I just received the double jointed Herm Sprenger Novocontact 16MM loose ring bit on Saturday and my horse really likes it. He is normally really fussy in the mouth (lip flapper) and he either likes to pull or suck back behind the contact and go BTV. I was amazed at how much more he was creating the correct contact and a nice soft feeling. I’m happy as the bit was used once so VTO sold it to me for 25% off and he seems very happy with it.
So my mare did not like the Novocontact bit. I am willing to sell my brand new bit, only used for 30 minutes. It is a 126/16mm. PM if you are interested!
So, I had a reply from Calevo about the sizing which was ‘‘Please note that you should the Sprenger - NOVOcontact double jointed snaffle - 16mm tickness 0.5cm smaller than the normally size do you have.’’
Not possible to go down 0.5 cm to a 140 as they don’t make it, so I will have to go down to a 135 and hope that works.
Just posting this in case anybody is undecided about whether to downsize or not. It’s a very good bit imo 
All we have them…we only have three left though but more are coming in.
I’ve now had several rides in this bit & am even more pleased since my last report. It seems each ride we are making small improvements in contact acceptance. I will finally have a lesson in July & can report back again if folks are interested (with my favorite instructor that put us in the HS duo 2 years ago - I am eager to see what she thinks.)
Not to derail but it seems as though someone who knows/ knows of me must know who I am IRL. Less than 48h after posting my success with this bit I realized it had been “borrowed” (as it was on my bridle backwards & not attached to my Micklem correctly).
If if you are reading this please PM & introduce yourself! I (hope) I am a nice person and am always willing to share. I am happy to loan the bit & if you are curious about the Micklem help you fit the bridle (& bit!) correctly do you can see if it works for you
No hard feelings - I would just like to know who you are (maybe we can ride together sometime!) so I don’t have to lock up the garage (the barn cats use it.)
[QUOTE=cuonxc;8170798]
I’ve now had several rides in this bit & am even more pleased since my last report. It seems each ride we are making small improvements in contact acceptance. I will finally have a lesson in July & can report back again if folks are interested (with my favorite instructor that put us in the HS duo 2 years ago - I am eager to see what she thinks.)
Not to derail but it seems as though someone who knows/ knows of me must know who I am IRL. Less than 48h after posting my success with this bit I realized it had been “borrowed” (as it was on my bridle backwards & not attached to my Micklem correctly).
If if you are reading this please PM & introduce yourself! I (hope) I am a nice person and am always willing to share. I am happy to loan the bit & if you are curious about the Micklem help you fit the bridle (& bit!) correctly do you can see if it works for you
No hard feelings - I would just like to know who you are (maybe we can ride together sometime!) so I don’t have to lock up the garage (the barn cats use it.)[/QUOTE]
That’s almost funny! Still like the bit?
[QUOTE=cuonxc;8170798]
I’ve now had several rides in this bit & am even more pleased since my last report. It seems each ride we are making small improvements in contact acceptance. I will finally have a lesson in July & can report back again if folks are interested (with my favorite instructor that put us in the HS duo 2 years ago - I am eager to see what she thinks.)
Not to derail but it seems as though someone who knows/ knows of me must know who I am IRL. Less than 48h after posting my success with this bit I realized it had been “borrowed” (as it was on my bridle backwards & not attached to my Micklem correctly).
If if you are reading this please PM & introduce yourself! I (hope) I am a nice person and am always willing to share. I am happy to loan the bit & if you are curious about the Micklem help you fit the bridle (& bit!) correctly do you can see if it works for you
No hard feelings - I would just like to know who you are (maybe we can ride together sometime!) so I don’t have to lock up the garage (the barn cats use it.)[/QUOTE]
That’s almost funny! I hope the “tester” will also report if the results were good. 
Who. You live on private property and someone took your bit, used it, and returned it? I’d be calling the cops and not inviting someone on a ride!
I have a chance to try the double jointed version.
In the Sprenger RS Dynamic double jointed loose ring, my horse’s normal bit, she takes a 5.25" (135 mm). I put the 5.25"/135mm Novocontact on the bridle, and it WAS too big/wide. So I swapped it to the 5"/125mm and it was a better fit. So as Raff and Calevo said, you might want to size down a little.
It was not the best day to evaluate the bit as my horse was distracted by severe weather coming in (tornado warnings, hail, temp drop, wind, etc.). Once she settled in to work a bit more, she seemed a little easier on the left rein, which she tends to lean on (if she can).
We will give it more than just one day for a real trial. She seemed to definitely notice a difference. Now we’ll see if it just a change of bit, or if it is a change to THIS bit. 
Update: I was very hopeful that this bit would suit my horse as well as others here have reported. I used the double jointed version, as the horse will grab/lean on the left rein in the usual HS RS Dynamic loose ring (double jointed).
After the first two days of trialing, the horse seemed to lean MORE on it. In spite of working from behind and over the back. Less responsive to half halts, too.
We tried a Myler Dee ring, single jointed, and that seemed to go very well. It seems a thinner mouthpiece is more comfortable.
[QUOTE=keysfins;8192715]
Update: I was very hopeful that this bit would suit my horse as well as others here have reported. I used the double jointed version, as the horse will grab/lean on the left rein in the usual HS RS Dynamic loose ring (double jointed).
After the first two days of trialing, the horse seemed to lean MORE on it. In spite of working from behind and over the back. Less responsive to half halts, too.
