I've been running my gelding in the martha Josey million dollar bit, but its not enough control.
Of course, we are assuming you mean barrel racing when you say "running".
In my opinion, a Martha Josey Million Dollar bit is one of the harsher bits you can use to control your horse. If that bit is working fine on a winning pro rodeo caliber horse, well, that's one thing. (Clearly it worked very well for Martha Josey's career and her horses.) I'm all about using the bit that works and gets the job done.
But if your horse is heavy and running through your hands and you need something stronger in order to control your horse (which of course, that
is what is happening to you) that's another thing.
I'm looking for something thats gonna give me more control, but still let him bend nicely.
There are nastier things out there than the Million Dollar bit, and they will probably work if you switch your horse to something stronger.
For a while.
Then what will you do when you horse starts running through
that bit?
Then you switch to something stronger.
And eventually he runs through
that bit. Then what will you do?
Eventually, you will have a ruined barrel horse that cannot be controlled with anything.
Your problem is not a bit as most everyone has already said. Your problem is training.
Your horse needs to be re-trained to listen to you and be softer in the bit. You need to go back to slow work (no more competing) and fix the problem.
I could run barrels on my horse Red in a neck rope if I wanted to. No, might not be our best run, but I've put enough training into him that I would 100% trust I could control him with nothing more than that. I could stop him at any time during our run, because he listens to me.
My younger horse Shotgun is currently in a smooth mouth snaffle bit. And he'll stay in that until he tells me something else would work better. If that ends up being his "finished" bit, so be it.
I use the bit that works the best for the horse and for the job at hand. But your horse still needs to be soft and responsive at all times. It is all about TRAINING.
Train your horse and go back and fix his holes, and you'll find you no longer have a bit problem.