I’ve seen them a few times over the years, mostly for driving but now I’ve seen a few people riding with them. Has anyone used them? What are they good for/how do they work? I’m just curious.
http://profchoice.com/images/F126684282.jpg
It’s a Scourier or a Wilson Snaffle to some. They have become popular on the jumper scene as they are good for a heavy horse that dives down. I have ridden in the Neue Schule version (They are my favorite bits, always will be) and it was uneventful. It made the horse, who typically went in all sorts of contraptions to keep it from landing and playing on the backside of a fence, into something that while still a bit strong was much easier to keep on his haunches and turn.
The way they work is to put pressure on the sides of the jaw, so if you have a horse that is super sensitive to poll or chin pressure, this may work. A word of caution, however, that a bit is only as soft as the hands you put it in. To use this bit I would recommend a well educated rider and a well schooled horse.
I use this bit for jumping with my mare, but with a Waterford mouthpiece. Same horse goes in a KK double-jointed D-ring on the flat.
She’s bad for diving down on the landing side of the jumps and then playing around once she has me off balance. Works great for her as I can use very light hands and stay quiet in my body while she self-corrects–bit really only comes into effect when she decides to jerk her head down. My mare is actually very light in the bridle (I make most of my adjustments using body position), but can be downright rude with her head, so I needed something that can be used lightly and sparingly but still has some “teeth” to get the message across.
I have slow twist half cheek model for my old driving horse. She loved it. It was about the only bit she liked. She could get strong or rubber neck or not stop or any combination of the 3. She didn’t have a particularly hard mouth, but was headstrong. When it suited her mood she was dead broke. When it didn’t suit her mood, she wasn’t.
When I rode her, it was in a full bridle with a slip shank curb & an overcheck bit masquerading as a snaffle. She did not like broken bits.
I’ve seen reins done a couple different ways. When I used it, it was hung from the bridle by the loose rings, and the reins attached to rings on the mouth piece. That was from one trainer.
I’ve also seen it used with the bit attached to the bridle via rings on the mouthpiece and the reins, basically threaded through that ring to the loose ring inside. I’ve been told you get great steering with it used that way - current trainer uses it this way.
[QUOTE=red mares;8331679]
I have slow twist half cheek model for my old driving horse. She loved it. It was about the only bit she liked. She could get strong or rubber neck or not stop or any combination of the 3. She didn’t have a particularly hard mouth, but was headstrong. When it suited her mood she was dead broke. When it didn’t suit her mood, she wasn’t.
When I rode her, it was in a full bridle with a slip shank curb & an overcheck bit masquerading as a snaffle. She did not like broken bits.
I’ve seen reins done a couple different ways. When I used it, it was hung from the bridle by the loose rings, and the reins attached to rings on the mouth piece. That was from one trainer.
I’ve also seen it used with the bit attached to the bridle via rings on the mouthpiece and the reins, basically threaded through that ring to the loose ring inside. I’ve been told you get great steering with it used that way - current trainer uses it this way.[/QUOTE]
That reminds me so much of one of my horses.
I’m so sorry.:lol: :lol:
She usually knew exactly what she was supposed to do; just chose not to. The trainer that figured out the bitting HATED her. Was a more than a little bit afraid of her too. Pretty sure the current trainer would have hated her too; she was not a trainer’s horse.
I used one on my mare that had a Waterford mouth piece. I believe Gina Miles branded that particular bit. My mare went super well in it for xc as she pulled hard between fences but didn’t need much bit when we got close to the fence without dropping behind the leg and hand.
dang. I do not have this bit. Now have to have it… in the collection.
The Bit Hoarder
What attaches where? There are 2 rings, do you ride with 2 reins?
How does this not pinch the crap out of their mouth? 
[QUOTE=talkofthetown;8336857]
How does this not pinch the crap out of their mouth? [/QUOTE]
Apparently that’s exactly what it is designed to do. When you pull on the reins, the cheeks get squeezed against the teeth. Ouch.
[QUOTE=talkofthetown;8336857]
How does this not pinch the crap out of their mouth? [/QUOTE]
It does :winkgrin:
While not an evil bit it’s definitely best reserved for a very educated rider. I wouldn’t stay it’s strong in the mouth but it’s harsh on the cheeks if used as a sharp correction. I am still of the opinion that strong bits should be left at home and not used at competition… having seen too many fence crashes as a result of a horse being backed off too sharply by too strong a bit. YMMV.
FWIW I briefly rode a horse that was being reschooled after developing a nasty duck-to-the-side-at-the-base-of-the-fence act. He was broke until he wasn’t - and when he wasn’t he would grab the bit and turn his head and drop it down, so he’d pull you out of the tack sideways and then slam on the brakes. This bit worked for his “cheekiness” but he never made a debut to eventing once the habit was developed.
All my self-made horses have been competed in french link snaffles… so… if I can do it, I feel like a pro can do it… no reason to see the bicycle chain gags on XC IMHO.
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What beowulf said.
There is some information about the Wilson snaffle here:
http://horses.about.com/od/bitsexplained/p/wilson_driving_snaffle_bit.htm
I draw attention to this excerpt from that page:
Like any bit however, the severity is governed by the hands that use it. If the rider is heavy handed or rough with the horse’s mouth, the horse will learn to evade the aid, and may even misbehave in response to the pain. A more severe bit is not substitute for good schooling and may create more problems than it solves.
If a horse and rider are doing a sport at the cost of the equine partner’s comfort, it’s time to go back to schooling and find out why the horse is having problems, not just bit up so the rider can ride.
