Dear H&C Experts,

I'm wondering whether you can help me. My event horse only froths on the left side of his mouth, and the right stays dry. He also headshakes slightly in trot, which seems to be caused by not accepting the bit fully on the right side, and consequently loses marks in the dressage. He seems to forget about it when he jumps! Help!

Thank you,
Barbara

H&C's expert Olympic event rider Sharon Hunt replies:

I would try giving him a quater of an apple before he has his bit in and then another quater when he has it in as this may help him produce more saliva. I use Myler bits on most of my 'tricky' mouthed horses; they move in every section of the mouthpiece so may just help your horse to not be less tense in his jaw. Myler do many different types so is worth trying a few until you get the right one!

Quite often though tension may only be obvious in a horse's mouth, the real stiffness or tension may be  elsewhere in the body, so it is worth making sure he has had some physio etc too. Hope this helps, let us know how you get on.
 
Best wishes, Sharon.