I say a plain, low port western curb bit is the mildest western bit…someone else says the broken mouth piece (I think Australian) curb bit is milder. What say you??? I only ride my H/J horses in snaffle bits, but I think the long shanks and curb chain make this bit harsher!! Of course I know it’s all in the rider’s hands. Thanks.
Are you talking about a Tom Thumb or Argentine (the second bit you mention)? I think those are harsher, because of the curb AND the jointed mouthpiece together.
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The tom thumb bit in Australia is a snaffle bit. The tom thumb bit in America is a different bit which is a curb bit.
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OP I think you need to be more specific and maybe post links to the specific bits you are talking about. There are multiple aspects of a bit that affect the action on the horse’s mouth and head, which could make it harsher or kinder.
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Yes, I’m not sure what bit you are referring to. If you’re talking about an Argentine vs a ported bit, they are probably fairly equal as long as the Argentine mouthpiece has two joints. If it’s a single joint then I’d say the port is milder. Of course, different horses are going to have their preferences. The Argentine is a nice bit for transitioning from a snaffle to leverage bit.
And it’s not quite all in the rider’s hands. A crap bit is crap. Good hands will do less damage, but garbage is garbage.
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Not this. The bit I’m referring to is a short/medium shanked bit with a single center joint. Since all of my horses ride in a “hunter” snaffle hubby thinks they would prefer a jointed, snaffle western bit. We use a leather curb strap. I’ve not seen a double jointed curb bit. Thanks you’ve answered my general question.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Coronet-Tom-…w354ctV4KwcZoA
This is the bit I’m asking about. Any horse I’d be using this on is a very well trained, experienced western, neck reining horse…not a greenie.
It’s an American Tom Thumb, and it’s garbage. A single joint with leverage is not ideal, but this bit has more going wrong for it than just that. Straight shanks do not allow for any presignal to the horse-any action on the rein is fairly abrupt compared to something with a nicer curve to the shank. Tom Thumbs are also stiff compared to something with a shank that can swivel. Horses tolerate them, but any horse would likely do better in a better bit.
You would have better luck with either your low port bit or an Argentine, and the latter can be found with a double joint.
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Right, here is more:
http://www.markrashid.com/docs/tomthumb.pdf
Any bit someone considers using on a horse, please put your hand over the bit, grab it, bridle hanging above it and have someone move the reins behind you and feel how that bit moves around as the reins move.
With the same pressure on both reins, on one or the other, one handed.
It is an interesting experience, once we realize what the horse is getting from it, makes us wonder how the horse learns at all to respond to bits, they tend to be so confusing, especially any broken mouth bit with leverage shanks, that doesn’t twist around twice the same way.
Horses have to guess at what we want, lucky they become smart about it.
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Thanks. My thought was that the Tom Thumb bit was a conflict of actions. I could easily put a plain English snaffle on the western bridle!!
Which of these is the best??
http://www.ebay.com/itm/381992516567…%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
http://www.ebay.com/itm/361928121473…%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
http://www.ebay.com/itm/252736045092…%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
For what purpose?
I prefer the first one just because it has a double jointed mouthpiece. It’s kind of a strange looking Argentine but it looks like it should function the same.
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What do you mean by “best”?
With certain exceptions (one being the Tom Thumb posted above) there is no bit that is better than another. It all relates to the level of the horse’s training and the cues from the rider.
I’ve seen plenty of horses JERKED on with a snaffle bit. And plenty of horses in a high port curb bit ridden with invisible soft cues. In those two scenarios … which bit is “better”? Of course, the one where the horse is trained well and handled well by the rider.
Personally, my favorite snaffle bit is this one. I am currently using this on my horse Shotgun for all riding (general riding, training, hunter classes, and also barrel racing). He is young and learning and doing well. He’s soft in the bridle and this bit is currently working so we are sticking with it until he tells me (or showing rules, such as reining) tell me otherwise.
Red gets ridden in a variety of bits depending on what we are doing. His primary discipline is barrel racing and he prefers a Little S Hackamore for that. For most of our general riding, I use this bit or else a Jr. Cowhorse. For reining at a show, I usually use similar to this bit. From time to time, I’ll throw a correction bit on him. (I may or may not be a bit hoarder!!!)
In my experience, I have been more successful with bits that have a double jointed mouthpiece. I like how it feels and I feel like I can get a better response from my horse.
So what is “best”? Best … is just subjective. Use the bit that works for your horse, and accomplishes what needs to be accomplished. That is “best”.
What does “best” mean?
That’s pretty subjective.
