Cob Jockey

Connor's tongue-over-the-bit issues are not something I've fully documented on this blog. I've mentioned them every so often, but not as often as it happens.

To find a picture to illustrate the problem, I picked a random Year/Month photo folder in which I thought I probably showed, picked a random photo to look at to see if his mouth was gaping open, and found one immediately. If that doesn't tell you how prevalent this problem really is, I don't know what will. Photo from September of 2017.

I created it initially with my heavy-handed riding, and then it turned into a habit, his default reaction to the work getting hard, which, in retrospect, probably held us back as much as anything, because I was afraid of asking him to step up his game for fear of triggering an episode. As soon as things got challenging in a ride, he'd get it over, no matter what trainer we were riding with or what bridle we were riding in.

At this point, it's as fixed as it will ever be, so I wanted to share what worked and what didn't in case any of you find yourselves in this unfortunate situation. In chronological order:

 Riding in the Bombers Happy Tongue Loose Ring, straight bar version

 

The bottom bit

This is the only bit that he wouldn't - or couldn't - get his tongue over, and it gave me an opening into breaking the habit. We rode in it for a year after the bit fitting clinic at CGP's, and it helped to break the habit, although I'm not riding in it permanently - CGP eventually said I needed more finesse for Dressage than the straight bar gave me.

 

Kissing double jointed bits goodbye

 

Connor has very short lips, and double-jointed bits, especially loose rings, seem to hang low on his tongue and were an invitation to him to get his tongue over. At this point, I can't imagine ever going back to a double-jointed bit with him, we've had so much more success with a single joint.

 

Fixing myself

 

This, obviously, is the biggest thing. I had to identify what pulling was (it wasn't what I thought it was), why I pulled (because I didn't have enough core tension to keep me stable in the saddle, so I used my hands to compensate), what I needed to do to break that habit (rediscover some dead neural-muscular connections, strengthen my core AND make my newly-strengthened core my brain's default unconscious go-to) and how to do it (Pilates).  

 

One rein riding

I do this less and less these days, but CGP telling me to ride him with one rein in small circles when he gets fussy with his mouth really helped. It changes the physical and mental paradigm of the moments before he'd normally get it over, and it also gives me an "If x happens, do y" type of tool that I can remember to use on my own.

 

Letting someone else earn back his trust of the contact

Temporarily giving up the ride had to happen. Four straight months of someone with amazing hands and great timing had to happen. I caused this problem, but I could not have solved it on my own.

 

Taking the bit away

I don't have any pictures of the sidepull, so how about a picture of a dog pulling at my side?

She only rode him in the sidepull a few times, but it was enough to break his ingrained habits. His relationship to the bridle was truly different after a few times in the sidepull - not to mention he was PISSED at having his favorite pressure release valve taken away.

Learning to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Two months ago, in a ride in which I distinctly remember CGP saying "You did a good job not freaking out about his mouth being busy today," and me saying "Oh I was freaking out on the inside."

He may not be getting his tongue over these days, but when the work gets hard he still defaults to a fussy mouth. CGP is adamant that I have to ride through it, that I can't interpret him mouthing the bit as a sign to back off, that I can't live in fear of him getting it over or we'll never progress. This is a work in progress - I know she's right, but this isn't something I'll rewire in my brain overnight.

Chiro, Massage and Ulcer Treatment

Best boy deserves the best treatments

I do think there's something to CGP's theory that pain elsewhere in the body makes him more likely to express his tension via his mouth. At this point he's been treated for foregut and hindgut ulcers, and he's been getting both chiro and bodywork at CGP's with great success. Bodywork in particular has made a huge difference, although that's a story for another day.

Finding a noseband he likes

Stillllll waiting (three months after I ordered it) for my Schockemohle drop to come in, thanks COVID.

I had basically ridden this horse in everything BUT a drop over the years, but it turns out he really prefers the drop. It also turns out that Micklem =/= drop, and he prefers the bit hangers not be attached to the noseband. Who knew?

