Selecting The Right Bit

Table of Contents

Factors To Consider

All horses differ in shape and attitude. Every horse and rider combination has specific needs that can change over time and with progress. From a humane point of view horses, like humans, salivate, particularly during exercise, and therefore need to swallow. The tongue is essential for the horse to communicate, if it cant use its tongue it will as a minimum be distracted. Any bit that detracts from assisting these actions or circumstances will be deleterious. The correct choice of bit is therefore vital.

To properly bit your horse it is essential to consider all of the following factors.

Your Horses Mouth

• Knowing the equine mouth is crucial to proper bitting.
• Look inside. How is your horse's dental health?
• What do the bars and palate reveal?
• How thick and wide is that sensitive muscle, the tongue, where pressure and relief give the bit its main means of control?
• Though not part of the mouth, the chin and poll (located at the second vertebrae) both receive pressure from the bits. The chin, or curb, is affected by the bit's curb strap: the poll receives downward pressure through the headstall.

Consider Your Horses Level Of Training & The Riders Level Of Skill

Horse Level One

• Horse has just begun training or has had little training
• Is learning basic gaits, transitions and obedience
• Has begun to break at the poll

Horse Level Two

• Basic training is established
• Relaxed at the poll; holds position when rein is released
• Possesses more complex skills such as bending, collection, side passes and lead changes

Horse Level Three

• Horse considered broke or finished; willing to obey commands
• Relaxed at the poll
• Possesses advanced skills; works well off seat, legs and hands

Riders Skills

• Are you a beginner, intermediate or advanced rider?.
• How are your hands?
• If you are building basic skills and/or have overactive hands, be mindful of bits which send too quick a signal, including long shanks and/or straight shanks.

Take Into Account Your Discipline And Go With The Level That Fits

 Level One

• Feature curved mouthpiece that allows horse to swallow.
• Apply some bar pressure, but mostly on the tongue. (Myler Bits distribute tongue pressure more evenly than rival designs.)
• Feature pinch & restrict with release.
• May also use tongue, curb, poll and/or palate pressure.

 Level Two

• Feature curved mouthpiece with tongue relief.
• Use more bar pressure relative to tongue pressure, with mouthpiece rolling onto, and sometimes collapsing into, the bars.
• May feature hooks, and apply curb, palate and/or poll pressure.
• May offer independent side movement.

 Level Three

• Feature curved mouthpiece with tongue relief.
• Use mostly bar pressure, rolling downward on the bars.
• Address various pressure points to take the horse as soft as possible; may also use tongue, curb, poll and/or palate pressure.
• May feature hooks and/or independent side movement.

Please do not hestitate to contact us to discuss your requirements. We regularly hold bitting clinics so please register your interest.

"Endorsing a holistic view of the horse, natural products and non-violent training."