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French link v lozenge

My 5yo OTTB is currently in a steel single joint D ring snaffle which he thinks is just okay. He is still finding his balance and I am holding my hands up to lift his head all of the time. Even with my upper body weight over my seat, keeping him between my reins and legs, he just needs more support/reminders to rock back. So I concluded that a French link would be better considering how much I’m in his mouth to lift him. Note he doesn’t take off or lean on the bit (just leans R when tracking L, another thing we’re working on) so not in his mouth constantly.
The bit that is impossible to find is a steel D with a copper center piece only. I can find this in loose rings or eggbutts but not a D. I can find all-copper Ds. I can find steel Ds with a copper lozenge. I know nothing about the lozenge, pro or con. Google tells me it’s more ergonomic but Google also says a Dr Bristol is less severe than a French link so grain of salt applied.
So, based on the above, what say you? Copper lozenge? All steel French link? No bit can save my horse from my sorry riding? I’m sure the proper muscling will come but we’ve only been together less than 3 months including a layup so not there yet.

I switched my ottb from an all steel french link to a copper lozenge. I honestly haven’t noticed a difference… other than maybe a touch more slobber. Not really an answer to your question but I think these two bits are pretty dang similar and not likely to be the solution you are looking for.

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Well correctly used (and identified, lol), a Dr. Bristol is “milder” than a French link. It’s not about the way the bit and it’s centre piece lies on the tack hook, or even so much on a horse standing with loopy reins (although ideally this is comfortable enough too!). Rather you want to think about where it sits when rein contact is taken up. Now… in a snaffle (non-leverage) bit, when you put pressure on the reins, the mouthpiece actually rotates BACKWARDS on the tongue. I must say, I just learned this very recently at a bit fitting clinic, and it kind of totally blew my mind. Perhaps that’s a bit sad, but I think I had always pictured them going ‘oh so slightly forward’ or perhaps having no rotation at all. All the “bit tests” I did in my hands or elbow reflected that. But if you look carefully next time you are standing by a horse and pull the reins, you’ll see this happen… first the rein slides up towards the cheekpiece, then the bit ring comes back and rotates the mouthpiece back. More on this https://www.thegaitpost.com/dr-bristol-vs-french-link/

Anyway, this rotation applies to lozenge bits as well as plates/links. Mostly, they don’t have a sharp side to worry about digging in, but with so many different types of lozenges, you can get some different types of pressures on the tongue. The other thing to be aware of with double-jointed bits is the width of the centre-piece in relation to your horse’s mouth conformation. If he has a very narrow lower jaw, too wide of a link/lozenge could interfere with the bars, and if he happens to have a narrow palate, a wide link could actually be prone to catching in the palate.

As for the copper thing… I dunno. I love a good copper bit, but I’ll personally look at the fit, balance, and action of the bit before material. Yes you want enough slobber to lubricate the mouth and a willingness to softly mouth the bit… but tons of slobber and a horse who plays with the bit more than focusing are not ideal either.

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I don’t think there’s much difference in severity. I do think some horses with low palates prefer the French link over the lozenge which tends to be bigger. I also haven’t found copper to make a significant difference. I’d probably just borrow (or buy an inexpensive version of) whatever you can to try and go from there.

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Thanks, that link is especially helpful. There’s a lot to learn.

The only bit that I have found that fulfills of your “requirements” unfortunately does not have a true D-ring, and this company does not have any bits with D-rings and the mouthpiece is not stainless steel.

However I ran into a Fager sweet-iron “fixed ring” snaffle with a copper center plate that is not as wide from side-to-side than a normal French-link or lozenge bit and is angled like the Dr. Bristol snaffles. It is https://fagerbitsusa.com/collections/sweet-iron-bits/products/alexander-sweet-iron-fixed-rings. I have MS and often uncertain hands, and the two horses I tried this bit on seemed to find it quite acceptable and more acceptable than the comparable copper lozenge Fager snaffles I tried. The Fager people also make sweet-iron and titanium bits with their copper lozenge, again not as wide from side-to-side.

I now have this bit in the category of “this is a new horse for me, I really do not know what this horse would like, and with my often crappy hands I need a bit that the horses seem to enjoy”. These horses, spoiled with the Fager titanium bits, reached out calmly for contact, kept contact without fussing, and obeyed my rein aids with no problems. Their tongues remained relaxed and they “talked” to me with this bit.

I got all the widths they sell of this bit since I am afraid they will eventually stop making it and I never know when my riding teacher decides I need to ride another lesson horse.

Yeah the Fager bits are sort of pricey but they are usually cheaper than the German bits and I consider these bits well worth the money I spent on them.

My barn had a professional bit fitter out. She brought many bits and it was interesting how each horse responded to the different bits. Sometimes it is not just the mouthpiece, but the rings whether loose or fixed.

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My go to bit is always a double jointed D-ring with copper lozenge. A good amount of them like the copper taste and the stability of the Ds. I think this one is the one I owned. I’m not a super big fan of the French links or Dr. Bristols since it’s a little easier for them to sit a little funny (can happen with the lozenges too but a tad different). My horses have always preferred either copper lozenge snaffles or copper center roller snaffles.

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