Tongue over the bit... ideas?

[Walk N Shake]

We've had Banjo for several years now and he's been shown and trail ridden half to death but he has a chronic issue of getting his tongue over the bit... ONLY when he gets agitated or keyed up like in the show ring or getting competitive with another horse on a trail ride, etc. Any time he wants to start pushing against your hands, he starts gaping his mouth and licking furiously until his tongue gets over and he never can seem to get it back on his own. Any other time, you can ride him at any speed and collect him up with no problem whatsoever. He gets his teeth done regularly and the only thing I can think of that is likely a factor is that sometime before we got him, his tongue was nearly cut in half by... something. A bit, presumably. It's got a scar that's a very deep gash across it that's about 1/2" wide and very deep. Literally, it was almost cut in half by whatever.

We've tried a tight cavesson, a Rutledge Roper bit (specifically made for cut/damaged tongues), a roller mouthpiece port bit, your standard "walking horse" bits, both broken mouth and solid copper port (med and high), sweet iron chain mouth bits, wonder bits, Myler bits, you name it. The only thing we haven't tried is like a spade or spoon bit... but not opposed to trying one, as he neck reins and you rarely have to haul on his face anyway. He trail rides in an Imus Gaits of Gold bit with the copper roller mouth and he's very happy in it until he gets a little pushy.

He's 13 years old and I'm not looking to take him back to the round pen and completely retrain him, join up better with him, or otherwise try to change the horse he is. Just wondering if anyone had any tricks or suggestions to share that worked for them to keep a tongue under the bit. We would like to start showing him in racking breed shows in Trail Pleasure (he has already placed well, but we're looking bigger) and obviously, this tongue/mouth thing is a distraction.

Thanks!

[Riderkat]

I showed a QH mare with a similar issue, but she could wear this and not get her tongue over it

http://www.pennystackoutlet.com/whoa-ma ... heeks.html

it's a lot of bit but it avoided her damaged tongue...her 'Trainer' tied her head back to the girth in a twisted wire snaffle. Left her for a while to soak. It's a thousand wonders her whole tongue didn't fall off. But she nearly severed it and any normal bit agitated her mouth.

[wildfire]

I've always had good luck by tightening the headstall up and raising the bit for a few weeks/months until they stop trying.
If it is high enough they can't get the tongue up and over it. After a while they quit and forget about it, then you can adjust it back down, if you want to.

[Francis30642]

A rather interesting blog covered this recently.. might be more than you want for Banjo, but I like the way this woman thinks when she trains..

http://mugwumpchronicles.blogspot.com/s ... 0the%20bit.

OT

[Walk N Shake]

Kat, I like that bit! Very similar to what we're using to show him in now, only lays higher on the tongue. I'm gonna order one and try it. Thank you!

Rosalee, you cannot raise the bit far enough in his mouth. We've had it jacked to the moon and he can still get his tongue over it. i think maybe with that tongue being nearly severed across the middle, it affords him extra flexibility with it to be able to flip it over the mouthpiece. I'm not sure.

Tina, gonna read your link now. Thanks!