Hello,
I have a NSH and I’m thinking of moving from a French link loose ring to a French link Baucher bit. I feel like she might be more confident in the contact with a fixed mouth piece plus the slight poll pressure this provides. Right now when the loose ring move In her mouth she tends to pop above the bit and get hollow. Does anyone have any experience with this type of bit? Pros? Cons?
Thanks!
There is no poll pressure with a Baucher unless you put a curb strap on it, which is not what it’s designed to have. However, if your horse likes a “quieter” bit, or if your hands are a little unsteady, the horse will probably like it.
Yeah, Bauchers don’t produce poll pressure. If you go with one though, stick to a French link.
I have a full Saddlebred and switched to a baucher bit with French link last year…now much steadier in contact, easier to get and maintain working over back. I think it might be worth a try for you.
how would the baucher work with a horse that has a low palate
Works great because when it breaks, it doesn’t poke the roof of the mouth.
I have a custom made Myler baucher- great bit for a horse that is fussy and likes a quiet feel. When I first introduced my opinionated horse to contact, its what I used and had success. Then moved on to a (much cheaper) french-link loose ring snaffle.
My horse has a low palate and does well with his Myler Baucher. In general he seems to like a more stable bit. He doesn’t lock his jaw against it as much as he did with French links in loose ring or D ring.
[QUOTE=stryder;8784595]
Works great because when it breaks, it doesn’t poke the roof of the mouth.[/QUOTE]
Some french links have rather large loops that join the arm of the bit to the link. They can dig into the palate.
www.amazon.com/Korsteel-French-Link-Baucher/dp/B002HUX1KM
A bit that folds like this is less likely to dig into the palate
www.cotswoldsport.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=590
I use a Baucher lozenge bit and it works well for my Haflinger gelding. He stopped fighting me quite so much and seems to accept contact better. I occasionally put him back in the loose ring as a refresher though, as he occasionally things it’s fun to grab the bit and run
horses will tell you anything is possible.
i have a uber-sensitive (but quiet-minded), low-palette TB who goes “okay” in just about anything but i wasn’t 100% thrilled with the contact. he was far enough along where he understood the concept of contact but was just so, so fussy. i tried him in pretty much every dressage legal bit out there and you want to know what he picked? a single-jointed baucher.
yes – a low paletted, sensitive TB in a single joint baucher.
IMHO i think the movement of a loose ring and a lozenge/broken link (i tried a Herm Sprenger eggbutt, which he was retrained in post track) was too much movement for him. He is much, much happier in the single-joint.
the stability of the bit keeps him quiet and non-fussy and it does not ‘nutcracker’ him. but he is also a quiet boy and direct force with the rein is very rarely needed.
FWIW, I really like - or rather my horse really likes - is the Steubben version of the French link Baucher. What I like about it is the upper ring is bent slightly outwards, so it can’t pinch the cheek. I suppose if you have/get some other version (like the Centerline stainless one which is in the $30-$35 range), you could put it in a vise and bend the upper ring slightly outwards. The Steubben version is in the $78-$88 range, which is still less expensive than the HS ones.
This is the one I bought, and my horses love it. My upper level horse was always a bit hesitant in the contact with a loose ring french link or kk bit. He is much steadier and happier in it. Also, my young Lipizzan mare seems to prefer it and isn’t fussy anymore.
[QUOTE=artisticgold;8786771]
This is the one I bought, and my horses love it. My upper level horse was always a bit hesitant in the contact with a loose ring french link or kk bit. He is much steadier and happier in it. Also, my young Lipizzan mare seems to prefer it and isn’t fussy anymore.
That looks close to identical to the Steubben version, but obviously much less expensive. But I suppose by the time I added shipping costs to California…
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