Bit options

I have a newish horse, have had him a little over 3 months now. I have tried a couple of bits on him but he never really took to them and I finally figured out...he doesn't like a jointed mouthpiece. I started him off with an O-ring snaffle. He constantly chewed and rolled it around, would work it back and even bite it. I have a full cheek with a wider moutpiece, same reaction. I have a mullen mouth pelham, so I put that on him and he seemed much more at ease with it. He responds much better and has stopped all the chewing and seems more relaxed.

My issue is this...this is my 4 year old daughter's horse, she rides western and certainly can't handle two sets of reins. Right now, I just have her reins on the snaffle ring and I'm letting her ride that way. I'd like to have something more appropriate and western oriented, but there are so many bits out there and I'm totally overwhelmed. Can someone recommend a few so that I can narrow down my choices?

If it's the mouthpiece she's picky about, you can get a mullen mouth with almost any kind of cheekpiece- eggbutt, "western dee," or D-ring might give a similar feel to the cheekpiece of the pelham.

Okay. Seems simple enough that I should have thought of that, lol. I have always had a mind block when it comes to bits. I can go in thinking I know exactly what I need and then my mind blanks out when I see them all and I lose confidence that I'm getting the right thing.

My WP horse does not like jointed mouthpieces either...it's very common with western horses. Get a medium port grazing bit with swivel shanks...great bits.

OP doesn't say if her horse is trained for neck reining/ curb bits, but I wouldn't put a leverage bit in the hands of a 4 y/o even if it is!
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Doesn't matter....a horse doesn't have to know how to neck rein before you starting using a shanked bit.

Still not appropriate for a 4 year old kid, though.

I wouldn't let her ride in a shanked bit right now anyway. Her little horse, he's so patient and is going to be great for her to learn on, but she pulls on him so much. I'm still working with her on how to use the reins properly, but she hasn't gotten the hang of it yet. I actually work with her for awhile then I usually hook the reins to his halter so that it gives his mouth a break. I didn't even know that they made a mullen mouth happy mouth bit, but I drove to a shop today (hour away) so that I could look and talk things over. I decided on that one, at least to try, because it will be gentler on his mouth as she's pulling more than she should in this learning process. I am thinking about getting a short shanked bit for me to use on him when I ride because I've noticed that he's not quite as responsive as he used to be, I'm sure from all the tugging he's used to from her. He does not neck rein, but I'm working on it. When I got him he would only direct rein, but he is getting better.