We tried a Myler Dee ring, single jointed, and that seemed to go very well. It seems a thinner mouthpiece is more comfortable.[/QUOTE]
My leaner is also not really into it. The joys of green horses - last month he was dropping behind the bit, this month he leans. I am trying the NS verbindend on Wednesday. Meanwhile, my novo contact is also going into the “to ebay” pile.
tapping fingers impatiently, hoping someone will put a single-jointed up on eBay…
My horse leaned more that usual with the double-jointed. I gave it several rides with the same result, so discontinued using it.
Hey, anyone with a leaner want to sell theirs? Double jointed loose ring, 5" (or 5 and a quarter) preferably. Pm me if you do!
I WISH my horse would lean, just a little bit 
He’s a weirdo though so I would rather not buy new in case he takes against it.
Wanted to chime in here with my experience and ask for suggestions.
My gelding is a bit chewer- he’s generally super orally fixated - IE anything near his mouth goes IN his mouth and is chomped to smithereens - lead ropes, brushes, tack, you name it, he eats it. He’s an off the track standardbred and has always been mouthy.
I’ve tried several bits on him, for a long time used a double jointed snaffle with a bean (loose ring or eggbutt or D, no difference) that was a bit curved and of special metal - he always mouthed it and at some point in the ride would grind away regardless of how much contact was there.
The grinding issue, so it seems, tend to stem from activating his hind end and really coming through in addition to getting tired. IE, he’s mouthy and playful but will offer contact for the first part of the ride, but once he’s done (tired or mentally done) he starts in on the squeaking.
I did get him a novocontact bit and have been riding him in that, in addition to a micklem, for a few months now. He has been in the micklem much longer than the novocontact- and he seems much happier in that bridle, I did attempt to switch back and he wanted to rub his face off on anything he could find. The novocontact seems better but now we’ve strayed in the other direction of being way too strong on the bit. So he’ll go between being really strong, pop above, then behind -basically anywhere but on the bit.
I’ve tried just a plain single jointed eggbutt, and he absolutely wanted nothing to do with that.
I am more than aware that the majority of his issue is one of training and not so much about the piece of metal in his mouth. I also believe there is likely a strength/fitness and possibly even a lameness component at play, and his mental tension takes over. However, I cannot ignore the bit situation because it does seem like he is quieter for longer and more balanced on the novocontact vs the others we’ve tried. It isn’t perfect, and I’m not sure there is such a thing out there for him. But it makes me wonder if there is something else I could try that might be better than the novocontact (single joint, loose ring)? Myler? Neue Schule? any ideas?
For those who want to part from their novocontact bit, I’ll be a taker.
Looking for 5 1/4 or 5 1/2. Single/double jointed or loose/D ring doesn’t really matter.
I don’t have a great answer for those still figuring out the right bit, but will mention that for some horses a french link with a “bean” is just too much movement.
My mare has a big mouth (5.75"+) and does not like french links. She is not a leaner–more of cautious to take the contact kind of girl. I have been very pleased with the single-jointed Novocontact. I feel like she is more “there” in the contact. I was going to get the Neue Schule, but could not find a single jointed in her size.
I had the same experience as a few others, and my horse ended up leaning on it more than he would in other bits and also chomped it up pretty good on one side 
Not a great choice for him, but was worth a shot! I’m keeping it around in the bit box.
Update- so I was able to rent a myler bit from a local tack store- So i tried this one And dare I say he was the best he’s been. No leaning, no star gazing- generally stayed in the happy zone. Took a nice contact and kept it for long. His transitions were clearer, his steering was better. I was able to be light, and was able to keep my position so much better because he wasn’t fussing about this way and that.
He did do his grindy-thing towards the end of the ride, but it wasn’t super loud.
This one is not legal for dressage (pretty sure), but a friend has a basic myler like this without the roller so I’m going to try it too to see if it is more about the shape.
Funny overall, because I’ve never been a fan of mylers, never really had a horse go super well in one, and definitely not well enough to pay the price for one (which is funny now because the other bits i’ve tried are way more expensive, LOL).
Just food for thought for those still exploring options. I’ll keep ya’ll posted as I continue to use it.
I read a few posts on this thread a number of months ago re the Herm Sprenger Novocontact Sensogan bits. They sounded promising but I didn’t know anyone locally who had any experience with them. I was a bit leery because my horse has never seemed to much like metal bits. Anyhow, I ended up biting the bullet and purchasing the single jointed eggbutt version. Big difference for my horse who has a sensitive mouth and tends to evade contact by holding his head high. From day one, he relaxed into the bit – no more star gazing… no leaning either (not a problem anyhow). Who knew… The only suggestion that I would make is going down a size. I made the mistake of buying a 5 ¼(135mm) from Germany and then having to go down to a 5 (which to my mind fits more like a 5 ¼ to 5 ½). My horse has a 5 1/2 in the HS Duo which is slightly roomy. So sizing is confusing and I would recommend renting if possible before purchasing (if anyone knows for sure that they need a 5 ¼ I have an unused on hand). If anyone has used both the single jointed and double-jointed Novocontact bits, I’d be interested in hearing about the difference. My horse goes well in the single jointed for pretty much most of what I do, but I switch to the HS duo pelham for shows as he needs a stronger bit. I am wondering if the double-jointed Novocontact might give me that extra bit of control that I need for showing. Nothing wrong with the Duo, but just curious. Thx