This problem will never go away after he's done it for years, but at this point we can work with it and manage it, at least to the point that I can confidently say it won't happen in the show ring.

Holy shit.  You guys.  I don't have enough exclamation points to describe how happy I am with last weekend's Kim Gentry bit and bridle clinic!!!  If you have the chance to do one of these, even if you don't think you need to, DO IT!

I went by myself and got zero media, so have a picture of my pack mule.

I've never done anything like this before.  If you haven't heard of these, GP rider Kim Gentry travels the country with a suitcase full of fancy bits and bridles - Neue Schule, Schockemoehle, that sort of thing. I went into it with no complaints about my bit, but I've never felt like I had a bridle that fit Connor, particularly behind the ears, and this sounded cheaper than buying and selling a pile of bridles to figure it out, so I paid my $150 and hauled him back to the farm we rode with Mary at.

I warmed up and she called us over.  After we talked about our background, she stuck her hand in his mouth to get to know his anatomy.  Some of the things she said were "low palate, large tongue, extremely sensitive bars, big puffy lips."

The first thing she put us in was a Neue Schule Turtle Top, a French link loose ring designed to lessen the pressure on his low palate.  Predictably (for me), he got his tongue over less than a lap in.

"Oh!" said Kim, "Do I have something for you, mister!"

I didn't recognize the second bit she put in his mouth, but HOLY SHIT it was a revelation.  The first thing I noticed was that his front end, neck and withers were lifted from the moment we left the mounting block.  The second thing I noticed was that he felt SO good in the contact - consistent, light, comfortable.  The third thing I noticed was that I had access to every part of his body with so little effort, he felt like a gumby horse compared to normal.  And the fourth thing I noticed: instead of launching himself into the canter chest and underneck first, he actually started the transition from his hind end and pushed forward instead of pulled.

"This is great!  He immediately got round in his topline, and that transition was great," she said.  "Let's try a variation on that bit and see if he likes it better."  This was the same bit, but with a slightly more forward curve to it.


Within seconds, I knew this one wasn't it.  He was back to feeling like a wood block.  But I was glad she tried it, because after that I got a second spin with the Choirs of Angels Bit, and it was just as good the second time.

This time, she taught me a brief 10 minute lesson.  And it was then that I was really sold on this bit.  Connor was offering so much that she was able to push us way further into collection than I've ever felt on that horse before.  At one point she asked me to transition from canter to trot by pushing his hindquarters out on the circle and then leg yielding steeper and steeper until he was forced to offer trot, and I swear to god he was cantering in place with his front end so elevated it felt to me like he was rearing with each step (he wasn't, they have mirrors, remember I'm really not used to his front end actually being elevated), and I was smiling and laughing with a joy I couldn't hide.

What, you don't have a baguette mule?  He's a farmer's market essential accessory!

"THAT is an incredible transformation," she said.  "There's a really fancy Dressage horse in there, this is going to unlock new worlds for you.  And all it took was getting him really comfortable, that's what it's all about, finding the bit that makes them the most comfortable with their anatomy."

And, for me, being pushed that far with him and him not getting his tongue over the bit told me he really WAS comfortable.  I doubt he could get it over the port, but he wasn't even trying or thinking about getting it over.  Either way, both horse and rider were happy.

The bit?  A Bombers Happy Tongue loose ring.  Literally would never have tried this in a million years. From the website: "The Bomber Happy Tongue Loose Ring allows for immediate release and relief from tongue and bar pressure. The bit is immediately reset to a neutral position in the horse's mouth...The rider will know immediately if this is the correct bit, as a horse with a sensitive tongue will finally begin to work into, and accept the contact."  Um, yes, yes that was my experience!  (And yes, it's USDF legal.  May not be USEA legal based on quick inconclusive Googling).

It also has to be shipped by carrier pigeon from South Africa and will take a month to get to me.  Cue tears of sadness - I'm seriously considering giving him a month off until it gets here, I'm not sure I can go back to the way he felt before.  I'm not sure he wants it either.

Also the cheapest bit she sells at $90 so, yay!

Next up: bridle fitting!