Bit Solutions for "Tongue Over Bit" & "Tongue Sensitive" Horses

Bit Solutions for "Tongue Over Bit" & "Tongue Sensitive" Horses

Transcript:

- Gav: Bomber, let's also just talk a little bit about tongue sensitivity. We've... we've alluded to it a couple of times. (Yes.) Some horses are so tongue sensitive that they actually will pull their tongue back and get it over the bit. Now with the Pelham fixed bar type bit, as it comes with its own problems because now you have got no tongue as a cushion (correct)

And you've got that... you've now, if the tongue was under there, if it pulls it back and gets it over, that now lies directly on the bars. (Yes.) So... (makes it very painful for the horse.) You've come up with two different ways of actually fixing that problem. And I understand it, you talking about the ported gags that relieves the pressure, so they not trying to get the tongue over, is that correct?

- Bomber: Correct. Well, it's not frightening... Frightening the tongue, but you get some horses that now haven't had the chance of being listened to, by having the pressure relieved off the tongue. Now it becomes a habit. (Yes.) And those horses, what we do then, there is two bits. And in fact, the one, you the one that instigated this, and this is called the Gavin Chaplin Pelham.

That spinner, there is no pressure on the horse's tongue. In racing, you find horses that have a tongue problem, they actually tie the tone down. (But this is a far kinder way) Much kinder. All this is, it acts like a gate. So you can imagine that the pallet is there as, the tongue comes up to come over, that hits the roof of the mouth.

So it stops it. So it just sets it. The only advice I give with this, if the horse hasn't had it in before, just put in, put this in it's mouth with the bridle, just leave them a stable for a couple of hours. It'll sort itself out. It will realize there is no pressure. That'll stop it going over.

- Gav: But the bit is also ported both ways, this and that. So there's so little tongue pressure. Just one thing that I have found using these bits, bomber, some horses are so adamant about getting their tongue over. (Yes.)

That they will put their tongue over. So now people then go to a drop nose band, which has got the ring, here, and that pinches here. (Yes.) Where if you use a flash nose band, there's no ring in the way, so far more beneficial to use the flash nose band if you've got that problem, then a drop.

- Bomber: Yes. I also have that in a gag (in both the 3-ring and the rope gag.) So rope gag is there. Now this again is the three piece which now will create tongue pressure, give you less bar pressure. But for the old horse, that's created a habit that will not eliminate the tongue going over.

I call these more, a fix it bit, because you've got a problem, it's an old problem. You've tried the others. It's still got this thing in its head, when a bit goes in his mouth, oh, I've got to pull my tongue away or get my tongue out or try and get it over. So that's when we resort to, to this.

As I say with sensitive tongue horses, I say 4 to 8% of all horses will have that problem. But generally those with a sensitive tongue I found are always the most natural athletes. They are phenomenally balanced. So please take time to ensure you get the right bit in the right horses, mouth.