Bitting Edition Part 3

As the final part of the three part series The Saddlery Shop takes a look at bitting and presents a Q & A featuring bitting enquiries and bespoke answers from bitting expert and owner of The Saddlery Shop, Lucy Nicholas. Question "I have a new 15hh cob Teddy, who is 7 years old, green, and very forward going. At the moment he is in a pelham (5.5 inch although I think he would benefit from a quarter inch wider bit) because he has poor brakes. I'd like to do dressage and showing with him in the long run. Ideally I would have a dressage legal bit for schooling him, but I do need brakes. I would like to use one bit all the time.What would you suggest?" Answer Lucy says "I always advise to have your horses teeth, back and saddle checked and recommend that you have a good progressive schooling plan in place with an instructor. The emphasis needs to be on lightening your horses' forehand using lots of circles and transitions during the session ensuring he responds immediately to the aids. This will get him between hand and leg, giving you far more control in a snaffle. Very few horses only need one bit, working in an arena or doing a dressage test is not as exciting as cantering accross open coutryside in company and even the best schooled horse will usually need something different for the extra control needed. Pelhams can make a horse feel very 'dead' in the hand and do sometimes encouraging leaning on the bit unless you ride with double reins to enable you to push the horse up into the bit without the use of the curb. I would really recommend a bit that will help with schooling like this Myler Low Port Eggbut Snaffle. This bit will enable you to give very clear instructions to your horse, and will be comfortable in his mouth as it is not too thick and has space for the tongue. You also have the option of adding a curb if you needed extra brakes out hacking in the immediate future. Kind Regards, Lucy