Pelhams for flatwork/dressage training

Bay Mare

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Jun 21, 2004
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I know that they can't be used in competition and that's not what I'm talking about but WHY are pelhams so frowned upon and snaffles held up as the gold standard until you go into a double?

Since using a mullen pelham with double reins I've completely changed my opinion on the pelham. It may not have as distinct an action as the double but I'm finding it to be a very useful bit as long as it's used correctly.

Yes, you can winch the horse into an outline but that can be said of any bit in the wrong hands. I will accept that it's probably easier to do this in the pelham though.

Saff had major bitting issues when I got her and though she's much better now we've found that she goes much better in the mullen mouth pelham than anything else I've tried on her (and believe me I've tried LOADS). I have tried a regular mullen but she actually seems to like having a bit of curb action, don't ask me why!

I do get criticised for using a pelham on her but, IMO, the results speak for themselves. She's muscling up correctly, working correctly and, importantly, working happily with a lot less issues with regards to her head.

So ... what are your thoughts and why would you use or avoid the pelham?


Useless bit (excuse the pun) of information ... in the 'olden days' the snaffle was considered a crude bit and only suitable for grooms to ride out in as their hands were not considered sufficiently educated to handle a double bridle or curb bit with finesse!
 
My sister had her mare Lisa in a snaffle as she wanted to do dressage. However, Lisa didn't have that gooda contact with it and didn't really get a good outline in it so Holly changed it to a pellham to help work on her getting a good outline. Then she'll have to go back to a snaffle when she competes next year. I think its stupid that you have to compete in certain bits. I have Willow in a Hackamore and would love to do a bit of dressage but because she doesn't accept bits, I can't! I believe if someone manages to train there horse in a different bit then they should be able to compete as it is an achievement. Also I personally think you be allowed to use your voice, that is what annoys me aswell! :p
 
When I ride her in the pelham, even though she sometimes goes beautifully, it still feels like cheating to me. I want that softness in just the snaffle.

I think that's ultimately how I feel about it, and we can get it in the snaffle, it's just intermittent. On a showground though he'll work nicely without being asked no matter what the bit.

Originally I used a pelham because he was too strong for me, then I got the confidence/know-how to stop him so the pelham came out again for shows, as in his classes having two reins are preferred. Then we started having problems with him evading it and although he would still work prettily (how effective it was I'm not sure!) it meant I stopped using it.

I schooled in it to get the outline in it because it softened his jaw, and admittedly he did go better in the pelham, but with more schooling he will now work beautifully in a snaffle, although we've still a way to go.

He is now going to be schooled in a snaffle and shown in a double, because whilst I know we can handle the two bits, we're still going over a lot of the basics at home, and I feel like we almost shouldn't be using a double because there are still issues within the basics. That is one feeling I never had with the pelham.. Yet I don't see, for now at least, that I'll be using them any differently, and as such I don't quite understand why such a massive distinction is made between the two in terms of ability required.

It is highly unlikely he'll go in the pelham again, but I found it to be a useful bit which for a time at least, gave good results.
 
I schooled in it to get the outline in it because it softened his jaw, and admittedly he did go better in the pelham, but with more schooling he will now work beautifully in a snaffle, although we've still a way to go.

Same here, using a curb made everything easy to understand and achieve in the early stages, even used with roundings, but we don't need it now.
 
It's the curb action that causes eyebrows to raise, it's so open to abuse. I know the same can be said for any bit and especially so for double bridles (which I personally think are allowed to be introduced far too early in dressage competition).

I find that the pelham only works for my mare as a refinement to everything else and as a result I only use it when she's fit, strong and schooling to a particular level. If I introduce it without those three elements being in place I don't get good results unless I do use the curb more than is desirable, which I'm not prepared to do. After her recent long stint out of work I've taken her out of the pelham as it's just too much bit for her at the moment and have her in a baucher mullen mouth instead, which is working much better.

I do think most people misuse the pelham when schooling, unwittingly for the most part, me included at times. You only have to look at the angle of the shanks to see if this is the case.
 
Because ultimately, dressage should come from the hind end, which is why a snaffle is considered "the" bit to use in lower levels-because it really doesn't help much at all in terms of collection, whereareas a pelham definitely does.

I see SO many people who ride in a pelham who shouldn't be allowed to, and get all excited that their horse is framed up, when in reality, they have given the horse no other choice. It IS a cheater if you don't understand the fundamentals before using the bit.

HOWEVER, using a snaffle all your life is not necessarily the way to go either, particularly at the higher levels. A snaffle bit encourages the horse to drop his neck. This will help if you have a naturally high headed, hollow horse that you are trying to teach to travel with a lower head and a rounder position. But as you progress through the levels, and require the horse to be more uphill, it's a lot harder to do so in a snaffle bit-sure you can raise your hands and put more pressure on the bit to achieve the result, but its sometimes a lot easier to find a bit that does so for you, this is where a pelham or a double bridle comes in.

So no, a pelham bit isn't bad. It's worse then a snaffle in the wrong hands, and is also a cheater bit if you aren't confirmed doing basic level. Really, I wouldn't consider a pelham bit necessary until about 2nd level (medium for you Brits), simply because until then, the level of uphill work is not needed.
 
It is a 'cheater' but I'm not convinced there's any problem with that even at the novice stage when first asking a horse to learn to soften into the contact. It's an issue if the horse doesn't get some sort of release or is dropping behind, but there was nothing particularly false about the result I got using it with Rio, and the more she did it the easier she found it. We did use an elastic curb though and the combination of that and the poll pressure made it obvious for her. I don't think anyone could argue that using a curb like this is anything to do with refinement but it can work with some horses.
 
As usual, a lot depends on the horse (as well as the rider!) Some horses just DON'T LIKE a bit that breaks in their mouth. Or maybe they have a low palate, which the snaffle can hit. I've never met a horse yet that objected to a mullen. (Until the rider got ahold of it, of course.)
 
i think if you take the curb chain off the pelham it isn't nearly so harsh. i know a few horses that go very well in the pelham - when it comes to competin they go in a hanging cheek (is that different to the baucher?) as that has a little poll action (like the pelham)
 
If the rider is using the bit correctly & the horse is still coming through from behind then it doesn't/shouldn't matter what bit you use so long as the bit suits the horse.

I think that pelhams are frowned upon because of the amount of people that think they are getting an outline but in actual fact the horse is just sat behind the bit.

I have used them in the past on a couple of different horses but I wouldn't use one on Sylvester. He doesn't need one for a start as he is probably the least strong horse I've ever ridden, he also 'gets' the outline thing, he has learnt to carry himself properly over time by just using a snaffle & I don't think he'd be very keen on either the poll pressure or curb

I wouldn't hesitate to use one again on a different horse if the circumstances so required
 
i had to use a short shank mullen pelham to show odin in the open classes as he doesn't have enough room for a double. i rarely rode in it at home, just every now and then to keep him up to scratch with it. i hated having to use it to be honest, not only coz he didn't need it, but coz alot of judges leave alot to be desired in their hands. i suppose it's fine if you have a horse that the judges don't ride, but sometimes you just have to cringe.

it's the same as any other bit or method i think. some will use it kindly and some will bause it.
 
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