I prefer a pelham with reins attached to lowest ring which ends up being about a two inch leverage. I have changed my jaspar to a plain myler d-ring snaffle and he just gives me fits wanting to snatch bites of trail vegetation so i am switching to a french link happy mouth with full cheeks. I have found full cheeks work best for this bite snatching problem. (I am so very grateful this is my hugest problem at this time, thank you god)
I started using this bit on my stonewall on suggestion from Lee Z, and her and Liz always sorta liked the Lil Missoula bit also, which is a sort of mild port grazing curb with some curving shanks which i think are probably mechanically very similar to the two inch "shank" on my mullen pelham, the way I use it. I believe what Liz Graves says is true, for every inch of shank you have skipped a mile of training :) so I guess stonewall has skipped two miles of training. which is amazing really since i trained him myself. You would think with all i know about training he would have a bit with the shanks dragging in the dirt :() I just know this--- if i have to put a severe bit on my horse i dont need to be riding him. I had to borrow a bridle one time for stonewall and it had a tom thumb on it and when he started wanting to take off too spritedly, we were still in the parking lot, and I put a whoa on him in that tom thumb he bowed his neck and started sorta running backwards and almost sitting down like francis the mule. so I said ooookay, not gonna use this bit today theenkayeww. he woulda killed me and i know it. Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
