Have a coming 5 yr old who‘s had about 4-6 months under saddle. Started in a side pull then moved to a copper loose ring. Now he‘s in need of a new bit as he‘s started to resist the snaffle. Good soft mouth still and not a horse who grabs the bit, he‘s just started to fight me a bit as we‘ve started to work on bending and collection. any suggestions for a new bit type?
Agreed with Bard. You need to take charge and show this horse that he needs to do what you say no matter the circumstances. A horse who doesn't is very dangerous. He sounds like he's at that point where he's confident enough to test you and see what he can get away with. And since your solution is to get a harsher bit I suggest getting a trainer. Edit: If the bit slides then it's too big. I'm not saying you don't have 30 years experience and have trained before.but if you're so successful why do you need our help? Shouldn't you be up to date on bits and their uses?
Bits don't train horses. Do you see a pattern here? As he begins to resist you, your solution is to move up. This creates a more stubborn, irritated, confused horse, because your line of thought is that the bit is training the horse -- not you. It is the opposite. You can get a horse to do anything you want with any aid that you want, it's how effective your methods are; I train my horses on the ground with nothing but a loop of baling twine. If your response is to increase the intensity of the bit, you are doing something wrong, as your signals are not being interpreted correctly by the horse. In this situation I'd suggest you find an experienced individual to help you achieve the results you're looking for, without creating a hard mouthed, resistant, unwilling horse. ETA: Then why not say that the bit moves through the mouth instead of staying that he resists the snaffle? These are two totally different things happening. You go on to say he fights the bit. So which is it, is he fighting or is it moving through his mouth?
