What signs did your horse “show” to let you know they strongly disliked a bit and/or that they liked a different bit?
When I first started leasing him he was in a Pelham and virtually uncontrollable. From what his owner had told me I guessed that a lot of his issues stemmed from being overbitted. So I bitted him down in a full cheek French link and after some convincing that I wasn’t going to hurt his mouth his relaxation was palpable. On a whim I decided to try him in a Baucher that I’d bought, and he ended up getting too light. Instead of being controlled and smooth, his responses were rough and abrupt. Technically better, but I decided I didn’t want to sacrifice the smoothness and relaxation for that.
So basicslly, I tried new things on an educated guess and listened to what the horse had to say.
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What did he do to show he was uncomfortable? Open mouth? Grinding teeth? Moving his tongue around?
In the first case, going either way BTV or stargazing, bracing against the hand, and running off. There was a lot of tension in his body. He was a hot horse to begin with, but he was owned by a woman who’d seriously injured her shoulder several years prior, and she said that she had him in a pelham because she wasn’t “strong enough anymore to make him stop in a snaffle.” So that was where I guessed a lot of his problems came from. In the second case it was more a matter of knowing how the horse went, noticing things were different, and not necessarily liking how things were progressing.
I always start with a basic bit - KK eggbutt ultra link, unless I know the horse’s normal bit - I ask the horse for some basic commands, and then I go from there, depending on the horses reactions. Is he too quick? Tosses his head? Inverted? Putting his tongue over the bit? Chewing nervously?
The trick is to figure out if the reactions are from the bit, or just plain greenness. .
I tried every bit I could find on my mare, but she pretty much hates them all. Thankfully she goes pretty well in a Hackamore. 
This made me lol. My princess mare likes a ported mullen mouth period. If I ride her in any other mouthpiece I get a range of reactions from the “head flick” to an all out head-between-the-knees temper tantrum (Myler). She tells me within minutes about her thoughts on a new bit, and if she isn’t sure, she will let me know by the second ride.
My younger mare was backed in a Sprenger french link but she was fussy in her mouth. Tried the NS Verbindend and she was even more fussy. Not naughty but unable to focus and chomped on the bit. Tried the Stubben Golden Wing and she was much more quiet and focused, so I knew that she preferred this bit.
The geldings don’t get emotional or fussy about what they are ridden in so it’s a bit harder to tell what their preference’s are but if they’re comfortable it’s usually a fuss free ride.
Really, I think that if they are uncomfortable, whether it’s bit or saddle fit, etc., they cannot focus. Dependent upon the horse that may be a temper tantrum or just being distracted.
As far as circumference goes, too small and he backed off it, too wide and he ran away with me…
As far as style, trial and error as to which he is quietest in the mouth and most accepting of the contact.
He told me he liked the new bridle and bit when he stopped rooting and dragging me around like a waterskier. He tells me how much he loves them every time I ride by the sighing and frothy lipstick.
PS of Sweden Jump Revolution and slow twist D.
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My trainer tried my horse out in a plain single jointed snaffle and she did well with it. Then she switched her to a french link. My horse is super responsive to your seat and seemed to like the french link. My new trainer suggested switching from a loose ring to an eggbutt and thats working even better for us. She has never acted out because of the bit or tried to run away with me so I’ve never had to try anything else.
Various signs my horses over the years have not liked a bit have been chomping at the bit excessively (single joint snaffle), gaping mouth (bit that was too thick), not being very responsive (french link), general evasion either above the bit or BTV.
They are all different, though, so one bit that one horse hates may be the bit another horse likes.
Right now my current bits in use are KK Ultra bridoon on my pony’s dressage bridle, and a Myler comfort snaffle with a roller on my mustang’s dressage bridle. They both also like a Myler D ring on their jumping bridles (I must ride in matching tack, lol, so if I have my jump saddle on, they have brown bridles!) - single joint for my mustang and with a roller for pony.
How I know they like it is they are soft and quiet in the mouth and accepting of rein aids.
Opening mouth and trying to get the tongue over, also pulling the bit further into his mouth and chewing on it. He was also very green, and generally mouthy, so we gave him some time to see if he would acclimate. He didn’t after a few weeks, so we switched to a double joint and then a Myler. With the Myler the aggressive chewing lessened dramatically and he became lighter on the bit. Since he was still a baby, with a short attention span and only basic aids, we looked to what his behavior looked like and how much of that we got relative to with the other bits. For him the gaping mouth and pulling the bit into his mouth to chew on it were the big things. The Myler was really good for that, because it has some movement, but is more stable than a traditional double joint.
