Question
I have recently purchased a 6 year old 16.3hh Grey Irish Sports Horse mare and I am looking for something to help her to be more confident in the contact and more forward into the bridle. She has mostly been hacked and hunted in Ireland, is fairly green in the school but very willing. She is in fairly poor condition at the moment. We are working on this by lunging and doing little bits of schooling so I want to get her bit right first to get going once she is in better condition. Although she is soft in the mouth I want something that she will be more confident in – her previous owner said that she liked to have a fixed cheek rather than a loose ring but I have put her in an NS Tranz Universal belonging to my previous horse and she hasn’t objected so I don’t think that she is too fussy. I plan to do a bit of everything with her with the main focus on Dressage and then Riding Club Competitions.
Suggestion
After reading your question and from the bitting questionnaire you have completed we would suggest that the most logical choice would be the NS Tranz Angled Lozenge Eggbutt. When you mount pick up the reins and put your leg on, this should cause her to seek forwards experiencing a comfortable and stable contact. This fixed cheek is a real confidence giver and is your dressage legal option. It is always good to alternate between two bits and keep the mouth fresh. We would therefore suggest that you use your NS Eggbutt for flat work and your NS Tranz Angled Lozenge Universal for hacks and faster work. At the moment you will be best to stay on the main bit ring of your Universal giving a slight hanging cheek affect, however as she gains condition and gets fitter you may need to change the rein to the bottom ring for increased control.