Why would you use a tongue bit thing (dont know that its called)

[Poodlepill]

Last March I got a 6 year old intact male that was never used for breeding. He was trained to drive (sent to a trainer) the year or so before. Ok, I got him on a Friday and he was gelded on that Monday LOL, boy was he mean to my poor innocent geldings just wanting to look at him through the horse panels. Well he has calmed down and now lives with my other two geldings and for the most part all is peaceful other than the squabbles around food.

I took a gamble on this male and I feel like I got super lucky and he is a really nice calm boy who follows me like a puppy. I have round pen'd him, bend/flex started teaching him side pass, back, pivot, jumps. I also have drove him a couple of times but he really didnt have a very good whoa and he is a big (for me) boy at 36 3/4" So I then decided I should take him back to square and ground drive him.

My question is...........I completely forgot that when I bought him at the breeders I was watching them put the harness/headstall on him (I told them I wanted to drive him before I bought him) They grabbed his tongue and put it in some "thing" in his mouth, I was really surprised as I had NEVER seen that before. I asked her why she did that and she said, "that's what the trainer did" Ok, I do not know the trainer so dead end.

So the two times I drove him like I said, I totally forgot about the weird tongue thing they did to him so I have been using just a regular snaffle bit, he didn't bolt or do anything weird. I was at a show watching the driving and saw a horse sticking his tongue out the side and I mentioned that to someone and "the light bulb" went off in my mind remembering how the breeder stuck my boys tongue in some round thing in his mouth. I have never seen my boy stick his tongue out while I drove him or ground driving him probably 8 or so times.

Is this some accident waiting to happen, is there some scary reason one would put the tongue in a "thing" for bolting or something???? Maybe tell me what I would need to look for happening so I can nip it in the bud.

Thanks

 

[Katie Iceton]

Did they tie his tongue down using a piece of mesh/ panty hose type material? I have seen this...but its used to help the tongue from getting over the bit...hopefully wasn't something terribly harsh

especially since they were doing it "because the trainer did"...that is a red flag in my books...if they can't explain its purpose or why they are doing it...they definitely shouldn't be doing it...

 

[Minimor]

I'm not sure what they would have been sticking his tongue into; there are tongue ties, but generally those wrap around the tongue and tie under the jaw. But no--there should be no need to worry about having some big wreck because you are not sticking his tongue into whatever it was. Even if a horse has been worked routinely in a tongue tie you can remove the tie and drive him without. Mind you--depending on how the horse has been trained previously, removing a tongue tie could result in him putting his tongue over the bit and/or flapping it out the side of his mouth, but with work you might be able to get the horse over that.

In any case, since you have driven your guy without anything but an ordinary bit and you did not notice him doing any funky things with his tongue, you should be okay. In many, many years of riding and driving I have never used a tongue tie and have never had a problem because of it. Even the horses that tended to get their tongue over the bit (I've had about 3 of those) I overcame the problem without tying their tongues.

 

[Poodlepill]

Thanks for the info, I wish I could remember exactly what it was. I had never seen anyone do that before and she was so matter a fact about it plus all the other distractions of getting a new horse like I said I totally forgot about it until recently. I am so off put by the thought of doing that I would certainly do whatever it takes to NOT stick his tongue in some sort of thing. But like I said, I have not seen him stick it out and he is super calm boy, my husband calls him pokey but for me I like pokey! he is in no hurry to go anywhere when he is loose. However, he does have a go button and does trot in the cart and in the round pen for how long I want him to without me getting after him.

I am going to buy new bits, like a french link or mullen mouth snaffle, may even step up to a Myler comfort snaffle. Is there a bit I should consider if he is a tongue flipper?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I have had two horses that were bad about getting the tongue over the bit. A simple solution was shown me by a trainer. We made a home made flash band using a shoe string. No big deal, and it wasn't needed after the horse got more experience and confidence. Your horse probably won't even do that; it seems to be more common in nervous or higher-strung ones. I read about the shoe string on this Forum and my trainer friend helped me attach it.

Tongue over the bit is definitely NOT desireable and needs to be dealt with. I've never heard of nor seen a horse's TONGUE tied with anything. A flash band just keeps him from opening his mouth wide enough to get the bit under the tongue. It is not weird or cruel. Stopping a bad practice before it becomes a habit is a good thing.

Happy shopping for bits!

 

[Poodlepill]

I'm thinking its an accumulation of several things contributing to the fact that I have not seen my horse stick his tongue out since I've had him. #1 he desperately needed his teeth floated when I got him, so I can only assume he needed it when he was being trained to drive at that time. #2 he was an intact male who did not play well with others and #3 he was very very thin. I got him on a Friday and had him gelded that Monday, his teeth were floated a month later and then checked again 2 months later and I've put quite a bit of weight on him and he now plays well with others LOL.

I spoke with the gal at Iowa valley carriage and got him a butterfly archmouth bit. I also got my newbie a butterfly bean link and he seems to really like it much better than the nutcracker snaffle.

 

[Peggy Porter]

I'm thinking its an accumulation of several things contributing to the fact that I have not seen my horse stick his tongue out since I've had him. #1 he desperately needed his teeth floated when I got him, so I can only assume he needed it when he was being trained to drive at that time. #2 he was an intact male who did not play well with others and #3 he was very very thin. I got him on a Friday and had him gelded that Monday, his teeth were floated a month later and then checked again 2 months later and I've put quite a bit of weight on him and he now plays well with others LOL.

I spoke with the gal at Iowa valley carriage and got him a butterfly archmouth bit. I also got my newbie a butterfly bean link and he seems to really like it much better than the nutcracker snaffle.

Good for you in taking care of his physical needs before trying to drive him. A comfortable horse will work so much better for you. I just got the arch mouth butterfly bit from Sandee at IVC at the national drive this weekend. My horse really likes it. He can finally keep his mouth closed comfortably. No chewing the bit, no tongue sticking out slightly between his front teeth, no signs of discomfort at all. When I took him over to have Sandee check the fit, her comment was " he's telling you it fits", which he was.

 

[Gone_Riding]

A horse will put it's tongue over the bit to protect the roof of the mouth from pain. I'm glad you are looking out for his comfort as well as safety!