biting information

[mightymiracles]

Hello all,

I am fairly new here, I have been learking but never jumped on before. I have had horses all my life but never a mini till this last spring. I have always had large and I have always said the bigger the better......but I am kinda hooked on these little guys now!

I had a question though....

I am starting to train my mare to drive and we have done some ground driving and she is doing well but on the right side she has one spot on her bit that she grabs it and grinds it. She cant take it and run she just sits there and grinds. I have had 2 different vets look at her and tell me her teeth are ok. Do you guys give them bit seats like we do in the drafts or light horses? She is in a simple half cheeck snaffle that fits her well as far as I can teel. I special ordered it for her tiny face. Should I look at puting in a bit seat or is there something else I should do? New bit?

Thanks for your advice

chari

 

[joylee123]

[SIZE=12pt]Hate to be dumb

but what is a bit seat?

I've never heard that term before.[/SIZE]

Joy

 

[Katiean]

I too have driven big horses and What is a bit seat?

You said you had this bit made for your horse. What kind of bit is it? I think I would try a snaffle roller bit or a french link

.

 

[Minimor]

Having never in 40 years of horse ownership needed to bother with a bit seat on any of our riding horses, I'd have to say that I don't believe a bit seat is necessary on a Mini. That's just my opinion though.

I've had horses that would sometimes grind on a bit--generally it was the greenies that just needed more time wearing a bit, or a horse that preferred a different bit to what he was wearing.

Many minis do not like an ordinary jointed snaffle; their mouths are too small to allow room for the joint, so when the bit is used the joint digs into the palate. I have some horses that go very well in an plain jointed snaffle, and I have others that just don't care for it. I personally like a french link (and so do most of my horses) and you may find a mullen mouth will work well too. I also have at least one horse that just hates a plain snaffle, but goes well in a full cheek with the keepers on--the keepers prevent the bit from dropping down in the middle, and that's apparently what this horse dislikes. He also works well in a french link.

 

[MiLo Minis]

A bit seat is where they take and grind a concavity on the teeth on either side to make a spot for the bit to lie - the silly part of this is that your bit comes no where close to sitting in that spot and if it does it isn't fitted properly. My personal feeling on this is that it is a fad created to make money for the dentist and is of no real value.

If your mare is grinding her teeth and you have had her teeth okayed then she may have a pain issue somewhere else entirely. I would go over the fit of the harness and cart very carefully from top to bottom to see if there is anything bothering her there. I would then have her checked over physically for possible back or muscle pain. When all else is ruled out then I would consider it a bad habit of hers at which point I would look at possibly using keys or rollers, maybe copper or rubber. I find that broken snaffles don't work very well with Minis as they tend to have a very shallow palate. Pull her tongue and look for red pressure marks on her gums, cheeks or tongue.

 

[Reble]

I was also interested in what does a bite seat mean, so looked it up and found this info.

Just sharing what I read.

The teeth and the bit

The equine dental arcade, showing the space between the incisors and the first premolars, where the bit sits.Contrary to popular belief, the bit of a bridle is not held between the horse's teeth, but lies in the "interdental space." This space lacks teeth, providing an area for the bit to rest without forcing the jaws open, and occurs between the cheek teeth and the incisors (or canines, should the horse have them).

However, if the bridle is adjusted so that the bit rests too low, or (more commonly) too high, it may push against the teeth and cause discomfort.

Sometimes, a "bit seat" is filed in the first cheek tooth. A veterinarian rounds the surface, so that, when the bit is pulled, the flesh of the cheek is not pushed into the sharp edge of the tooth. Although this practice is disputed, and most agree that an extreme bit seat can indeed be harmful, many veterinarians believe it makes riding more comfortable for the horse.

 

[disneyhorse]

I always have my vet put in a bit seat when he floats their teeth.

Anyway, sometimes horses WILL just chew on the bit! The mare I have now will grind her teeth when she gets a little anxious, but she does respond if I verbally tell her to stop as I don't care for the habit! I also have my riding mare who just plain likes to chew the bit, I gave her a copper snaffle which she has grown to love the taste of but because it's a soft metal I have to keep an eye on it to make sure it's not chewed through or rough edges created.