My pony is SUPER picky and kind of opinionated about what goes in his mouth. At this point, he’s in a single link, eggbutt Novocontact. What we’ve tried before we got there, oh boy…
I start all of them in a KK loose ring, usually 16 mm. I find 18 mm too thick for most horses. I bought a new one, since he’s a bit smaller then my other horses. Well, THAT didn’t work. Gaping mouth, twisting poll, obvious avoidance. From there, I tried several different variations of KK mouth pieces in eggbutt and loose ring, owning some, borrowing some. It was obvious he preferred the stability of an eggbutt, there was LESS poll twisting and gaping mouth, but still not great.
A friend suggested Myler Comfort snaffle, so I borrowed a few different variations with single link and french link mouths. NO, he hated them, the gaping mouth got worse, the head flipping was added to the twisting at the poll.
I tried a Happy Mouth, which he happily chewed to shreds.
Then a Baucher - French link, KK Butterfly style, he rejected both of horse - the mouth gaping was not as bad, but we lost ALL lateral flexibility. We could go straight - that was IT.
A few people offered up various eggbutt bits to try, since he has shown a preference for some stability in his mouth. And he went better, although still not great. He still opens his mouth.
A friend suggested Nueue Shule Verbindend and a few others chimed in and said it would be the miracle bit for him. So I coughed up the money for that bit, and let me tell you - he was VIOLENTLY opposed to it. He was striking at his face! So much for that experiment.
I was surprised that he took to the Novocontact - it is quite heavy. But it is the best bit so far. The poll twist is gone, he mostly keeps his mouth shut. I was told by one bit rep that NO horse goes better in a single link snaffle - but he taught me, there is no such thing as ALL and NONE. Every once in a while, I’ll sneak in a KK link to try for a day, and he tells me he doesn’t like it. Most common is just gaping mouth, although there is also the ocassional poll twist if I try leg yield. And he chomps in between. He has strong opinions, for sure, and honestly, I think I’ve spent more on BITS then I spent buying him:eek:
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My guy’s preferred bit is the Happy Mouth King Dee with the copper roller. If he didn’t like a bit he would be very evasive, toss his head and with one bit he actually would walk with his whole head and neck twisted to the side. I think he likes the Hackamore best. I love jumping him in it but not so much so for dressage work.
My horse had never really displayed super strong signs of disliking his bit. He had been in a standard HS loose ring all of his life, first a single-joint then a double-joint. Can’t remember why I switched him to the double-jointed… I think just because his old one was pretty beat up and the single-jointed ones are few and far between?
That being said, he’s always been very sensitive in his mouth and light in the bridle, and prone to curling up rather than accepting some contact. When HS came out with their novocontact bits and I read the description, it was like a lightbulb went off. So on a whim I got one for him (the single jointed loose ring, as the description is him to a T). The difference was almost immediate. Suddenly he was happily putting some weight in my hand and wasn’t as backed off by the bit. I never looked back. He’s still very light in the contact, but there’s now a consistency to it.
So it doesn’t have to be something obvious.
Weirdly my mare who is opinionated about EVERYTHING (especially her saddle) has never really said boo about any bit I’ve tried on her. She goes in a loose ring with a peanut in the middle and before that it was an egg butt with the same middle and she goes well in it all. On trail rides she hates having a bit in her mouth (tosses her head constantly, and no I"m not grabbing her) and she goes in an english hackamore for that.
My very sensitive-mouthed mare also likes the single jointed Novocontact. I usually use a French link of some kind and she found those way too much movement–and she would grind her teeth. Now she is quiet and much steadier.
Oh my goodness, I have your princess’ twin.
It took me YEARS to realize the only thing her royal highness approves of is a ported mullen mouth.
I discovered it by accident. I spent many years riding her all sorts of double jointed and single jointed snaffles and not getting the response I wanted. I blamed it on myself. Over the years, our bit woes got worse instead of better.
In a moment of desperation, I bought a ported mullen kimberwick on a whim-- the price was right and it was something I never tried. And go figure, she LOVED it.
She went so beautifully in the kimberwick that I almost forgot about her bit issues. Then I got a wild hair to enter a dressage show and pulled the jointed snaffles back out-- raging monster returned. Finally I put two and two together and realized it was the ported mullen mouth she liked.
I found a legal, low port mullen loose ring and haven’t looked back!
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Two of the horses I rode (mine, and another Tb) told me by either being fussy with their mouth and giving me sporadic contact (my mare, with a single jointed D-ring snaffle) or being tense, jiggling the bit and not accepting contact (the big Tb, with a single jointed snaffle).
Mare goes best in a Aurigan French link loose ring
Big Tb went best in a Müllen mouth.
Current “challenge” ride is another big, clumsy Tb who is currently ridden either in a French link D-ring or loose ring bit, but I night have to play around with it as he’s not where I want him at all.
My TB hates double jointed bits. His every day bit is a mickmar short shank – he spins the wheels when he’s tense – and when I hunt I ride in a Kimberwicke with a quarter moon mouthpiece. The only snaffle he liked was a single jointed one. I guess he doesn’t read the literature.
