Bit advice

[chunky monkey]

How do you assess whether the bit is correct in the mouth. I had to change my driving bit to a liverpool instead of a rubber bit as the rubber one was only on loan to me. Cue he starts head tossing badly. I then looked in his mouth and the bit was very near his teeth. I also heard it clunk a couple of times. I pulled it up further into the mouth but it appeared to crease the mouth on the horse badly. So how do you assess how high in the mouth it should be. I have had problems with head tossing before with a liverpool in, which is why I changed it. Im wondering whether it is the bit he doesnt like, or whether its just because I havent set up correctly in the mouth. He is ridden a snaffle. But the liverpool is very straight which may not be comfortable.

 

[Ruskii]

In all honesty, I would use your ridden snaffle - I have and my horse has his ridden snaffle in for driving as well, his trainer has said they usually use driving bits but he was perfectly happy to put him in his French link snaffe after his initial assessment of it.

My horse hates/loathes/detests anything straight bar in his mouth, so the Liverpool was never going to be a winner for him.

 

[Ruskii]

ETA But if you wanted to go with a traditional driving bit, could you look at a ported or mullen mouth bit ?

 

[Jessey]

Its best to have your vet of edt assess his mouth and give some guidance on what might suit it.
I drove my friends cob a lot, always in the snaffle he was ridden in and he too was happy in that, lots of people questioned it but it worked for him so we stuck with it.
If the bits clunking on teeth he's not able to hold it properly, as you found putting it up generally doesnt help. You might try dropping it lower, traditionally too low, as it encourages them to pick up the bit and hold it, but that may not suit him either. If he likes a joint he may need something with tounge relief, a port/mullen as already suggested will give this.

 

[chev]

You can also get Liverpool bits with a lozenge so its a double jointed bit that he might settle with