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My TB refuses to take the contact and throws her head in the air
Is this something that you can relate to ? Horse goes round looking like a giraffe, throwing their head in the air every time you dare take a contact ? This is their way of saying ouch this bit hurts me !
Thoroughbred’s typically have low palates ( if you have a TB, have a quick look in their mouth and see how low the palate is ) Single jointed bits such as a jointed loose ring act directly on the roof of the horses mouth applying a pressure point to the already exceptionally low palate. Double jointed bits such as those with a lozenge don’t apply the same direct pressure but they do irritate the horses palate. The throwing the head in the air is a reaction to pressure and pain therefore making it virtually impossible for your horse to ride into the contact.
In this scenario we would recommend the Loose Ring Comfy Barrel. This bit is only 10mm in diameter which I also an important point to take into consideration for horses who have limited room in their mouth. The barrel centre doesn’t apply point pressure or irritate the palate and keeps the bits shape constant whilst forming a type of joint to give some movement to the mouthpiece.
The barrel enable the bit to have independent side movement on each arm of the bit to give a more definite signal to the horse without the rest of the bit twisting as is the case with other double jointed bits. The barrel is much stiller in the mouth which the sensitive thoroughbred prefer and therefore putting much less pressure on the palate.
We would normally recommend starting with a loose ring and the horse can place it in their mouth where they find it most comfortable.
