# Gumbits Review



## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

*Gumbits (for teeth grinders) Review*

I know it's not exactly "tack" but wasn't sure where else to put this. 

Today I tried Gumbits. If you aren't sure what they are You can read here GUMBITS CONCEPTION for the story behind Gumbits, why they were invented, etc.... They were created by a USEF Dressage Judge when she bought a horse with a bad tooth grinding problem due to nothing but habit (like my Cinny).

Well, I'm not really agreeable with the price (about 45 bucks for a pound) BUT I tried them anyway. I have become so desperate over Cinny's tooth grinding and tired of having 1-3 points knocked off of every element in each dressage test we have done that I was willing to give it a try. But I'll tell you, if it wasn't a USEF Dressage judge, I might not have had any trust or faith at all...but still skeptical when I ordered.

The bag came today. It smells like cotton candy. I put one in my mouth (it is safe for humans) and it tasted like wheat cereal with way too much sugar in it. There was no numbness, nothing really all that spectacular or special happening in my mouth. Maybe a little more wetter than normal but my lunch was cooking in the microwave so it could have been a lunchtime mouth watering. No real expectation at this point.

I don't know how, I don't now why but they actually WORK!. At least on Cinny they do. Of course every horse is different. But seriously, I fed him a handful after tacking him up and then put him to work on the lunge line with side reins. Something that ALWAYS makes him grind like a beaver. Nothing... He was chomping and chewing his bit, flapping his lower lip, even drooling a little but no grinding.

So then I hopped on and rode him on a square making my turns on the fore. This is a GUARANTEE teeth grinding exercise. Frankly the horse hates it and lets me KNOW. He flicked his ears back once and had an angry look on his face, but kept chewing and chomping, but not gritting or gritting. He did pop up a few kicks...but that is his normal way of saying he is really frustrated with what I'm asking him to do.

So, in my book... they work. It only takes a handful and you get a 1 pound bag. It looks to me like you have about 30 handfuls in there, maybe more. So I'm not really happy about the price, even though they work. I don't think I can afford to give them EVERY workout but probably a good portion of them as well as clinics and of course, shows...they are show legal.


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

Day 2 of Gumbits. Still no teeth grinding, and I can feel our connection getting better. Cinny is really learning to relax and engage his hind. Now that his whole head is relaxing, I have an overall better movement out of him.


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