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Merlin, my fourteen year old oldenburg gelding, has been having trouble with his TMJ for the past year or so. We aren't sure what aggravated it in the first place, but for whatever reason it causes him pain. Under the guidance of our vet, we've tried PEMF, dental work, chiropractor work, massage, and an injection to manage his pain. All of this has made a tremendous improvement in his pain level. Most days he seems comfortable, and his bad days are more mild now. However, he still gets moderately painful days every two months or so, and it's always worrisome for all involved. I don't want him to hurt at all. Every two months is still too often. I'm wondering if schooling him bitless and showing him in a bit might help stretch the time we have between episodes.
Thing is, he's a very... Quirky... Horse to ride. He is incredibly strong in the bridle. He was trained by an experienced FEI 3* judge, and she told me that she'd rank him as a 9 or a 9.5 out of 10 in terms of how strong he gets, with 10 being as strong as a horse possibly can be. He is quite adamant about his preference to go on the forehand. He's a very large horse, in body and height, and often trips if he's not on his haunches (two vets looked into that, it's not a physical problem, he just doesn't pick up his front feet as much as he should). Right now we're schooling third level, and hope to show third later this season (he's actually schooled to PSG, I'm not there yet). We think Merlin's tendency to get strong is partially because he leans on the bit due to the TMJ problems. It's probably become a habit, which is probably making the TMJ worse in the long run. We're working on breaking that habit. He's actually gotten a lot lighter lately thanks to my trainer, and I'm figuring out how to keep him there. Right now he's ridden in a micklem competition bridle (helps reduce his bad days), and a 6" single jointed loose ring snaffle.
I'm not entirely sure if I can adequately progress with this horse in a bitless bridle because he can be so overwhelmingly strong. However, I'm thinking it might make him more comfortable. I'm willing to try it for a while just to see if it helps him out. What do you think? How would you handle this situation? Do you have a recommendation for a specific bitless bridle to try? He won't tolerate a Dr. Cook's. Doesn't like or respond to the poll pressure. We'll probably have to go with a side pull. I was specifically looking at this bridle. Any opinions? Anything similar at a lower price point?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/565579198/bitless-sidepull-plaited-leather-side?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=bitless+bridle&ref=sr_gallery-1-20&organic_search_click=1&col=1
I do want to add a disclaimer. If he's having a really bad day and he's clearly hurting, I do not force him to work hard. Even on his bad days now, he typically only hurts during lateral work. Usually I do a bit of stretchy work to wind down (don't want him thinking that acting up = totally done), and end the ride as quickly as possible, usually within five minutes. Afterwards, I schedule him for a chiropractor appointment and some PEMF, and give him a couple of days off. I would never force Merlin through pain just to reach some goal. His vets know about his difficulties, and they've decided that he is okay to work. I'm going to continue working with my vets to keep him healthy. They've done wonders already. This post is just me trying to improve my horse's health even more. |
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alright! so sounds like a bitless bridle might be great to try for his comfort. some horses actually respond to nose pressure differently than the pressure points a bit uses. First thing i want to say is stay away from Dr cooks. They are slow to release and quick to reply pressure. most cross under bitless bridles are like this but these are the worst. Mechanical hackamores can be great or very harsh. the nose is a very sensitive area and some hacks apply a lot of nose pressure. flower hackamores are my favourite because generally they can have little leverage (which i like). but they can apply poll pressure and have a little leverage depending on how yo use it up. Side pulls are by far my favourite !! they are very soft and have no poll pressure- but since your horse gets strong maybe this wouldn't be the best option. (DP saddlery makes great sidepullls with ergonomical features). the best thing is so try different things! your horse will tell you what he likes best :) instead of buying all these new bites bridles, the best thing to od if see if your coach or a friend has one you can try or buy used very cheap., that way if your horse doesn't like it, you don't have to worry about wasting too much money. Please message me if you would like more information!! |
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I know the fight with the strong older horses, such amazing horses but can be frustrating at times. Something interesting that I found with my 21 year old mare is that she is much less strong when ridden bareback in a halter. I would suggest trying that first in a round pen or small pasture, its a good trial for do they respect halt, back up, etc. The only difficult thing is the fact that all his life he has been trained to respond to just bits, and bit;ess may just not work. Trial and error is going to be your best friend |
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BriarRidgeStables said:
I do wish I had access to some bitless bridles. I might put a call out on Facebook to see, but no one I know rides bitless. Competitive dressage barn and all. I might look into flower hacks. I'll check out DP Saddlery - thanks for that tip!
Liberty Estates said:
No kidding on them being frustrating. I've actually ridden Merlin in a halter before, but I wasn't actually trying to do anything serious. He's happy to plod around in one, and I can even walk/trot/canter him in a neckrope, but it's actually getting him on his haunches that I'm worried about. He needs to do a bit more than plod for third level, haha. I'd love to ride him bareback, but he absolutely hates it (gets really fussy and fidgety), and he has the worst sharkfin withers. I did forget to mention in the original post that I trained him to a neckrope earlier this year. He responds quite well to it for steering and brakes. We can even jump in just a neckrope. I know he can respond to basic commands without a bit. It's just the finer commands I'm worried about. I'm definitely going to shop around and see what I can figure out for him. He's such a delicate flower, I swear. He'll be the death of me, but I do love him. |
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On a side note, I am on a riding team and one of the horses is named Merlin and also loves to be on his forehand! He is a giant draft cross. |
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I love this bitless bridle. |
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The Micklem Combination bridle can be converted from bitless to with a bit. I highly recommend it so you can just switch back and forth. It's super fast and easy and there are ways to set it to make the bitless part stronger or softer. |
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I think the fact that your horse is responsive to the neck rope really improves the chances that he'll respond well to a bitless bridle! As people have said before, trial and error is going to be your friend here. I've had luck with a mechanical hackamore before on a friend's horse who could get quite anxious with the bit in his mouth, and could get quite quick and on the forehand (tho he certainly wasn't as strong as your horse!) Since you're a 3rd level dressage rider, you should have the hands to manage what can potentially be a "strong" tool in the mechanical hackamore. |
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Bright Sunshine with a few High Clouds
