MADE IN THE UKStephen Biddlecombe of Equine Management Ltd answers a retail client’s customer query, on bitting.
Q.
A customer has a five year old gelding, a former racehorse that’s now a polo pony. She says: ‘On the track, he ran with his tongue out, and he still does this! I originally started off with the 3 Ring Gag – with this, he still poked his tongue out. I then tried a Waterford, and his tongue does not stick out as much, but I still find him very strong. Any suggestions?’
Here’s what we suggested – the Bombers McHardy, a wonderful mouthpiece for polo ponies:
A.
Firstly I assume you have had his teeth, neck and back checked by a qualified physical therapist – just to rule out physiological issues.
This issue of ‘tongue poking’ does sound like tongue sensitivity, and is very common. If I am right, he would have raised his head in the rope gag, not because of the mouth piece, but because the action of the gag is to raise the bit in the horse’s mouth, aggravating the issue. My suggestion is to try him in a Williams McHardy.
The McHardy still provides tongue relief, but it is stronger than the Happy Tongue. It will give you some poll pressure, as well as helping with the turning aids.
This bit has a medium port, creating space for the tongue, relieving pressure. The Buster Roller in the middle increases bar pressure, as a result lifting the horse’s head, and giving more control.
The McHardy was created to be a combination of a jointed Happy Tongue with a Buster Roller centre. It is an excellent bit for polo when more control is required, allowing at the same time comfort for the horse’s tongue. The 2 ½ ring version is the softest version, as the ‘half’ ring softens the leverage on the mouthpiece and poll. All Bombers bits are made from blue sweet iron, which encourages salivation and helps bit acceptance.
Shop the Bomber bits retail range here.
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