First Crack at Training A + Bit Clanking part 3

Butterball and I went to a fix-a-test with Susan Graham-White at Majestic a couple of weeks ago. We signed up for Training Test A. In spite of being nowhere near ready for training level XC and stadium, I felt like challenging us with the training level dressage test (lengthenings and transitions at the letters instead of between letters being the only real differences). 

Inspired by Emma, I tried to take plenty of pics around the event because I knew we wouldn't have any from the ride itself. He got a bath beforehand and it was just chilly enough to be able to put his BOT sheet on after

It turned out to be a wildly productive day, more so than I knew going into it. We warmed up for about ten minutes and then went into the test. He was lovely for all of the trot work, and, as per usual, the canter work kinda sucked, especially relatively speaking. 

After informing Susan that her generous interpretation that the canter work sucked today was incorrect and that the canter work actually sucks every day, she asked me to try something. 

Side note, I've been on such a freaking journey with this horse's canter. When we first met JV he was so deeply behind my leg that we had to fix that before doing anything else. Then we stopped seeing JV and spent 5 months on our own with a forward but hollow horse. Me afraid of pulling him into the contact and getting him behind my leg again. He goes forward from a light touch and has impulsion now (he carries himself forward without me nagging), but that's it.  

Anyways, Susan had me using the inside rein to generate a "space" in his neck, lifting the hand higher and even at one point crossing it over the neck to demonstrate to him just how serious I was about inside bend. The outside hand moved slightly away from the neck to give him a space to move his shoulders into, but didn't get completely dropped. And oh wow, what a difference that made. He was instantly more supple and soft and through. We've been playing with that since then, keeping reaction first in our minds, and I think we're on the right track. I'll break the pivo back out soon to document some of this. 

For the canter lengthenings on the circles, she had me think of starting a stretchy circle, but only letting him out one notch of the reins. That's the feeling, lengthen the frame and stride, try to avoid letting him fall on  his face. 

Hi, yes, I'm really cute

She said at the end that his mouth was gaping open during the canter work. I told her our saga with bits and also told her about my flash trial. JV had recommended a flash to prevent the gaping. When I told him Butterball hated flashes, JV said it didn't need to be tight at all, just needed to prevent a wide open mouth. I had tried the flash the ride prior to the fix-a-test, and it did NOT go well. I could fit three fingers stacked on top of each other between the flash and his jaw. So it really only came into play when he opened his mouth wide. But he felt it while I was tacking up and was mad. I could feel him re-discover it every half-circle or so while we were working and then be mad all over again. About 75% of the way through a 50 minute ride, unintentionally that long, he finally gave up and softened nicely. I'm not sure that a flash is the right answer though, and I haven't bothered trying again since then. Susan wasn't insistent on a flash either, but she did say boundaries were a good thing sometimes. She also caveated that she didn't know us well enough to know if the flash was the answer. She recommended that if I was going to keep going with the flash, pair putting it on with a peppermint, which seemed wise, since he'd gotten mad even before I got on his back. 

Susan ended by saying that if we got the canter work to the level of the trot work we would be winning everything. Kind words for sure. 

Snax before the fix a test

There was the option to work with a bit fitter, Michelle Ryan-Schwartz who is a HS Certified Bit Fitter, afterwards. I don't know enough about the bit bitting world to know if coming from a specific brand means the same thing as in saddle fitting, and we did only try HS brand bits, but she was incredibly helpful, so who am I to judge. While I hadn't planned on trying out bits since we've fixed the clanking, I was prompted by Susan's comments to at least give it a go. We tried 5 or 6 different bits while the fitter and the clinic organizer (also a dressage judge) watched. Which meant I got both of their expertise.

I immediately vetoed the double jointed that was very similar to his prior bit that he clanked so aggressively. 

But we did try 

And this; I didn't know HS is the company that makes nathe bits. 

This one ended up being the winner. We put it in with latex bit wrap on it, so when she ordered the bit, she ordered a roll of bit wrap as well. 

TBH I don't remember his response to each bit. I wish I did. But we were all chatting in between and watching and chatting with riders coming in for the fix-a-test. And our pony participation meter was definitely a bell shaped curve. He generally gets quieter in his mouth the longer he goes, which was true for this ride/day as well. But then he started asking WTF was going on and how many more times was he going to have his bridle taken off and then put back on and then be asked to go trot and canter again. Which was a totally fair question. I kinda was too. Since it was a spur of the moment addition to our day, neither myself nor Ms. GY were completely prepared for the additional 1.5 hours of time. But the fitter and organizer were incredibly generous with their time and had a number of useful thoughts on the matter.  

