My TB when im riding him , he will slam his mouth into the bit. From my point of View it looks as if it would hurt him in his mouth but he just keeps doing it. He raced till he was 4 and barrel raced for a short time and l got him and he is now he is 7. He was in a loose ring snaffle, now he is in a loose ring oval mouth made by JP, and l was thinking of switching him to a happy mouth. If you see my last postes, we have done everything to help him from misbehaving, changing the saddle, teeth done and feet checked, so Im really out of options. The first month l got him he was great! but now he is constantly misbehaving! l ride english and l did some jumping and dressage with him, but now he is just getting to BAD to work with!!!HELP!!!

This is a common problem among OTTB's. While on the track, they often pick up bad behaviors, mostly due to frustration & boredom. l have had occasion to work with MANY TB is of the track ( l actaually purchase about 3 a year, retrain them & sell them), & I've dealt with things like this & things much worse.

In order to stop the gnashing at the bit, l would switch to a ''happy mouth'' or a myler bit to make sure he is really comfortable. l would also use a cavasson, perhaps one with a flash, just to get him used to keeping that mouth shut. Then, be very easy with his mouth, ask ''gently'' with the reins.

It sounds like u have a few other behaviors to deal with.you might want to find a trainer who is used to dealing with OTTB's, as they can help u with all of the problems that u might be having.

if he is pulling on ur hands while u ride by pushing his mouth in to the bit l would first suggestt a slightly stronger bit. ur horse is 7yrs old & is certainly old enough for a little bit more in his mouth, such as a twisted snaffle bit. he may be doing this because in both racing & barrel racing horses aradequateally steered & directed mostly by their mouth & the bit. make sure u r using adequet leg pressure at the same time while using the bit. ur legs should always ask first then come in with the hands. go back to the basics & work on respect from ur horse in al ways including ground work(dont let him push u around or walk faster/slower than u want him to) also do not do any speed work yet, just work on respect at the walk, trot, canter, then after u get that move onto the faster paced things.
also when he pushes into ur hands & almost pulls the reins out of ur hands, take one rein & give it a quick pul back towards the saddle, then move on. this is not mean, it is teaching him to not be so heavy on the forehand & push on you. also make sure You r not contributing to the problem byu leaning far forward(this encourages him to be heavy on the forehand & pull the bit) or always having a very tight rein. if u r constantly holding him really tight bhe wil get sick of it & him puling/pushing downwards into the bit is his way of teling u to loosen up. however, l am not teling u to start having a lose draped western plesure style rein just make sure u give & take & give & take & not always the same tightness.if u have anymore questions let me know l hope this helps & happy riding!

Maybe you should sell him and get a new horse???

try a french link snaffle. l had a TB that lugged on the bit and this was perfect for him. no more lugging.

its seems like most ottb is act like this once they are off the track they think now that they don;t have to work as hard or something then they can do whatever they want.. l dunno my horse was PERFECT when l first got him but then he had all theses bad mannors and l had to re-train him basically lol

anyways l would try a flash!!

This is VERY common among most Off Trackies. On the track, contact of any sort means more forward & quicker. So in order to avoid this ''contact'' they figure out ways to avoid the pressure, & this is the most common. Slamming into the bit, freightrains to slow down, no concept of a half halt.*sigh* Welcome to the world of TBs :)

As a matter of fact, right now, Iam dealing with this EXACT issue just about with my 4 yr old TB gelding. My coach & l just put a different, latex straight bar in his mouth last night. TOTALLY made a difference. Its a straight bar but its a rubber & VERY soft. Also be cautious of where ur bit is sitting. l know my gelding gets ''tounge tied'' & he is very particular in his mouth where he likes his bit to sit. So try putting ur bit up just a hole, & in the mean time let him get used to this kind of bit. It seriously made a huge difference within 5 minutes. l had some serious softening happening with him, his mouth quited right down & he wasnt such a TANK through our downward transitions.

Also, really focus on getting him to move off ur leg & be SUPER soft with ur hands. Ive been working on getting my leg aid as opposed to being over reliant on my hands. As soon as he gives, l soften. As soon as he looks away or is distracted, l ask with more leg & soft hands. The second he gives, l give. We had an AWESOME lesson last night & it all came from changing his bit, it really made a big difference.

Another suggestion l recommend is to use a flash! Definatley makes a big difference.

Good Luck : 0)

l second (and third) the happy mouth.

http://doversaddlery.com/product.asp?pn=X1-01678&idu=109FD1EKF98D&ids=135759367

This bit has been the golden ticket for my last 2 OTTBs.

l have found that a flash or figure-8 is often beneficial for those who take out their frustrations with their mouths.