Anyone used a bit fitter? Specifically looking at Fager

[dmveventer]

Hi all, I’m debating getting a bit fitter out to look at my horse and wondering if anyone else has done it and found it valuable (or not). My TB has a small mouth and fleshy lips/tongue so not a lot of room in there. He’s currently in a 14mm Fager Emil fixed-ring which was an improvement over his previous bit (a basic double-jointed eggbutt). He’s been going fine in it, but has recently started resisting the bit when I go to bridle him and something about it just doesn’t seem to sit right in his mouth even though it checks all the boxes for correct fit. He’s a very stoic type and doesn’t give me much material to work with to figure out his likes and dislikes, and he’s still green so not super steady in the contact anyway. Once bridled he seems fine, no signs of discomfort and he’s made a lot of progress in accepting the contact over the past few months (though still a work in progress). I just wonder if another bit would unlock even more from him; we had a similar experience with saddle fit, where everything looked great on paper and then we made one tiny additional tweak that got him moving even better than expected.

Fager has an option to send a bit fitter out to your barn, and I’m considering it just to get someone else’s eyes on and have the option to try a bunch of stuff without dealing with returns and trial fees. But part of me wonders if a) I’m overthinking the whole thing and my horse is actually fine, or b) if I should just order and return a few more bits myself and see what happens. I like the Fager bits but am not wedded to the brand, willing to try other things as long as they can be returned if they don’t work.

So please hit me with your bit fitting stories, especially if you’ve worked with the Fager team or have a recommendation for someone else in the VA/MD area. I’m also open to bit suggestions - currently leaning towards trying a baucher to see if the stability helps him and a bradoon in case going even thinner makes a difference.

[eponacelt]

I worked with Stephanie Brown Beamer with Horse By Horse and it was great. She helped me address not only a bit issue, but also put us in a MUCH better fitting bridle. I tried probably 20 different bit combinations and the price of that 2 hours was WELL worth it. I also now better understand what to look for in terms of bridle and bit fitting. Did it solve all my problems? No. But I’d recommend it as a great experience in a heartbeat.

I would recommend using someone who has a variety of different bit types. I ended up in a set of Fager bits, but Stephanie had lots of different brands that we tried. As our training has progressed, I’ve swapped back to a Neue Schule set up for my double, but all at Stephanie’s suggestion.

[dmveventer]

That looks awesome, did you do that as part of a clinic? I’m not sure there would be enough interest in my barn to justify the cost of bringing someone out.

[atr]

If you contact Stephanie, you might find she’s doing a clinic in your area and you could maybe get a slot.

[eponacelt]

I did, as my trainer has worked with her and had her come for a weekend. We all had enough new horses, young horses, and horses starting in double bridles that it made sense. I think she had extra slots and opened them to people not at our barn. Like someone else said, email Stephanie and ask if she’ll be in you area any time soon. She’s based in Wellington for the winter, but moves back to NY (Long Island, I think?) for the rest of the year.

[dmveventer]

Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind! In the meantime I adjusted my horse’s bridle and that seems to have made a difference, he’s been accepting the bit just fine the past few rides. Of course I made the exact same adjustment a month ago with no change… but as long as he’s happy now I’m not going to ask questions