I bought a gelding in Dec. He has been in a pasture for 2 years not ridden at all. I rode him the day I bought him and have ridden a few times. I rode with a hackamore but did not feel safe. The guy I bought him told me he was ridden with a snaffle bit. So I bought one I have not been able to ride with it because of the weather. But anyway my question is how much control will I have with the snaffle? also when will I be able to change to a different bit or should I always use the snaffle. I have never used one before.
Also can you give some training advise he is a little green. I have never trained a horse by myself but have helped a few times. Any advice will help.
thank you
Skye

Skye,

First I would make sure that his teeth are in good shape and have been floated with in the last 1-2 years. This way no matter what bit you use, you will get the best response possible. A horse can ride all of its life in a snaffle with no problem and you will plenty of control. A snaffle can be a very gentle bit or a very harsh bit depending on how the rider uses his/her hands. I have had some horses that prefer the standard snaffle and some that absolutely refuse to work in one. My mare rides in a D or egg butt snaffle, my 30 year old gelding rides in a Tomb thumb style, I ride another horse that rides in a mid port, with a roller. I prefer to find a bit that the horse responds the best in with the minimal amount of pressure. Their are some great books out there about what each bit does. Mylar has a book that explains each different bit and how they work.

You could always put a snaffle bit in his mouth with out the reins attatched and put your hackamore over the top and let him get use to it while you ride. You could also just put a snaffle on him and let him wear it in the round pen while you work him, biting him up lightly so he gets use to how it works on his mouth.

Hope this helps, be safe

All of my horses ride wonderfully in snaffles, even my Bosal horses occasionally.
First there are misconceptions with bits in general;
Snaffle- Any bit that does not have leverage. Can be straight,1 joint,2 joints,"waterford" 5 joints. Multiple mouthpiece materials-Plastic,rubber,copper,stainless,sweet iron,etc...
Curb-Any bit that does have leverage, Same as above with joints,materials. The side bar severity depends on its length and type of curb[part that goes under chin.]
Gag- Its effect on the head, combination of mouth,chin and poll pressure. Again comes in many mouth pieces and materials. When reins are pulled it either slides on cheek pieces or twists to pull pressure on poll.
Hackamore- Does not have a mouth piece.
Combination-Has both a mouth piece and a nose/chin device.
All of the mouth piece bits can be of any material and feel. Can be smooth or twisted, triangle shaped, balls or rollers in center, bendable or hard. The sides also are different shapes for different functions.
The exact same mouthpiece can be in each bit, for instance;
A jointed mouth piece with a "D" end is a D-ring snaffle.=Snaffle
A jointed mouth piece with a 2" shank end a Tom Thumb.=Curb
A jointed mouth piece with a sliding cheek piece a Gag.=Gag
A jointed mouth piece with a rope nose and a shank end a Reinsman stop and turn.=Combination
So a "snaffle" is a type of bit, from there you have alot of choices. Its like saying I drive a "Ford" the possibilities are endless.
You may have to do a little research, Myler explains some of it but any google search should work.
The milder the bit the better trained your horse is, so be patient and go slow. You should never be in a hurry and certainly don't try to use strength or force.
I own 64 bits all different and probly use 25 pretty regular, but of those only 3 aren't snaffles.

p8nt crazy
I have had his teeth floated and wolf teeth pulled. I have tried a standard curb bit and a correction bit all he does is back up and rear. That is why I got a snaffle. It was a suggestion from another forum. I got an o ring is that ok? or should I get a different kind of snaffle?
I don't want to do the wrong thing and make it hard on him. We have bonded real well on the ground. When I got him I couldn't even touch his head but now I can do almost anything with him. All he wanted was some love and caring which is not what he was getting. Thats one reason I bought him, he seemed very lonely all by his self in that pasture.

I think an O ring should be just fine. You might get some bit guards just in case. How old is he? Since he hasn't been ridden in so long, I would pretty much start from square one. It's never a bad idea when you get a new horse anyway, that way you know what they have and haven't been taught and you can act accordingly. The bond you are growing is going to help a lot because he'll want to please you. I would definitely put the bit in his mouth while you work him on the ground. If you have the time leave it in his mouth for a few hours in the round pen under your watchful eye. Start very slow, just get on him and ask him to walk on . Nothing fancy, but you want him to get into the habit of moving forward instead of straight up! You should also make sure he knows what woah means, I would definitely want to make sure he has a good stop on him. Once he's relaxed w/you on him and moving forward well, ask for a little trot for a few strides and then take him back into a walk. Gradually increase what you do with him at a slow pace. Don't ask for anything faster than a trot until you are confident that he's not going to freak out.

just wanted to say thank you for your help. I have not started yet but will this weekend.
I am going to ride this weekend.

be aware that many people are confused when it comes to tom thumb bits....they are not snaffle bits and are very harsh unless your horse is trained well and you have good hands....the tom thumb's are over used