Wet Mouth, Slobbering

[choccy]

Is it a problem if your horse doesn't dribble or froth when being ridden?

Razzle used to but hasn't since we got rid of the flash and loosened the noseband (a long, long, time ago).

I'm under the impression that she is now able to swallow so doesn't dribble.

Bizarrely, I remember seeing a horse at a jumping show wearing and english hackamore that was frothing at the mouth.

Is it something to do with pressure on the salivary glands?

Any ideas?

Charlotte

[Wendy]

I thought it was an indicator that the horse is 'working through' correctly. No idea why.... :blink: I would be interested to know.

[Anna]

As far as I know, and from what I've read, excessive dribbling and slobbering can be a sign that the horse is struggling to swallow (e.g. according Myler bits people) and that it's moving its tongue around too much, possibly because it's not comfortable, literally whipping the saliva into a whipped cream consistency.   What you're looking for a is a nice white "lipstick", I don't think it's a problem as long as mouth isn't bone dry and that there is moisture.   Think I read in Decapentry that you want a nice quiet, jangling of the bit, created when the horse moves its tongue to swallow, not a hysterical chomping, which I suppose would cause excessive frothing.   Think Erik Herbermann talks about the white lipstick in his books, but can't quite remember at the moment.