It sounds like she just likes chewing on the bit, usually a bit seat only is needed if the bit interferes with the teeth when the horse is actually on the bit or bitted up tight. And usually you will get a "discomfort" reaction such as head tossing or shaking. Not just chewing.

Andrea

 

[funnybunny]

I know one old driving trainer of big horses and mules who takes a little piece of cloth, wraps it around the bit and soaks the cloth with molasses or syrup. That is how he gets them to start on a bit. He just lets them chew til their hearts content while doing nothing in their stalls. After a few days, they accept the bit willingly, but since there is no tasty cloth on there anymore, they don't chew. It works for him.

Seems strange that she only chews on one side, but the vet has checked the teeth. Sure sounds like there is a sore place somewhere.

I also think that a french snaffle is a good bit for a mini.

 

[Sandee]

Ok, I haven't been driving all that long but I can tell you what my experience has been after starting two driving.

My stallion hated everything that the trainer tried and most of the bits that I tried. He fussed with them and slipped his tongue under them although he never gave any driver any trouble other than making himself uncomfortable. Finally, in desperation, I tried a low port bit and he actually "picked it up and carried it" proper. However it was too big for him so I had to use bit guards. At the end of several months of switching bits, I bought an expensive mylar mullen mouth as it has a slightly raised mouth piece and it fit and he went well in that.

Now all this took about a year and a big time trainer told me to put him in a snaffle for Nat'ls and he placed. So most of his problem looking back seems to be just "getting used" to holding a bit (any bit)!

When I started my filly I took a mullen mouth bit and put bit wrap on it so she could chew it. I let her wear it in her stall and out in her pen. I started this when she was 2 1/2. I started driving her with it at 3 and in just 2 months she was ready for show. Her class at Natl's this year was her 3rd time in the competition and she placed.

We're still working on a head set but she'll work in a snaffle now too. Yes, I use a half cheek snaffle.

If you are accustomed to big horses you might be pulling the bit up too high (too tight) in the mouth - just a guess not an accusation. So what I'm trying to say is it's different with every horse but given time they will accept it. I understand your frustration so just keep working with him. Good luck and happy driving.

 

[Versatility Farm & Training]

A bit seat is necessary for some horses, but not all. It is dependant on the confirmation of the horse's mouth and teeth. In all my years of experience, my dentist has only felt it necessary to put in one horse. All driving horses should have their teeth floated and wolf teeth removed. You mare could have a tooth issue that your vets don't know about. I do not know your vets at all, but one of mine says all he knows how to do is float and does not want to do teeth if he doesn't have to. The other vet said they had one day in the class room during vet school on dental work, and has done his own studying etc since then to learn. He worked on 3 of my horses over the summer when I couldn't get my dentist out and 2 of them were dropping weight too rapidly to wait. When the dentist did make it out I had him check all 3 just incase. The dentist said he did a good job on 2 of them, but the 3rd still had problems the vet didn't touch. On another note, how old is the horse? If the horse is starting to loose caps then they will often chew on the bit trying to loosen up the tooth and get it out.

Of course the problem could have nothing to do with teeth. It could simply be that the horse is not used to the bit yet, and needs more time wearing it. It also could be that the horse is frustrated or confused about something you are doing and that is its way of telling you that. But since you said it is only chewing on one side.... I lean more towards an issue with its teeth.

Hope that helps!

 

[mightymiracles]

Thank you all for your reply's, its very helpful. She is a 12 yr old mare. I have had an actual dentist/vet look at her, not just my reg. vet. Her harness is fine, she will do it even if she is just wearing the bridle. She doenst play with the bit per say just grinds in the one spot on the edge of the bit. She turns well and has a good whoa to her, head set is not of show quality but right now I am just pleasure driving which I think is all I will ever do with her. I am one who does not tend to keep my bits up high, I dont like wrinkles in thier mouth I think they need to learn to hold the bit properly. I am so use to putting an easy snaffle in my big guys whether I drive or ride so I figured it would be a bit nice and easy for a mini. I will try switching to a different bit and see if it changes. I like the mini's but they really are different from my drafts!

Thank you I am learning so much from you guys

Chari

 

[disneyhorse]

Well sure horses need to learn to hold the bit properly, but how low do you have the bit? There should be one wrinkle in the corner of the mouth for an unbroken mouthpiece, and two wrinkles for a broken one. This will make the horse more comfortable.

Andrea