There is longtime confusion as to exactly what a Dr Bristol looks like. Most bit manufacturers give the name to a bit that in no way resembles a Dr Bristol. Just because it has a lozenge shaped centre piece, does not mean it is a Dr Bristol. Following link is from the Dr Bristol patent which states that the centre lozenge lies flat on the tongue. This is consistent with the design of bits I own, which are moulded with “Dr Bristol” on the centre link. Dr J S Bristol was a harness racer.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped…tol_patent.png
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That one has 2 more links on either side of the flat lozenge, which (to your point) are not part of what is being sold as a “Dr. Bristol” in U.S. tack shops.
That design does look much milder.
The bit photos I’ve seen so far (previous to above link) distinguish the regular flat-link from the Dr Bristol only by what is on either end. An eggbutt or D-ring is a “Dr. Bristol”, a loose ring is a “French link”.
What the FEI and the USEA first need to do is define exactly what a “Dr. Bristol” is, for their purposes. They are ASSuming that “everyone knows”. Without the specifics, the clarification means nothing… although the USEA/USEF do have that illustration in the Annex which does not match Equibrit’s information.
My horse has a very small mouth and I’ve like the flat link over the round lozenge for him.
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Just to make sure our Canadian riders understand, EC follows FEI bit rules for Eventing for ALL levels, not just FEI (that means any national levels, from Entry up).
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Why does the FEI insist on dumb rule changes to fix things that are not a problem?
My stallion goes best in the JP korsteel French link, a knockoff of the Mylar French link. It’s thin and well-curved. And $20. I have a KK and a kk knockoff, but neither has the Myler shape curve or thin diameter that he seems to appreciate. I’m not one to get overly hung up on bit mouthpieces…in general i don’t think horses have overwhelming preference for lozenge vs French link, they have a similar function with respective ring styles. But thickness/diameter and curve vs straightness I think is more influential.
I do wonder if some of the new $$$ bit manufacturers had any influence on this. I’m sure their bits are lovely, but forcing many, many horses to switch from a basic $20 French link to something different is a little suspect, to me.
Yes I know there are cheaper Korsteel lozenge bits available, but I’ve yet to find one as thin as the Myler-like French link.
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I’m curious about the thickness, I just saw someone comment that there is also a new rule regarding thickness and that mylers don’t qualify now. Is this true…anyone know?
I will look at the rules shortly myself but just curious if anyone knows.
ETA:
From the rulebook
The diameter of the mouthpiece must be a minimum of 14mm for Horses and 10mm for Ponies at the rings or cheeks.
I think this knocks most Mylers out 
Agreed. When I first saw this on social media yesterday I rolled my eyes and thought it was a joke or misinformation. Obviously, it’s real. I just don’t understand their logic (probably because there is none). Like yes, let’s ban unattached neck straps and a flat mouth link piece but let people run around with their horse actively bleeding from the mouth and not say a peep about it. Come on.
I don’t have to change my bit, and at the end of the day it probably doesn’t make a HUGE difference, it’s just irritating. I don’t know, maybe I’m just one of those people who doesn’t like change LOL.
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What I don’t understand is if they are taking it from a horse welfare stand point, then why is basically any bit allowed on XC and SJ, whereas dressage the riding is much softer, and less likely to be offensive.
Last year they banned the mullen mouth happy mouth, so I spent the entire summer finding a new bit, and spending close to $800 on bits in the process :lol: in the end she liked the cheap D ring best :lol:
At the end of the year, they changed the rules for this year to allow this bit back. So like, will next year this bit be allowed back again? Ridiculous.
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I didn’t think this was a rule change though, just a clarification of an existing rule (the rule about the “control plate”. So, I wouldn’t expect it to be reversed for next year, unless the whole rule gets changed.
But again, it’s the FEI, so…
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A bit off topic, but if I am reading your comment right, I believe you are confusing the rings “C” (look in the top view of the bit in the horse’s mouth) for additional parts of the mouthpiece.
There seems to be a lot of confusion over what is a Dr. Bristol, what is a French Link, and what is a KK or lozenge type bit. The Dr. Bristol has a wide rectangular plate, and can be installed in the bridle in such a way that when activated the bit becomes perpendicular to the tongue. The French Link is a small, “dog bone” shape that lies flat on the tongue and does not rotate. I’ve been riding in eventing and dressage for over 40 years (gave up eventing about 30 years ago), and the French Link has always–until these crazy days–been legal, and universally recognized as a very kind bit. The KK style was popularized in I think the 1990’s, and is neither a French Link nor a Dr. Bristol, but a separate design. The only reason I can think of why the FEI would ban the French Link is because people doing bit checks can’t tell the difference between a Dr. Bristol and a French Link. This is just sad and infuriating; so often these days the associations that regulate showing seem to default to bright line, bone-headed, rules instead of educating and maintaining the classic knowledge base of horse sports.
https://www.equisearch.com/articles/frenchlink-18439
http://thebitguide.com/snaffle/mouthpieces/french-link-snaffle/
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You are correct, I now realize that I had misunderstood the diagram in my previous post.
