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Helping to choose the right bit.

1K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  xostallion 
#1 ·
Im not sure if this is where i should post this but i need some advice.

I have my 5 year old gelding, a thoroughbred/tennessee walker cross and ive had him for almost 2 years now. When i first started riding him he was an absolute dream but now im fearing there is something wrong.

He was good for the first year an a half until recently he bucked me off and bolted all the way home. I thought maybe at first it was something i did but after talking to my mom to watched him start bucking for no reason i realized it had something to do with my tack.

I had him in a Tom Thumb for the first year an a half with a chin strap loosely on. He responded really well to that but i thought i would change his bit to something else. I am sending my mare out to get trained in August and talking to my trainer she told me that it wasnt a good bit to use so i opted to switching it out and trying out a different saddle, thinking maybe there was something wrong with that as well. I have switched it to a c-bit, i know one of the harshest bits someone can use, hoping that maybe he was just getting stubborn and not wanting to respond anymore.

Well no, not the case, i then tied my chin strap, still nothing. I am not a harsh rider, i dont even kick my horses to go, i click my tongue but my horse doesnt want to turn the way i want him to (he doesnt neck rein) i am now having to resort to using both hands to turn his head the direction i want him to go and really kicking him. Its not just in one space its almost everywhere we go now. I fear hes lost the joy to go riding now =( but hes so young still!

I have on order a driving sinch for ground driving and a full cheek bit hoping to start out fresh again with ground work. But i want to hear some other ideas =( im trying to find out different options before i send him to the vet to get his teeth checked/done.

I am really concerned about this, i just dont understand how a horse using a Tom Thumb for a year an a half perfectly just suddenly ups and decides that he doesnt like it anymore, i mean its happened of course but i keep thinking that its me doing something wrong, when i know im not.

Please help and im really sorry about this long post!
 
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#2 ·
Please reread your post. It's a bit confusing to the reader as to what happended before what. Did this bucking and problem happen before ceasing to use the TT bit? Did it happen after he had started needing to be kicked and hauled around turns? I am a bit confused.

All I can say at this point is to think about what else may have changed at that time, such as a new horse to the herd? Change of feed? location? amount of excersize? riders? tack?

You are focussing on the tack, but again, I am not sure if this happened before the new saddle or after. That would clarify things a lot.

In general, sudden changes in behavior are usually linked to pain or discomfort, or sudden changes in feed or companions. Any ideas?

As for a bit, I think a full cheek snaffle is always a good choice for training/retraining.


Also, more often than not, it's a poor saddle fit that bothers a horse more than a bit.
 
#3 ·
I'm sorry you are right this is kinda a bit confusing. I don't know what to say thought. He was acting weird side stepping more frequently then he usually does and he's great on the ground but about 2 months ago he started freaking out over nothing. I ended up putting him in with my mare and thinking about it now it just got worse. So I'm not blaming my mare because he was acting like that before I put him in with her. I'm trying to figure out if maybe it's my tack, I changed saddle to a different one, cause I thought maybe the one I had before was. pinching him, I've been focusing on the bit now hoping it has something to do with that. his feed has been the same which is why I think it's the tack. :(
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#6 ·
Ok firstly in relation to the Tom Thumb you might be interested to read this article which explains matters more effectively than I will.

Mark rashid tom thumb - Google Search

Secondly can you post a better picture of the horse please. Obviously just from the avatar I may not be seeing things accurately. However my first impressions would be that your horse has a significant lack of balance, and very poor musculature at this stage. Please also remember that at 5 years old the back is only just setting. (the growth plates set in a ground up fashion, so knees are earlier at around 2 and then it goes up from there with the back being last to set)

Sideways 'avoidance' is also often related to pressure avoidance. What type of saddle are you using. If it's English is it new? Has it been re-flocked? How is the angle of the tree compared to the angle of the shoulder?

Personally I find that because most horses are SO forgiving and suffer quietly, very often a sudden change is not related to anything specific at that time but simply a build up over a period of time until finally they cannot find another way out and so react more strongly.

You are right to look at this as a tack matter first. Pain is the first thing you need to rule out. Approach it methodically and you will find the problem, en you will have your horse back :)
 
#10 ·
Also I just posted a brand new picture of him in my stable, I can't post one here because I am using my iPhone lol but yes in those pictures he was under weight but he's a thoroughbred as well and I thought it was my fault he wasn't eating but thoroughbreds have lean bodies anyway, not as lean as he is now but slim none the less. He's been on pasture with my mare since may now an he's filled back out again.

The picture I'm talking about is the one where he's got his head up as if there is something out there. Should be the last one posted he's tied to a post by the red gate.
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#9 ·
Thank you so much for that, i have him in a new western saddle, I just tried it out a few days ago. The saddle is not new but in better condition then the last one. It actually seems a better fit then the last. Also, the reason I'm tinking it's the bit is because he's great backing up with the littlest pressure possible it's turning left that I'm having to really jar his mouth :s I hate it!! I'm thinking though it could be his teeth where hes got a sharp point on his left side that's making him refuse to turn that way. I think the end result will be having to get his teeth done and hope thats the problem.

But thank you for the great advice :) im defiantly taking that into consideration.
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