does anyone have any experience with wind problems

[oliveoyl]

Hey, does anyone have any experience with wind problems??? Please help.
I have a 3 year old tb filly, I have owned her since 6 months old. She has never raced or trained for racing. I backed and broke her in a few weeks ago. When I am riding her sometimes she tries to breathe through her mouth. But it is only when she has the bit in, and it doesn't just occur at fast work. For example if I lunge or ride her with the bit in sometimes she will do it at walk, there is no real pattern to it. I have cantered her out a hack through fields and she hasn't done it.
However, when I lunge her with cavasson or in her headcollar she doesn't do it at all, even at fast work, ie cantering.
I'm not sure whether it could be a wind problem, but I'm a bit doubtful as she can reach top speed in the field or be lunged without the bit and show no signs of breathing through her mouth. I probably didn't spend enough time getting her used to the bit, I spent more time getting her used to the saddle, walking out in hand in traffic etc.
I have spoken to my vet and they want to scope her but I'm a bit hesitant to go down this route right away.
I don't do much on her, mainly short hacks, and a little school work due to her age. Could it just be her inexperience and down to the fact she still finds the bit abnormal??
I currently have her in a happy mouth loose ring snaffle with a peanut and flash. I thought about using a grackle rather than a flash???
Any info or advice would be gratefully recieved xx

[hamish]

I would get her scoped first and that way you can rule out any problems with her larynx etc and that way it would put your mind at rest there is nothing wrong.
Good luck

[lisah]

Hi there

I think it may be the flash noseband - do you really need anything other than a plain cavesson noseband this early in her education?

Nosebands other than cavessons are usually to ''counteract'' something with the horse such as jaw crossing, pulling too hard etc .... I wonder if at just 3 yrs and only just broken that she needs anything other than a cavesson - it may be she is breathing funny because she is not liking the flash, as it does restrict her ability to open/move her jaw) rather than the bit itself.

Could you try her with just a cavesson noseband and see if there is a difference? I am pretty sure that the flash is the source of her 'breathing' behaviour as she does not do it in a headcollar or cavesson, neither of which have a flash noseband

Give it a try and see if there is a difference.

If she had a soft pallet issue, you would hear a kind of roaring sound when she is in faster work, and it will happen every time, so I am not 100% convinced you should go down the route of getting her scoped until you have tried riding her without the flash and just in a plain cavesson noseband.

I do hope this helps, let us know how you get along.

lisa xxx

[bingbong]

hi i read this a while ago and thought it sounded a bif bizar
i dont think horses breath through their mouth? do they? im pretty sure they dont.
to me it sounds like a baby/ green horse kind of thing.
as you say you didnt spend much time getting her used to the bit so she is probs figuring this out and playing about with it in her mouth id leave the bridle on in the stable and let her chew away at it and become used to it.
also is there any chance that the bit might be a bit too think for her maybe? just a thought?
also like lisa says i would take the nose band off or just have a loose cavason they reason she is opneing her mouth doesnt sound like its cause she is being naughty but more she is getting used to the bit and rein pressure. i dont put flashes on any of my youngsters untill they are working through from behind and into the bridle - if need be.
my older horse has a laryx problem and the noise is there all the time esp in canter and you hear when hes cantering around the field too.