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| Bit Suggestion for young OTTB!!!!; Along with exercises for the big guy!!! | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 27 2007, 07:02 PM (417 Views) | |
| Petey's Mom | Jul 27 2007, 07:02 PM Post #1 |
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I Visited Candy Mountain and All I Got Was This Lousy Incision
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I need some suggestions on bits for my 4 y.o. OTTB so I will give a little background. I just got Ben a month ago and he's quiet and very laid back but he's a big gangly guy with long legs!!! He's very quiet normally and has a big trot and I have to help him stay together. I am mostly w/t at this point and once in a while pop him over a jump and very little cantering right now. His power steering is not good at this point and I'm working on teaching him to move off the leg. Lots of w/t circles and surpentines teaching him to move off the leg. My problem is when I use a rein to help him turn he just turns his head and keeps going the direction he's traveling. I have to use tons of leg to help turn plus some outside reing as well. He is heavy ont he right rein but is better that direction than to the left. He goes with a low head carriage and does lean on the bit but isn't pulling. He doesn't need a bit to stop. YES he is very green and I have to teach him what leg and bit means. Oh, one problem I have is no ring. I ride in my pasture so I don't have help of a fence. So suggestions on bits and exercies to help him please!!!! |
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| jetsmom | Jul 27 2007, 07:44 PM Post #2 |
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I Visited Candy Mountain and All I Got Was This Lousy Incision
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Try a full cheek Happy Mouth Mullen mouth. Most horses love them, they're mild, yet the full cheeks will help with steering. I'd teach him turns on the forehand and turns on the haunches. That will help. Also, when turning, half halt to set him up/balance, and use an inside leading rein and outside rein contact to keep him from popping his shoulder. Don't be afraid to move your outside leg a little forward and "bump" him with it instead of just squeezing harder. It's really important to make sure you are sitting balanced/not weighting your inside stirrup more than the outside, or dropping your inside shoulder on the turn. Doing those will encourage his "Gumby" behavior and make him less straight. Trot circles (Fairly large ones for a greenie) and work on bending/counterbending. If you find that you are still having problems after working on the above, try doing a little counter bend going into your turn to keep the shoulder from bulging out. |
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| Irish Ei's | Jul 27 2007, 08:47 PM Post #3 |
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Grab mane and kick on!
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We use a full cheek rubber snaffle with the keepers. |
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| Petey's Mom | Jul 28 2007, 04:57 AM Post #4 |
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I Visited Candy Mountain and All I Got Was This Lousy Incision
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Thanks Jetsmom & I.E. I was figuring a full cheek would help him but I'm concerned that a rubber or happy mouth he will lean on. He is heavy on the bit but doesn't pull. I do counterbend him specially when he's heavy on the right side and it does help. I really have to remember to use the outside rein to support him and will try moving my leg forward to help the turn. |
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| jetsmom | Jul 28 2007, 07:39 AM Post #5 |
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I Visited Candy Mountain and All I Got Was This Lousy Incision
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Greenies will lean to help balance them. Add leg/half halt to help them rebalance, and then soften the reins to not give them something to lean on. You'll be doing a lot of half halts with greenies to help them balance. At this stage, let them go long and low, and work on them staying slow by using half halts and large circles. That will help them learn to balance, and build muscle. At this stage, you don't want a severe bit to get them off your hands, as they will learn to get behind the bit, which is a pain to fix. You could try a KK ultra loose ring, which will encourage them to play with it, but doesn't give them something to lean on. I have one I could send you to try if you will send it back in 30 days or so. I think they run about 60.00 thru Dover, so if you want to try one before buying one, I'd be glad to let you try it. |
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| Petey's Mom | Jul 28 2007, 09:10 AM Post #6 |
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I Visited Candy Mountain and All I Got Was This Lousy Incision
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Maybe I should try a full cheek (HM or rubber) and lots of circles and half halts for balancing. I will keep in mind your generous offer on the KK Ultra loose ring!!! Thanks!!!! |
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| jetsmom | Jul 28 2007, 12:24 PM Post #7 |
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I Visited Candy Mountain and All I Got Was This Lousy Incision
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Well, the offer is there if you decide later on that you want to try it. Something else that came to me that will help strengthen the hind end, improve balance and keep them from leaning, is trot poles (minimum of 3 poles-as only 2 poles will make some horses try to jump them), set up down all 4 sides of the ring . Do a half halt if needed a couple of strides before them, but leave them alone once they are going through them. The poles will automatically teach them to balance/lighten their forehand, and strengthen their hind end. Additional benefits are teaching them to stay in the center and pay attention to where their feet are. |
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| Delia | Jul 31 2007, 08:02 AM Post #8 |
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You're BANNED!
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When I first got my OTTB he was very green and went like yours -- soft mouth but a little on the forehand, and very wiggly. It seemed like his pole, shoulders and hips were all going in different directions! I tried a rubber D, a loose ring and a french link on him. He went best in the french link, and 12 years later that's what I still use on him at home for both flatting and jumping. When he was still pretty green I also used that at shows, but once he was a little bit more made up I switched to a D with a slow twist for shows, which lightens him up a little bit more after a jump. |
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| Petey's Mom | Jul 31 2007, 06:44 PM Post #9 |
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I Visited Candy Mountain and All I Got Was This Lousy Incision
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Jetsmom - I did start him on trotting poles last week. He such a saint, first time through, he said what the heck are those. 2nd time, went through like an old pro! I also do alot of large circles with a pole on the circle. I ended up buying a full cheek rubber snaffle to try on him. I hope the full cheek helps on the turn issues. Delia, I had a loose ring french link snaffle that I wanted to use but I can't find it. I have a feeling that I sold it when I was getting rid of some stuff. Unfortunaley I have to give him a few days off due to a bad case of rain rot. But that is a whole other story.
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| KaliTude | Aug 2 2007, 11:31 AM Post #10 |
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Thomas H. Cruise!
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All the OTTBs I have had went best in a JP French Link hunter D bit. TBs tend to have lower palettes, and they do better with thinner bits. The JP bits are designed with race horses in mind. They are cheap and IMO some of the best bits out there. |
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But that is a whole other story.
12:19 PM Jul 11