As the title says. I’ve read some of the bit threads in here, and it’s got me wondering. My budget isn’t going to allow me to “trial and error” $200 bits. Some of you swear by the NS and the novoform style. I also wonder why a single jointed snaffle is ‘better’ for a horse not confident in contact than the double jointed?
My general go-to is JP Korsteel brand. Horses seem to like them, they don’t break the bank. BUT… (always an exception, huh) my mare is decidedly difficult in the mouth. <Her dental is done, she’s fine physically>
@Obsidian Fire, yes, it can be worth spending the money. I bought the Novocontact bit for a fussy Welsh cob. It worked great for him. He has been sold and my warmblood pony did not go as well in it so it is sitting in my tack box and needs to go. I would also advise renting it first. Right now, I’m going through bit trials with my mare and cringe at the thought of spending big $$$ to experiment.
I went into my local Dover (yes, I’m super lucky!) and they said that I had 30 days to return the bit if it didn’t work. So while you may have to dish out the money initially, they were super about letting me return it if it wasn’t working for me and my horse. I was talking about Mylers (I wasn’t sure which level might be best), but they didn’t stipulate that it was only for that brand.
It’s worth it for the right bit. However, the right bit isn’t always the most expensive. I used a Novocontact on my mare when I first got her and she knew nothing about contact. Now that she is confident about taking the bit forward, she is going fine in a $30 Korsteel curved mouth.
For the expensive bits, I buy used on eBay and then resell and get most of my money back if they don’t work or I no longer need them. The nice thing about NS and HS bits is they’re always in demand, so not hard to resell unless it’s a really large or small size.
This is my trouble, I need a 4.5", and preferably an eggbutt :lol: impossible to find used, and I’m not itching to drop $200+ on a new one. Darn pony mouth.
OP, as mentioned Dressage Extensions does trials, and The Collected Pony has a trial program as well (which offers smaller size options). I don’t know if we have anyone around here who does them, but a ‘bit fitting clinic’ might also be a good option to be able to try a bunch.
I find that the aurigan (HS) bits help with a softer, moister mouth. I haven’t tried the sensogan ones because what I have works well on my current horses.
Something I learned at a bitting clinic a few years ago:
One of the reasons the really expensive bits (KK Ultra, NS, etc) are so expensive is that they contain a much higher content of copper in the alloy they’re made of. This makes them a lot warmer in the horse’s mouth, as opposed to steel or titatnium that just don’t hold warmth as well. It is one of the thing that makes a lot of horses more comfortable in them. More copper also means they’re more expensive to make. So, where I thought it was just the name on the bit that made it expensive, there is a legitimate materials issue.
I do find the more expensive bits to be worth it, largely because they come in more styles that are more nuanced. I’ve had a lot of horses with small mouths, or ones that need narrow mouthpieces. Those just seem harder to find in the cheaper steel bits.
OK, I’ll stick my neck out and be the nay-sayer here. My trainer (older gentleman from Europe) has ridden and trained innumerable horses to GP. He starts them all in some kind of simple snaffle (eggbutt, loose ring, etc.) either single or double jointed. Once the foundation is laid and the horse is well-schooled, he moves them into the double bridle with ancient, simple bradoons and weymouths. His saddles are equally ancient, hard and rarely padded or huge knee-rolls. I’ve ridden many of his upper level horses and they are obedient, supple and correct.
That said, I do have a comfy dressage saddle and an ergonomic double jointed Stubben bit my opinionated mare likes. But the bit was $60 on sale and is VERY similar to a Neue Schule $160 snaffle. So…if you know what works for you and your horse, you can find it without breaking the bank. There are huge sales these days and/or you can find KKs and NS bits on Ebay or Facebook sale sites.
The parts in bold are totally marketing…the name “Aurigian” is just a “red brass”…nothing fancy here.
The brass alloys have a higher coefficient of heat transfer than stainless alloys…but once the bit is warmed up in the horse’s mouth, the bit’s temperature stabilizes at the temperature of the horse’s mouth.
Where I come from, that bit may have the mouthpiece integrated into the rings in an “eggbutt” way, but those are Dee rings on the bit.
I try and use variations on french mouths on every horse.
That said, I love my KKs- and mine are all older. I have used them on any number of the horses who pass through here- and, they are truly tested. The horses that I repurpose have been started with their tongues tied, and with bits that are not acceptable by USDF. I have a very favorite KK that has a really cool rubber doohickie on the lozenge in the center, and all of the horses who have come to me with the warning “you HAVE to tie his tongue” love it, and they keep their tongues where they belong. I have about seven KKs of different sizes and cheeks, but I love all of them.
I do own a couple of those newfangled bits that are different levels- I bought them because I thought they might be effective for certain horses. I am not impressed.
Now, I do have imitations of the KKs- in terms of configuration. Sometimes, they are fine. But all in all, the KKs rule.
Interestingly, I bought a NS bit close to 15 years ago (so well before they became the Newest Trendy Thing in dressage, and well before they were carried by US shops) and they were not so ridiculously overpriced at that time. :lol:
One thing that may or may not make them worth it to you –
Generally, the more expensive bits come with better research and development behind the product. Example being the HS Dynamic RS, which has a fair amount of research behind the shape and structure. You can still get an HS bit for $50, but it won’t have the same ergonomic shape.
I’m okay with paying that extra bit since, to me its worth it. That is how I feel about Charles Owen helmets as well, which for the last two decades or so, has been one of the only helmet manufacturers on the market that has paid to back up their product with re$earch.
It might also be useful to have someone else choose the bit, put it on your bridle, and bridle your horse so that you don’t know which bit is in his mouth when you’re riding him. IMO, it’s the only good way to evaluate anything, because once the evaluator knows how much each item cost then you’ve introduced bias.
Thanks for the tip about trialing bits thru Dressage Extensions. I was able to order both styles (single and double jointed) of the NovoContact, so we shall see!
Here’s the thing, I have ridden many horses that, until we tried a different bit, their issues were thought to be training/rider issues. My personal horse was fussy, went from the HS dynamic RS to the NS turtle top and he was a different horse (he jumped in a cheap dr bristol great until I tried jumping him in his double which was even better). A client’s horse was a different animal after putting him in a mylar, my mother’s horse, who was winning at 2nd lvl and went to champs at 3rd level and was taking lessons with top trainer with a single jointed snaffle suddenly is a different horse after trying a few NS bits.
The moral of the story is, sometimes you don’t know that there is an issue until you try something that the horse likes more and suddenly many of your problems are solved. My go to bits are now the NS tranz angled eggbutt and the NS verbindin. I like HS bits but they don’t offer the same variety in shapes that NS does. Can horses go well in cheaper bits? Sure! But you might not know that you’re missing.
