Changing Bits Periodically

[Pico_Banana]

After literally years of thinking about it, I just ordered my mare a 14mm bit. Specifically the Emil eggbutt by Fager.

I saw this on their website https://fagerbits.com/guide-inspo/why-you-should-change-between-bits.

Has anyone tried this? I’m a bit (no pun intended) skeptical of this advice coming from a company that sells bits, but at the same time I’ve had that experience where you try a new bit and it feels really great for the first few rides and then less so. By changing periodically do you keep that new bit experience?

[outerbanks77]

I don’t know about the bit specifically, but I think it’s this webinar in which Hilary Clayton recommends changing up the bridle overall on a regular basis to avoid chronic pressure points. So if you were going to do this, you might want to set up an entirely different bit/bridle and swap them out every week or something.

No. 93. Hilary Clayton DVM: A Bit about Bits and Bridles

[KayGee]

My horse is a multi-discipline fellow and has several bit and headstall combos so we change up often. It may not be for everyone, but it keeps things fresh for both of us and is useful in confirming things that I think or feel when riding.

[Mersidoats]

I think I’ve gone through about 6 bits with one horse and 3 with another. Different bits do different things, I often switch depending on the training goal. If I am more interested in jaw flexion and mobility, I might use a shanked bit. If I’m more interested in lateral bending and scoping his neck out, I will use some sort of snaffle. As we were preparing for the double, I used a series of Pelham style bits. My goal is always to go back to the simplest bit possible and have him off of my seat and leg, but I don’t mind journeying through different bits to help him understand how I want his body shaped.

[Jackie_Cochran]

When I was riding the lesson horses with a snaffle bit I would change it if the horse started “cussing me out”. At the end of my snaffle experiences I changed from a JP Dr. Bristol D-ring, to a Wellep single or double jointed plain snaffle, to various of the Fager titanium (mainly) or sweet iron snaffles often with a copper center.

When I switched to using a double bridle with the Fager Victoria Mullen mouth Weymouth curb and a Fager bridoon I periodically tried another Fager titanium Weymouth curb and got told “no thank you”. I stopped experimenting with the curb.

I went through the Fager Madeleine single and double jointed bridoons, usually ending up with better results from the double jointed bridoon. Then I switched to the Fager Alice bridoon, double jointed with a titanium roller in the middle, and the horses have told me that this is the best set up I’ve put into their mouths (several horses). Since then the horses have not “told” me that they are displeased with me so I have not changed in over a year.

If the horses tell me I need to change the bit I will go back to the Fager Bianca double jointed snaffle with a titanium roller in the middle or the Fager Alexander sweet iron/copper center plate snaffle, the snaffle bits the horses have told me are the best with my hands.

With the double bridle I alternate between contact with the bridoon most of the time and contact with just the Weymouth curb as a break from the bridoon. This seems to give the horses’ mouths enough variety of pressures so no one part of the horses’ mouths gets dull to my rein aids or contact.

The last Fager bit I bought was the 125mm Wilma multi-jointed snaffle, like a smoother Waterford. I showed it to my riding teachers, they both agreed that it looked like a really interesting bit, I told them I would like to try it, and nothing happened. The horses are happy with my double bridle and how I use the bits, my riding teachers really like the results I get from their horses with the double bridle, thus my new Wilma snaffle, never used, languishes in my bit box waiting in vain to be used. Someday I will get to try it.

If I did not have light contact I would probably have to change bits around more as the horses’ mouths got dull.

So I change bits when the horses tell me to by cussing me out–flinging their heads, gaping mouths, inverted movement, and supreme reluctance to obey my hand aids. THAT is how the horses tell me it is time to change the darn bit to something that is more comfortable in their mouths with my hands on the other end of the reins.

[eightpondfarm]

i had a Faeger titanium baby fulmer Carl. My coach borrowed it shortly after and i just let her keep it. When i finally got around to ordering another i haven’t put it on my mare yet. This post might just be the inspiration i need to do that! tks :). (she’s going in a lovely eggbutt single joint right now)

[Scribbler]

I do think it can be useful to.switch between a bit and bitless to give them a break especially trail riding. But it depends how much you end up hauling on their mouth.

[RedHorses]

IME that “new bit feeling” is very often the horse responding to the new bit because it’s different and the feeling interrupts the habitual responses to rein aids. Loss of that “new bit feeling” is due to the horse becoming accustomed to the new bit and returning to habitual responses.

The rider has the opportunity to use the window of increased awareness and response to rein aids to actually train a lighter response. What all to often happens is the new bit is considered to have fixed the problems, and the horse adapts and learns how to evade the rein aids and return to habitual responses.

[rulex]

Great, an excuse to buy more bridles

[Jealoushe]

I believe some horses benefit from this while others don’t. Some of mine can really only go best in one bit. Others I change it up. So depends on your horse imo.

[Jackie_Cochran]

One reason I will occasionally change snaffle bits is if the horse shows me that he is starting to be bored in the ring.

I can only ride 30 min., mostly at the walk and some trot.

Sometimes I change snaffle bits just to give the horse something new to think about during my rides instead of the same-old, same-old.

For some reason none of the horses I’ve ridden in the double bridle get this bored.

[luvmyhackney]

I alternate between two bridles and my loping hackamore.

I don’t change bits often as we use the Myler level 1 or the Duo, but my loping hackamore doesn’t use a bit and gives a nice break.

[Baysn_Blondes]

My OTTB needed to switch bits regularly or he’d get pretty violent in his refusal of a bit (both while bridling and riding). Early on I suspected that he may have some scaring or nerve damage in his tongue, but he also ended up having fairly significant neurological and nerve function issues, so that was likely a factor. His dentist also noticed he was unusually sensitive in his lower jaw even under heavy sedation.

My current horse, on the other hand, picked his favorite bit style and does not appreciate having his bit changed.