About two weeks later, I had the bit in hand. 

My attempt at sorting out exactly how far back he would be able to pull it. I think the key here is that the single joint means the middle can pull back, but the outer edges that could get near his teeth cannot. 

My conclusion was that it wasn't a lot especially because this is a 4.5" so fits more tightly in his mouth than the myler I had been using 

Next follows a confession. We ordered bit wrap because they had wrapped it during our trial. $26 for a roll. I watched a video, but it wasn't the exact same type of bit wrap. So I spent an embarrassingly long time trying to get the wrap to stick while it was still attached to the thin cottony layer that keeps it from permanently adhering to itself in the box. Wow guys. Somebody gave me a doctorate at some point. 

Anyways, once I took the cotton layer off, I got the bit wrapped. 

While he definitely still opened his mouth some, he was overall quieter. He also felt much straighter and steadier in the contact and his body. Which is weird because I spent a while feeling the single joint in my hands and playing with it and wondering how on earth it wasn't inherently uneven because one side is longer than the other to put the joint in the center. I still don't have an answer. But it seems he can't clank this bit either, so while the myler hasn't been relegated to the tack trunk yet, I think this bit is an improvement. 

As stated above, the pivo will be coming out at some point soon, and we'll see how busy he is. If he's still gaping at times mayyyyyybe I'll revisit the flash. But even though it was FAR from cranking his mouth shut, I hate to do things that he so clearly hates since he's generally the most agreeable dude. 

I'm also a little surprised that I managed to go through so many bit trials in December and January without trying a single jointed bit and/or realizing what it is about the single jointed shape that would prevent clanking. 

Bit Clanking Part 2

So I'll admit. There was a lot of panic involved, but we have two bits now that he can't clank. As his dentist had surmised, basically everything was better than his KK ultra double jointed loose ring. 

The first trial was my friend's Myler wide port loose ring, level 3. 

He was certainly better in that than the KK. His first reaction was confusion, I think. His normal pattern after putting a bit in was repeated clanking while I finished adjusting the bridle, possibly to go ahead and bang the involved teeth enough that they went numb. He spent a while trying to clank this one but couldn't seem to do it while standing still. He did still make movements with his mouth and pull the bit back with his tongue, especially during his usual times of expressing tension. But I didn't hear that metal on tooth sound. 

The first ride in it was magical. He was seeking the contact and steady and soft. The second ride this faded a little bit. By the third ride I felt just like he was in his old bit. Our biggest struggle is always during warm up. His first reaction, at least with me on his back, is to hollow above the contact. JV had me ignoring this entirely and focusing on forward. I never timed it exactly, but it felt like a solid ten minutes before he would soften his topline. Eventually JV did have us adding leg yields early on to get that softness sooner. This seems to be a me thing though because when EM rode him, he would be soft and lovely over his back from the get go. 

Based on his response to the first bit, I tried a Myler level 2 D ring comfort snaffle next. My friend who loaned me the first bit and I both thought that moving away from the loose ring might help with stability/preventing flipping the mouth piece back. 

Myler D comfort snaffle with low port (level 2 mouthpiece)

You can see the forward curve to the mouthpiece here 

I texted the picture to his dentist after our first few rides in it. She commented the port was wider than she liked and that the bit itself was too wide for his mouth (it was a 5"). She then sent me a link to a Myler D comfort snaffle (level 1 mouthpiece). 

Basically the same bit, but without a port, and I ordered it in a 4.75". 

Normal tongue

Tongue drawing the bit back to try to get it to his teeth

This is now our jumping bit. He feels very similar in the contact to me in the level 1 as he did in the level 2, so I took the word of his dentist and went with it, especially because it was the correct size. 

I did experiment with one more bit that has turned into our dressage bit. Trying to go back to having both a dressage and jumping bit was inspired by Gray Flannel Horses comment on my original post that some horses need their bit changed every few rides because their mouth gets irritated by the bit. So I picked up a Bomber's Happy Tongue at Tack Shack. 

He feels quite nice/steady in the contact in this bit the majority of the time. But he's still very, very busy with his mouth in both. His reaction to tension or pressure is to open his mouth and wiggle the bit with his tongue even though he can't clank it anymore. 