In my opinion, the bit that is best is the one that gives you the best response from the horse, and accomplishes what you set out to accomplish.
For my younger horse Shotgun, I use this snaffle bit on him for everything (general riding, barrel racing, hunter classes, etc). It is currently working well so we will stick with it.
For my older horse Red, I use a Little S Hackmore for barrel racing, and various curb bits for whether we are trail riding, working on reining, or whatever the case may be. Personally, I have had more sucessful with bits that are double jointed in the mouthpiece. So that’s what we use.
Really depends.
Obviously the Tom Thumb you posted above is a piece of garbage, and I’d pick a low port bit over that.
What’s harsher: (1) a rider JERKING on their horse with a snaffle bit or (2) a rider flawlessly and invisibly cueing their horse in a high port long shank bit?
It’s not the BIT that makes it harsh or not; it’s the RIDER. So yes, you answered your own question.
If you use a long shanked curb bit correctly, it is not harsh.
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I wouldn’t use that piece of crap on any horse. It’s neither a snaffle nor a curb bit. The action of the reins on a shanked bit is different from their action on a snaffle, so when you combine a broken mouthpiece with shanks the horse gets confusing non-signals. If you want a curb bit, get a real one. If you want a mild bit, get a snaffle. A snaffle bit doesn’t have shanks.
Most of a bit’s effect depends on the rider’s hands, but not even good hands can make that type of Tom Thumb effective. Even a well-trained, experienced horse would be confused by that bit. If not totally freaked out!
And just to toss a wrench in the works, here’s a third type of Tom Thumb bit:
http://www.doversaddlery.com/tom-thu…ham/p/X1-0148/
It’s called Tom Thumb because of its short shanks.
And BTW, the camera icon isn’t working for me.
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The best bit is the one you’re getting ready to buy… because there’s just something not quite right about the other dozen bits you already own! 
The question truly cannot be answered in the same way that no one can say definitively what is the best bra or who is the best trainer, or the best farrier, or what is the best feed. There are a million variables about experience, style, conformation, goals, history, athleticism, injuries, etc. of both horse and rider that affect whether a bit seems to be a good tool or not.
Kind hands, patience, gentle training, and time are among the most important variables for the bitting conundrum, and they are often not given much weight. Try different bits, thoughtfully, and use what seems to work. If you or the horse aren’t happy with it, try something else.
A leverage bit with a high, rigid mouthpiece can work like a dream for one team, where a simple ring snaffle can inflict horrible pain, even permanent damage, for another horse if the rider is cruel and the horse is ignorant.
On the western side of things, some people have a blanket aversion to ‘big bits’ like traditional spade bits. The origins of those bits, however, came from a tradition of very slow and patient training to produce a horse that was educated to his rider’s hands, and beautifully light in the bridle.
Rancheros used to have a fiesta contest where they would perform intricate maneuvers on horseback including handling livestock, traversing rough ground, and galloping precise compulsory movements, with the reins attached to the spade bit with a single strand of hair from the horse’s tail. If the hair broke, the horse and rider team retired from the contest.
Imagine… doing heavy ranch work with just a horse-hair thread to guide your horse. Try to picture a dressage or jumping grand prix performance with the rider’s hands connected to the horse’s mouth by only one hair from the horse’s tail.
It’s not about the hardware as much as it’s about the system, the training, and the relationship and time spent to learn how to communicate.
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Thanks for all the input and advice. I’ve been “in” horses for 60 years…our stable burned to the ground last winter along with $80k of horse equipment/tack. Among my burned, melted, trashed bits were an aluminum low port curb I’d had for over 5 decades and a fancy/pretty low port curb and an Argentine snaffle. All are ruined…as in fried to a crisp!! I have two, well trained western horses that I foxhunt and trail ride - English. Hubby (an accomplished rider) wants to go on an “occasional”, pleasure ride…in western tack. I’m looking for advice for the least hostile, most comfortable western bit to hang on a western headstall !!! No reining, cutting, wild riding!! Just a gentle stroll through the woods and fields!! A French snaffle would do the job…but not afford the “proper look”!!
Well trained horses, working one handed, just cruising along the trail, looking the part of a western outfit, how about one of those:
https://www.horseloverz.com/western-…r-low-port-bit
Or this in a western fancy snaffle:
https://www.statelinetack.com/item/a…how-bit/WBE73/
They also have all kinds of aluminum bits, if that is what you want, even engraved ones:
![[IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b30/SuzieQ_/images%202_zpsdb3vcidq.jpg)](http://s16.photobucket.com/user/SuzieQ_/media/images%202_zpsdb3vcidq.jpg.html){kind=link}