Amazing response from my horse!
My young gelding came to me lightly started, and was not introduced to the bit correctly. I've been battling for about a year to find a bit that he didn't hate: constant chewing, trying to grab the bit, grinding his molars, mouth open, head shaking, and incredibly anxious. I changed a LOT of things for him (saddle, bridle, front shoes on, vet, chiro, massage therapy, etc) and was gaining some ground with him, but discovered that a 3-pc bit with a flat center was by far his favorite. That was great...until I discovered that it's not legal in any level of Dressage. Sigh. So...I was on the hunt for a bit that was legal, but still had the characteristics my horse preferred. Enter: the Fager Martin bit. It's by far the most amount of money I've ever spent on a bit in my 30+ years of horse ownership...but it's also by far the best money I've ever spent on a bit! He LOVES this bit. I selected this specific one because in the description, it says what type of horse does best in this particular model. It was like they were describing my horse! The other reason I decided to give this bit a whirl was because the company offers a 7-day trial; no other company that I know of does that! So, I figured that for a nominal fee, I could see if my gelding liked it well enough to keep it; if he didn't, I wasn't out much money. Well. Day ONE in this bit and he was clearly happier. I didn't tell my trainer that he had this new bit in; I didn't want to be biased in my assessment of his reaction, so I waited to see if she said anything about how he was looking, etc. We didn't get through the warmup and she asked me what I did to make him so happy :) He was so much happier, considerably less chewing, no grinding, and he actually relaxed enough to start swinging in the back a little! I knew by the end of that lesson that the bit wasn't going back :) In fact, he likes this bit so much, that he now lowers his head to be bridled (previously he'd channel his inner giraffe). To me, that speaks volumes. If you're on the fence about trying this bit for your mouthy/anxious/fussy horse...do it! Pay for the 7-day trial, and see if it works for you.
