Poco's new bit

[Kitari]

![](y brother is not horsey. He likes them, wanted to own one at one point, but that’s about it. The past few years he has taken to sending me horse related items for Christmas. He never tells me when he is sending them so I almost always wind up opening the package early thinking it was something I ordered. I will then get a message a couple days later going “your Christmas Gift is coming from x place.” smiley: laugh

Anyway the past couple of years its been bits. Usually when he sends me a horse related item I will “use” it and take a picture for him to see. I may even actually try the item out and see if it will work for me. Usually they don’t. I don’t tell my brother this because him sending me these is really big for him.

So like last year this year was a bit. Last year’s bit was a correction curb. Nice enough, shank and purchase a bit long for my preference, and it being a correction the port was a bit high for my preference as well. It had a chin bit hobble, and copper rollers. I took my picture and gave it a shot with Poco. Poco’s primary bit is a twisted wire rockin s snaffle bit and Ive been trying to find a curb Poco likes so figured why not. Poco didn’t like it. So it sat on my spare bridle, the one I have on hand to use in case I forget my primary bridle at home. So its been used maybe 3 times.

The bit this year is another curb bit, single joint in the center with copper inlays, the shank and the purchase was about an inch shorter, and swept back instead of wiggly like the other. Like the correction it had chain bit hobbles at the end of the shank but a difference was where the reins connect to is a ring on a swivel. Over all I liked the look and feel of this bit better than last years. So I decided to try it on Poco.

The ride itself was fairly quick. I had to go back to work so I really just got on bareback and walked around a bit and stopped a couple of times. Usually if Poco dislikes a bit doing that will let me know fairly easily, she will do pissy ears and do a giraffe impression. Poco was really responsive in this bit. I would barely touch a rein and she would start moving where I started to indicate and give her head at the slightest request. Asked her to stop? Sit back, slight lift of the reins and stopped. This is a mare who is very quick and sometimes bull-headed in her responses at the best of times, and she hasnt been ridden in months because I’ve been worrying about her weight. This wasnt a full test with a walk, trot, and lope but it is very promising! I am excited to give it a real shot.

Here are some pictures I took. What do you guys think of this bit?
[IMG]http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/KitN_Li/Horses/20141218_103741_zpszkocwm6j.jpg)
[IMG]http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/KitN_Li/Horses/20141218_103754_zpso5q4wagd.jpg)
[IMG]http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/KitN_Li/Horses/20141218_104106_zpsftgp1zpe.jpg)

And this was her old bit
[IMG]http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/KitN_Li/Horses/20141218_104636_zps22teruhf.jpg)

[Pocket_Pony]

No comments on the bit from a functional perspective, as I’m no bit expert. If she likes it, though, then that’s good. What a nice brother you have to send you such a lovely piece of equipment!

[KIloBright]

Well, you are certainly going to have some stopping power, but the idea of using a bit on my horse, bought by a non horsey person, as a present, is pretty bizarre to me!
The bit I use, on any horse, is related to his education and any additional lightness through increased signal, that abit might give, and which is totally related to the bit education that the horse has, and the feel in the rider`s hands, and not on some mechanical design of a bit
This bit is going to have new pressure points, compared to your old bit, and thus the response you are seeing , BUT, a horse can learn to run through or ignore in any bit, soon as his pain tolerance adapts,
A curb should be chosen for increased finesse, not intimidation, as this bit seems to accomplish with your horse

[Rusty15]

As they say, even a broken clock is right twice a day. May your brother got really lucky and got a bit that genuinely works for your horse! The effort he’s putting into those gifts is really sweet.

[Cindyg]

This is a pretty bit, but it’s not a mild bit. I might save it for shows or photoshoots. It really is pretty. Be very, very light handed in it.

[SuckerForHorses]

[QUOTE=KIloBright;7915743]
…
A curb should be chosen for increased finesse, not intimidation, as this bit seems to accomplish with your horse[/QUOTE]

Poco was really responsive in this bit. I would barely touch a rein and she would start moving where I started to indicate and give her head at the slightest request. Asked her to stop? Sit back, slight lift of the reins and stopped. This is a mare who is very quick and sometimes bull-headed in her responses at the best of times, and she hasnt been ridden in months because I’ve been worrying about her weight. This wasnt a full test with a walk, trot, and lope but it is very promising! I am excited to give it a real shot.

I’m sorry, but where exactly do you see that this bit is being used to intimidate a horse that seems to be responding to it with very light cues? Maybe the bit is finally something this horse enjoys, and that’s why the response is so positive.

OP, you know your horse. If your mare seems comfortable with this bit, that’s awesome! No reason not to use it! And bless your brother for giving gifts from the heart, even if sometimes they don’t work out! Sounds like this time it may work!

[Beverley]

If your mare likes it, you don’t need our opinion. The old bit you show has a pretty substantial port and the new bit seems to suggest you don’t need that.

In general though I would say it’s great that your brother wants to gift you in a way that supports your habit, but you might not want a new bit every year. I would suggest the approach I use w/non horsey family members, I just give them a list of things I want or need, and they can pick one to give me and everybody’s happy!

[Kitari]

Thank you for the opinions! I guess I left a bit of bit background out of my OP.

