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Karen,
I don't ride a Morgan, but in my humble opinion, a horse is a horse. 
They have a tendency to think alike.

I cannot advise you about bits. I ride one of my horses with a 
hackamore, one in a full cheek snaffle and one in a bitless bridle, each 
for different reasons, that have to do with the individual differences 
in the horses.

What I have found that works when my mares or gelding become 
"hardheaded" is to play games with them on the trail. I have taught them 
these games in the round pen, and the pasture. (I do not have access to 
an arena.)

I first teach them that "whoa" means stop and back up a step, not just 
"halt." I teach them a one rein stop. Almost throw one rein away, 
shorten the other rein to get the horse's noose almost to your knee. 
Only release when all four feet are still, and the horse softens and 
gives you the rein. This is to be done both on the right side and the 
left side. I also teach them to yield to leg pressure so that I can move 
them right or left or move hindquaarters or shoulders over while still 
moving forward. Then, when I take them on the trail, and they begin to 
go faster than I want, or get "hard headed" I begin playing these little 
games with them. I mix up the sequence, so that each time they do 
something different. (Keeps them from anticipating.) We might circle to 
the left one time. a one rein stop to the right next time, back up four 
or five steps, or move a body part right or left. It does n ot take the 
horse long to figure out that trying to do something other than what I 
want means more work. My most recent "convert" is a 14 year mare that 
had been through many "bad starts" with different owners. In March, we 
rode the Sandhills Stampede in South Carolina. The first loop of the 50 
mile distance was 20 miles. The first twelve miles we played these 
games, and were truly last place when she finally sighed, literally, 
relaxed, and the rest of the ride was pure joy. We moved up in our 
placing and finished 44th, which was in front of a few horses, that she 
got to pass on the trail, so she learned that listening is better. Now 
that she's back at home, even my grandchildren take her on the trail 
with light contact, and are amazed at the difference in her. I suspect 
that if the loop had been only 12 or 13 miles, there would not have been 
a lenghty enough period of good experience to really teach her the 
pleasure of cooperating with her rider. We did all this in a bitless 
bridle, no metal in her mouth at all.

It sounds to me like your horse has the skills and knowledge to play 
these "games." If she's dressage trained, just ask her to do those 
movements on the trail, and reward her with very light contact when she 
does the right thing. I do not think you need to change your bit at all, 
just change the way you manage a trail ride. Teach her to respect you on 
the trail as well as in the arena. Then teach her that cooperation can 
be pleasant. The first few endurance rides you take her to, treat them 
as training rides, and be consistent with her. And if you are doing 12 
mile trail rides now, she could probably do a slow limited distance 
ride. There are some things that they can only learn at the rides, no 
matter how well they are trained at home. I think the horses catch 
excitement from the other horses.

Play these games at home, and try riding farther than the twelve miles a 
few times. Start looking for a ride to take her to. And may you two have 
many happy trails togetherrr.
God bless you.
Lucie H.

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for a wet, tired female Endurance Rider! A good crew person has patience, a
sense of humor, and knows that sometimes it's best to say nothing at all!
~  Jim Holland

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