Bit assistance ?
My trakehner warmblood gelding is 9 years old. He hadn't been ridden for about a year back I bought him so he's pretty green. I've had him a couple months and I still can't even canter him without him throwing his head around and getting faster and faster until we're pretty much flying around the arena. He doesn't listen to the bit at adjectives. I use a french snaffle. I do hunter jumping and dressage on him. Well.. I try to.. It's like the bit isn't even there sometimes.
My dad's friend have horses and he watched me ride today. He said that my horse is a lot similar to his daughter's thoroughbred that she does hunter jumping on and she uses a snaffle that's twisted. He said that it might help my horse. Do you think that would relieve?
The first mistake you are making is thinking of your bit as a control device. The bit is not a control device, it's a communication tool. If the horse isn't responding correctly to the message being given by the bit, you must back up contained by your training and begin again with focus on response to the bit.
getting a bit that's considered harsher won't help your problem, it'll singular make it worse over time. sure, he might listen to it for a short while, but eventually he will ignore it again.
The intention a twisted mouth bit may be marginally better is that the horse feels the message quicker because a ridged surface is moving on his tongue rather than a smooth surface.
Your goal should be to enjoy a horse that responds IMMEDIATELY to cues given by the bit, but the main cues are given primarily with body balance, life and weight with refinement's communicated via the bit.
Here's an example - work on this: Work to the point where the horse will slow or stop simply with the message you give in your body. My horse will slow and stop whether I sit deeply in my saddle and even lean back a bit (the tendency is often not desired in english riding). How I've trained this is by teaching her the nuts and bolts of stopping with a verbal command and the slight pull of the bit AND sitting strongly in my saddle. then I wean the verbal and foot cues away relying more and more on the energy surrounded by my seat - if I wish her to increase speed or step up, I stiffen my spine and put more vim into my body - like posting to move to a trot, for example. When I wish to go from a trot to a wander, I stop posting and sit more quietly in the saddle with slightly smaller amount rigid spine, when I wish a stop, I act like a showery rag in the saddle - no spine stiffness and no energy within my body.
You must also ensure you are employing the proper amount of release and reward. For example, if you're asking the horse to slow then not rewarding him next to allowing the slower gait or even stopping without bit pressure, he won't recognize the reward. Additionally, if you are giving conflicting cues such as pulling beside the hands, but leaning forward or staying stiff in the spine, he's confused.
Remember the horse can sense your body solidity, balance and energy as well as breathing rate, heart rate and even small electrical impluses contained by your muscles - add to this verbal sounds you make and he's bombarded next to messages he must try to interpret to understand what you wish - you must OVER-EMPHASIZE the reward and give it in a jiffy in order for him to recognize what he's done that get him the reward.
begin by setting a goal for stopping from the walk - focus simply on walking and stopping. Walk out, give the proper command with hands, legs and body to stop - enunciate "Whoa', sit deep in the saddle with neither legs nor foot touching and pull back on the reins. IMMEDIATELY when he does, allow him to stand, drop the reins, pet and praise him. Then ask again - accumulate the reins, cue with energy, legs and feet to pace off - go a certain planned distance and cue to stop again. The response will be slightly quicker this time. After I don`t know 5 times of doing this, he'll be much better but you'll have to review this exercise at each session. Build up to the trot going down to the walk and stop and so on focusing on your body and adjectives the cues you're giving to him - make them all as aligned as possible.
when starting young horses, we start next to a one-rein stop. We simply turn the horse off with the rein but not using any leg cues and keeping body energy down. Maintain the verbs on one rein until the horse stops on his own, then immediately release and reward. Within a session, the horse will turn no more than a single cirlce before stopping whether you're using a consistent cue. This will be refined to a quick stop with simply picking up one rein or the other - consequently further refined to a full stop simply by sitting deeply in the saddle.
You shouldn't have need of a different bit with this. The French Link snaffle is a very humane bit which offers somewhat urbane communications because the mouthpiece is 3 pieces.
There are some good responses posted already, but you may also want to consider teaching your gelding to yield to the bit. In directive to do this, you need to go back to the pace and begin from there. This will help him revise to "give" to the bit at the faster gaits. Once he is flexing at a walk, try it at the trot and then start canter again. With time and training he should improve.
You also may want to have his teeth checked to see if his manager tossing is from pain/discomfort. Also check that the bit isn't too narrow for his mouth.
I think I can safely guarantee you that a harsher bit will not with the sole purpose not help, but it will make the problem worse. Your horse is green, and needs more training on responding to form, weight, and leg cues, all of which are trained on the mildest of bits such as you have. Once your horse is correctly trained, the bit you hold will not be being used to control his speed or to stop him. Those are done with the seat and legs. Stronger, harsher bits in recent times create stronger, hardened mouths, and they don't train anything.
Go back to basics, and get a apposite trainer to help you if that is what you entail, but please don't put a twisted wire in his mouth. Those things belong in the trash.
As several other posters have already mentioned, the bit is not going to fix this problem. You need to go rear legs to basics and train your horse to carry himself in a relaxed, round frame while he responds to your form and leg. Do not canter him until he is able to remain relaxed and round - working from the back end through to the front come to an end - at walk and trot; has well established, smooth transitions - hike, trot & halt - without inverting (throwing his head up).
You don't mention your own level or riding experience. If you ride near more hand than leg, you will be causing this problem. Find an experienced trainer to help you and your horse near your riding foundations or this problem will continue to escalate.
Answers: Well, the short-term fix if to use a twisted snaffle. It will make the bit more effective, but you also hold to keep in mind not to be too not easy with your hands. But really, you need to memorize to balance your horse and get him off his front expire. Try sitting deep in the saddle and raising your hand 6 inches higher than you usually would. Use lots of leg and try to engage the horse's hind close. If he's balanced on his hind end, he will pull greatly less. It will take time for you to figure it out, and it will clutch time for him to figure out what you're asking and develop the necessary muscles, but once it all comes together, you'll probably be capable of switch back to the softer bit. And put a standing martingale on him so he can't throw his head around so much. My jumper mare used to be awfully strong, fast and downhill. It took years for her to develop her hind end and find her balance, but in a minute she's very responsive and listens well (in a French connection snaffle) Good luck!
A twisted snaffle might assist, but it might not be the bit that's the problem. What bit is he currently in?
How often do you ride him? Most horses need to be worked at lowest 3 times a week.
Have you tried lungeing him before you ride? Some horses get so excited when they canter due to pent-up energy and can't minister to themselves, so getting some of his energy out might help.
What percentage protein food is he on? How much food? Maybe this could be your problem. Too much food = too much energy.
How does he take action to the bit in the trot? Can you control him?
Does the saddle fit correctly? Horses don't understand pain and normally run away from it. Saddle pain is often more clear as you sit into a canter due to the constant weight.
Have you tried circling him when he runs like this?
Sorry I can't endow with a straight answer, but it's difficult without seeing the horse!
