What horse bit do i use with a pulling horse?

Question

My horse is an ex pacer and insists on pulling on the bit... other than patience and teaching him some maners what bit can i use on him that will help this in future? he is in a plain snaffle at the moment.. Thank You.

Answer 1

You may want to try a twisted wire snaffle or a half twisted snaffle. You might even need to get him a bit with a lower port or even a driving bit.

Since he was trained and used a driving bit as he is an ex pacer he will be very unresponsive to a bit that he is not use to. I don't recommend using contraptions like draw reins, martingales, or tie downs. As these are most of the time not allowed in a show ring and are rather used as a crutch not a teaching tool. A properly trained horse will not need those contraptions.

The plain snaffle bit is fine however...it is a great training bit and any bit when used properly makes communicating to an equine easier.
Start doing flexion exercises each day to make your horses head and mouth more supple to the bit and your hands. You'd be surprised at how great this will benefit you and your horse.

Good luck and Happy trails.

Answer 2

Keep him in that plain snaffle and go with the patience and teaching. I've ridden ex-racers, pacers and polo horses. Their mouths are so hardened that it will take some time for the tissues to soften up. Also, he is probably expecting a heavy hand and setting his mouth against it whether you do it or not. So it will take him a while of you having a quiet hand to learn that he doesn't have to fight you. You could also try riding with just a rope knot halter with leads cliped to the sides. This is how I got an ex-pacer to break the habit. Take the bit out of the picture completely and use other pressure points. After he learns to listen to other cues and focus more on your leg and seat, give him back a simple D-ring snaffle. In my experience, the more severe the bit and the heavier your hand, the more he will fight. Good luck!

Answer 3

First, make sure you've had his teeth floated within the past year just to rule out discomfort. I know a lot of horses that pull without any physical pain, but it's always good to double check just in case. Once you've ruled out any medical reason, you have a few options.

Your first option would be going with some kind of twist. Slow twists are good because they're less severe than most others, but they can still get the horse's attention. I always like to ride in the mildest bit my horse accepts, so try a slow twist first. If he still pulls or tries to run through it, you can step up to either a fast twist or a corkscrew. You need to be careful with these sorts of bits, because if you have a tendency to pull on his mouth (even without realizing it) you can do a lot of damage.

Thinner bits can also be more severe. Probably the most severe is the twisted wire, but I dislike this bit in general and I only use it in horses that try to grab the bit and run, and only then for two or three sessions. You have to have extremely quiet hands to ride with a twisted wire, or you'll tear his mouth to shreds.

You might also want to try some sort of full cheek bit (with keepers), as it'll prevent the bit from sliding out of position if he tries to pull.

Answer 4

I would recommend a mechanical hackamore until his mouth softens up, or a combination hackamore and snaffle, plus keeping a loose rein (like a western trained horse) so he can't lean on the bit like he could if you kept rein to mouth contact.
My friend used the combination on a young mare she was training who insisted on pulling at the bit. The hackmore means that you are pulling on the bit only after pulling against the nose tissue which will retrain your horse to respond to a lighter touch.
My horses are trained to use a hackamore and various bits. The hackamore is a great alternative to a bit, but you can damage a horse's nose if you're over zealous as they apply a lot of pressure to the nose and poll.

Answer 5

A snaffle bit should be fine for any horse, as long as they are supple to your hands. Teach him to do a lot of lateral flexing, then move onto vertical flexing. Do quite a bit of backing, rollbacks, side passing, circles, serpentines, etc. That will get him using his hindquarters more and off of your hands and his shoulders. If you must go to a more severe bit, I would try a loosely twisted snaffle.

Answer 6

Stick with the snaffle and just work with him. He's probably just used to the faster pace that he used to race at. You could even try a snaffle with rollers or a flavored snaffle-they might give him something else to think about. I use a roller snaffle with one of my geldings, an ex-endurance horse, and it's helped alot-gives him something to do other than thinking of running.

Answer 7

Harness racehorses artwork in an overhead examine so as that they can't drop their noses. The sign for greater advantageous velocity is to tug decrease back on the reins, which you and that i usually think of of by way of fact the sign for "whoa!" The harness jockey is prevented from falling over backwards by utilising no longer something different than the reins (there is not any backrest on the seat), and as a result your horse is used to having somebody astounding from his mouth. So, in spite of whether he's a trotter or a pacer (you extremely could desire to get this found out!) he's seeing each little thing the opposite direction up, and you and he are perplexed. he's evading the bit by way of fact ignoring you is the main secure factor he can decide. you will could desire to evaluation up on the main appropriate thank you to get him retrained. this suggests greater analyzing, greater asking experienced running shoes, and much less messing with the pony attempting to wager what's the main appropriate factor to do. by way of fact he's a Standardbred pacer, he could be waiting to do a "broken" gait, such by way of fact the yank Saddlebred's rack, or the Tennessee Walker's working walk. this suggests you have a very candy path horse with soft gaits. he's basically approximately unquestionably been knowledgeable by no skill to interrupt right into a canter. as quickly as you have him working nicely for you, you may study a thank you to force. He could desire to be waiting to take you on some rapid journeys down the line.

Answer 8

I dont believe in ever going above a snaffle unless your horse is dead broke. I would start on the ground with a puller, lunge him with a surcingle and do ground driving until he is responsive, soft to the bit, and instantly stopping at the verbal woah command accompanied with just mild rein pressure. It shouldnt take too many sessions to achieve this, the surcingle is a really wonderful tool. When you begin to ride him again, be careful not to overdue rein pressure-take care to keep him light. When riding, keep him entertained with alot of transitions-if he tries pulling, tight circle him and gradually expand the circles outward as he softens. THe goal is to keep him soft. Use your body to ask him to stop as much as possible. If he is not used to the body begin to reward him with a treat every time he comes to a stop. This is a good way to obtain a nice abrubt halt that he can then connect with rein and body pressure. Hope this helps!
EDITED TO ADD: one of the main problems with pullers especially horses offt he track is that they are unbalanced and heavy on their forehands. Lunging with a surcingle and doing flexion/pattern exersises like those mentioned above will all help in getting him to achieve a proper balance that will allow him to soften and respond.
(and ya i know my spelling stinks)

Answer 9

draw reins
but make sure you get the proper insturction before using them
Like most trainging aids It can be a very nice training aid but if used incorectly can be harmful.

Answer 10

use a bittless bridle.

www.bitlessbridle.com

if it don't come up, then you can search for it online

best of luck with your horse!!