Re: Bit advice wanted (was Control and Courtesy)

[Kirsten Foruria <kirsten@vermilion.reno.nv.us>]

I have also been searching for a new bit for my older
horse.  His training is fairly advanced (western) and broken
mouthpieces seem to either confuse or bother him.  He is
also fairly finnicky about his mouth in general as previous
owners yanked him around quite a lot.  It used to be that
you couldn't even touch him with the bit or his head would
pop way up (we've been through the "fixing" on that... but
still have to be careful).

Anyway, he rides best in a plain old short cheek, medium
port curb with 6 inch shanks.  However, we've been trying to
work on lateral control and collection so I had been looking
for a similar curb bit with swivel cheeks.  No luck so far. 
One other consideration I have is a Tom Thumb. I am
considering it because Fred doesn't like pressure on his
bars, but I want a little bit of independent action to work
on collecting and carriage at the trot. Normally I don't
like to use Tom Thumbs as it's more difficult to maintain
even, soft pressure without overdoing it (e.g. hanging on
the mouth). My other horses (with this one exception)
typically work best in a plain snaffle or an Argentine
snaffle, but they are not as advanced in their training and
probably never will be (at least in that respect).

Does anyone else out there ride in a Tom Thumb?  If so, why
and what has your experience been with this bit?  Does
anyone else have any suggestions for a non-snaffle-based bit
I might try?

-- 
Kirsten (Price) Foruria
Vermilion Desert Ranch
Reno, Nevada


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