I'm not sure though if that's a training issue or a bit issue at this point. Interestingly, I did a semi one rein stop when turkeys rattled behind us in the woods on a hack and he wanted to sprint away from them. His reaction was to fling his head quite high in a way that made me think the bombers bit is quite a bit sharper to him than his prior double jointed loose ring. Bombers does have a few more interesting options, but I'd have to explore those through avenues other than Tack Shack so I could try and return if needed. 

More Than Just an Annoying Habit (Bit Clanking part 1)

Butterball got his teeth done last Sunday. 

He was quite sensitive both on his maxillary incisors and his first premolars. He had some gingivitis around one of the incisors as well. So we shot some rads. 

And OMG you guys. This poor pony has damaged the roots of his teeth and the bone around the teeth with his bit gnashing habit. His dentist said it looked like he has done this his whole life, which tracks with what his old owner told me. This led to the roots of those teeth ending up in sort of a corkscrew shape, which is most likely going to interfere with their eruption. 

Then the ongoing "bit clanking" (seems to be the somewhat technical term for that) has led to the bone around those teeth being sclerotic on both sides and holding some fluid on the right side. 

The incisors are actually kind of interesting and less scary. Mostly less scary because who really needs incisors AND it's not a problem I've been part of perpetuating, so I don't feel guilty about them. He has congenital enamel hypoplasia (I believe I've gotten that right as to the hypo part of the tooth) of his two front teeth. So he'll be predisposed to EOTRH. Which is "easy" to fix with extractions. 

But back to his premolars... Fortunately his dentist also rides and noted my spiraling when I said "well I'll just quit competing and never put a bit in his mouth again". She reasonably asked what bit he was going in and then made a few suggestions. I did talk to her about my brief Winderen trial where he hung like he has never hung before, and I ended up with sore hands after a 30 minute trial ride. She said if there was no tongue relief then he likely HATED having his tongue squished and reacted by laying on it. Makes sense. I did wish I had ordered the ported version to try then rather than the straight bar. And I'm not ruling out circling back to that in the future since the material would likely be much more friendly for him to gnaw on. However, the fact that he definitely did manage to gnaw on it means that even the tongue relief version would likely allow him to continue to chew on it and chewing on a firm rubber material is better but probably still not good. She also suggested that whatever bit we try I put on a chin strap to limit the mobility of the bit in the back/up direction. 

Current bit - that nice soft loose ring french link, WAYYYYY too much mobility for him to grab and pull back with his tongue

Myler comfort snaffle with a low port that she suggested

The day after his dental we did our canter sets in his rope hackamore. It seemed like the best move regardless since his mouth was probably a bit sore from all the work. 

Turns out that he goes MUCH faster without a bit. He was a certified GOOD BOY for the whole thing and could've truly been a whole porpoise or more and I wouldn't have been able to do much, but he was very good. This go round our canter sets were at 500 mpm, 470 mpm, and 460 mpm. They would've averaged faster, but I was making him trot and pick up the right lead every time he did a flying change to the left. I was having some trouble controlling his shoulders and that led to a lot of right to left flying changes since he prefers to really gallop on his left lead.

The next day I picked up two Mylers to try from a friend. 

Less likely candidate

More likely candidate

And then I put in the more likely to work Myler (which I believe is an MB04 loose ring) and then fashioned a chin strap from a piece of baling twine. 

Two bit guards since it is a 5.5" and he needs a 5" 

My initial impression was pretty good. He immediately tried to start clanking when it was in. When the bit first enters his mouth is always the worst time. Then he twisted his head around some, trying desperately to clank it. Once we got moving he stopped screwing with it as much, but I could occasionally tell he was playing with it in his mouth. His dentist said he probably clanks excessively when the bit first goes in to numb the area basically.  

I had planned on just doing a no contact trail ride to let him get used to it and not trigger any screwing with it when I picked up the contact. But he had other plans and was too spooky and up to let us do that. So we trotted half our normal walk loop with light contact. I worked in the ring some when we got home. He was immediately much steadier in the contact than he has ever been. I could hear him doing something with the bit, but it wasn't making the same metal/tooth clanking sound he makes with other bits. 

The second ride he was busier in his mouth in the ring and the lovely, steady contact wasn't quite as good. We'll keep trying it to see how it pans out though, including jumping in it. I also think that a proper width Myler would have a better shot too since less bit width means less overall flexibility to yank the bit back. There are a number of stores that have bit trial programs, which means that early next week I'll probably be ordering a few to try.