can see could be too sharp for some. If yours doesn't like anything on his tongue then I don't think that the trans snaffle will work as this doesn't give as much tongue relief as the verbindend. The myler you can get in two comfort mouthpieces, both of which give tongue relief it is only the 02 (I think) that is dressage legal which doesn't give as much tongue relief as the (04). The mylers are great but do come up really big so I would always order a size down to usual. I got a 5.5 for my TB and it looked like a 6.25 when I tried it on! I went for the non dressage legal for the native as I figured that no one was ever going to check how much curve there was to the bitt - it proved to be a great success.

In my search I noticed that there are also a lot of companies making curved mouthpieces very similar to the verbindend , which are thicker, Jeffries do one called the harmony bit that in some pictures looks pretty much identical, they are not doing a great job selling it with the blurb on their website though. It is only just over £20 (much less than the Neue Schule equivalent), there are also some similar Stubben ones now too, so if you think that it is the thickness then this could be an option.

Overall I would look at trialing one of the mylers from one of the bit banks as suggested.

[clipclop1]

have you tried a Waterford snaffle I have a fell with a very fleshy tongue and the dentist told us to put him in a Waterford as it lies across the tongue and he loves it we tried to find him a bit for two years he liked. I don't know if they are dressage legal though? x

[sarahp]

I think not. Useful bit though.

[charlie0108]

Neue Schule verbendend snaffle, its loose ring with a copper mouthpiece and lozenge my horse loves it!! Just allow an extra 1/4 of an inch as the mouthpiece sits kind in the mouth to allow extra tongue space!!

[Em5]

Myler comfort snaffle with port. Gives room for tongue, and the barrel means it doesn't have the nutcracker action of a normal snaffle and has less closure than a lozenge but has individual side movement for greater clarity if aids.

It's the only bit that hasn't rubbed my pony in the last 6 months and that he's happy in and I've tried everything.

[krw]

My Connie has a very small mouth with a massive tongue, I use a ns verbinded snaffle .

[shardy]

N S verbindend thinnest mouthpiece and loose rings.

[lisadundee]

My D stallion had a massive fleshy tongue an he had the Neue Schule WB Pelham and then he had a Bombers Happy tongue bit, nice and soft but with a large port for the tongue, not a cheap bit but he hated mylers and I tried everything but he was a different horse in the happy tongue, you can get them on trial before parting with so much money but worth every penny and they come in a range of cheeks too

[lisadundee]

Here is a pic of one, they are amazing bits for anything with a big tongue!

[LinsopStud]

All these replies are making me want to try mine in the Verbindend. My older TB has one but not tried it on the fleshy tongued youngster

[catkin]

I have used the Mylers of various descriptions to good effect. had one who was particularly difficult and he liked a copper double jointed with small rings round it. Must have been the movement?