I now have no clue what is a what. If I go to a tack shop and ask for a “___” (French link, Dr. Bristol, whatever link snaffle you have), no telling what they will hand me, and if I will know the difference.
All I really want is something that will fit and be comfortable for a 16.2hh horse with a narrow, tiny mouth (4 3/4" bit). I definitely don’t want to find something that works for him only to then find out that it isn’t legal for USEA recognized. With his small mouth it won’t be easy to just reach for something else. And I’ll have to carry all options and spares with me, as nothing my friends will have with them will even remotely fit him.
And I do not want to spend a fortune on bits that no one else wants or can use, trying to find the good legal one.
Also I am not looking forward to volunteering, and maybe being assigned to bit check and finding that no one understands which ones are the legal bits. Last time I did bit check, I felt a lot of jointed bits that were French links or Dr. Bristols. Deciding which are which won’t be fun.
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Honestly, if we go back to the original patent diagram, now I’m not sure that I see what is intended. And if I understand how it will work in real life, and how it will compare with somewhat similar designs. :o
@OverandOnward The widely accepted use of “Dr. Bristol” is a snaffle bit with a long rectangular piece in the middle. Despite what the patent says and what Dr. Bristol originally designed, this appears to be commonly accepted description of this bit. I’m pretty confident that if you walk into a tack shop and ask for a Dr. Bristol that is what you are going to be handed. I suppose at this point it’s safest, if you want a double jointed snaffle, to just buy the most expensive bit with a lozenge in the middle. :rolleyes:
As for FEI clarification- it would have been just as easy for them to clarify that the peanut-shaped french link IS accepted with a reminder that the Dr. Bristol is NOT, and editing the rulebook to reflect that, than just banning a bit that has been commonly accepted by the masses as acceptable for years. Ridiculous.
I’m sure the issue was that there are bit-checkers who couldn’t tell the difference and/or were not consistently enforcing the rules, but my reaction to that is to better train bit checkers. But you know there is going to be some “bit expert” bit checker out there who is going to take it upon themselves to enforce or not enforce a rule because they know better. :rolleyes:
Next thing the FEI will rule is if it is “coronet band” or coronary band" since horse people seem to interchange those two terms to describe the same piece of a horse’s anatomy.
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The problem is that there is no CONSISTENT commonly accepted description of a Br Bristol bit. Witness this thread.
There is however, a patent which should preclude manufacturers from describing their products as “Dr Bristol”. The design really does not deserve to be characterized as harsh.
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All my horses go in the lozenge bits, and I didn’t pay more than $30 for one. Although I do think that confusion between a Bristol and a French Link is the reason for the change.
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Amen to this.
Already watched that happen, on another matter, one official said ‘yes it’s good’ and a few minutes later another official rather stiffly called the rider back and made a big show of overruling the first official. And neither of those officials had any authority over the other, and the TD was far away. And this was in an unrecognized, child-populated speed-bump division. And the second presumptuous official was, in a word, wrong.
:o
Not sure the FEI has done us any favors here.
And handed us a trumpet to join a musical group made up of heart patients. :winkgrin: 
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Yeah I think this is where it will end up, if one doesn’t want to get into time-consuming hopeless discussions at bit check. :yes:
I mean…Dr. Bristol looks similar to a french link, except instead of the dog bone shape, it’s got straight edges on the top and bottom of the plate. It’s really that simple. If you look at a bit with a plate in the center, if it looks like a rectangle with semicircles at the end, it’s a Dr. Bristol. If the plate looks like a bone, it’s a French link. Both are technically illegal for FEI dressage. That doesn’t mean they are illegal for USEA competitions. Not sure what people are confused about?
As to whether that makes sense…that’s a different discussion. There is some controversy as to whether a french link is as mild as people have always thought it to be. Though even if it’s not, I think it’s still milder than some of the stuff I have seen used.
Head desk !
It is not. THAT is the problem. The Dr Bristol (a milder bit than a French link) has been lumped in with the ban because people cannot tell the difference, and manufacturers chose to use the name when marketing bits that do not conform to the patent for a Br Bristol.
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