Most of the curbs I have tried with Poco have been ported of some kind or another, usually low-medium ports both solid in the shank and swivel shanks. She tolerates them at best. Another type I have tried have been those double jointed dogbones. She finds them too noisy and gets agitated and fussy early on. She also was not a fan of the couple of myler’s Ive tried on her. One of those had shanks that were freaking huge and I opted to get rid of it as I wasn’t comfortable using a bit with shanks that long (the shanks alone were 8 inhes not including the purchase length, I got that bit in a tack trade).

This will certainly not be an every day bit. I am after a curb to work on the stuff Trainer Dude taught me. Poco’s primary bit will continue to be a snaffle.

As far as my brother, he doesn’t really get hints or really even direct comments or messages well. He is a bit slow and its easier to accept and tell him I love it. I certainly don’t mind my bit box growing or anything. And as far as trying something out from a non-horsey person. Since I am looking for a curb that Poco likes I don’t see why not if it is not a bit I am against/not comfortable using. Usually when he sends me a bit I look it up, get a feel of its weight and how balanced it feels, measure the shanks, thickness of the mouth, etc. I do put thought into them before I decide to do more than snap a picture.

[NoSuchPerson]

If all of the bits he sends you are a pretty as those two, you can use them for decoration, if nothing else.

[Kitari]

True enough! I admit when I took it out of the package and looked at it, I didn’t want to do anything to make it dirty. I was in the “Its too pretty” moment! :lol:

[aktill]

That bit isn’t one I would choose to use, but there’s nothing wrong with changing bits frequently (once a year isn’t frequently). It broadens the horse’s comfort zone if approached correctly, and increases their versatility.

I laughed with the WD folks said they were allowing curbs at the intro levels because “experienced horses couldn’t be ridden safely in snaffles anymore”. That just says to me that they switched to curbs after they failed out of a snaffle.

[Kitari]

Your kidding! It bugs me to see those WD videos with so much contact being left on the curb.:no:

[Appsolute]

I am not a big fan of broken curb bits (snaffle mouth with curb cheeks), but that is a very pretty bit…

[aktill]

[QUOTE=Kitari;7916824]
Your kidding! It bugs me to see those WD videos with so much contact being left on the curb.:no:[/QUOTE]

Guess they figure if the english folks can do it with their curbs, why not western lol

An event I’m riding in next year has a WD test as a component, and I’m just sticking with a snaffle to avoid the whole argument.

[KIloBright]

[QUOTE=Kitari;7916824]
Your kidding! It bugs me to see those WD videos with so much contact being left on the curb.:no:[/QUOTE]

Ditto. I don’t get allowing curbs and two hands in WD.
That takes any credibility for that event away for me. The rules I googled, not only allow a curb to be used, but for that curb to be used with two hands

It is a class that allows someone to think that they are 'riding dressage, using a western saddle (which is not a big deal to me,) but then use a snaffle if you are going to ride with contact and two hands on the reins, Otherwise, it can become a class where a horse ‘needs’ both a curb and two hands with contact on the reins, a total incorrect concept of using a western curb correctly on both accounts!!!

[Kitari]

Where I am riding at now (Riding my friends horse) An instructor asked what I did, I told her I used to ride english and how I kind of missed it and wanted to get more into dressage before I switched back to western. She asked if I was interested in western dressage. I pretty flatly said not really. Didn’t go into reasons as to why but she was pretty in-tune with the implied “I don’t want to go further into that.” Maybe when I know her better we can get into a discussion about it. But Ive seen way too many heavy handed WD people around here for me to feel even remotly happy with taking lessons from them. Especially after all that time with Trainer Dude (reining trainer) working on my hands to ease up and learning to ask for responses properly in a curb and a snaffle.

I could see it now, I get into WD and I ruin all the work I’ve done with me and Poco.

[TheHunterKid90]

If your horse likes it - go with it! Let the horse tell you! It’s not a real severe bit, we use the same mouth piece just with shorter shanks as our 2 coming 3 year olds intro to curb bits. Myler also makes a nice bit that you might try. It’s fairly mild and provides a lot of tongue relief.

http://m.horsesaddleshop.com/toklat-myler-bit-89-11475.html

But like I said, do what makes your horse happy, just make sure you aren’t going with a curb as opposed to a snaffle because you don’t have control in the snaffle. Your horse will eventually out grow this bit too then. We have horses 8 and 10 years old that still can easily go in a snaffle after tough show careers. Make them respect each bit and only use different bits to fine tune.
Ps. Once a year isn’t all too often to change a bit. We rotate through 3-5 different a bits in a week. I hardly ever use the same bit two days in a row.

[Kitari]

No worries. This is not going to be the every day bit at all. Poco’s every day but is a snaffle.

[Kitari]

![]( figured I would give a small update about the bit.

I rode Poco with it yesterday, walk, trot, lope. She did really well. Took it really quick when I offered it to her. Had a good easy walk, asked for a jog and she gave it to me, sped up a bit but came right back down when I sat back a bit. Then came the lope, started off nice then she decided it was racing time. I let her be and let her stretch out for a circle before asking her to come back to me. I sat back a bit, slight lift of the reins and she came right down to a nice easy lope. No fuss, no head flipping, no head to the sky. Head flipping followed by giraffe head to the sky is what she does when she really hates a bit or feels I am too heavy in my cue. After that we walked around some more, into the pasture over, some poles, just in general practicing our neck reining and testing her response to the bit. It all went very well. The ride itself was not long only about 15/20 minutes because she simply has not been ridden in months and I don’t want to over do it starting off. A majority of the ride was walk and trot/jog.

Even though it well as it did, I don’t think this will be her forever curb for when I decide to use it. I still hope to find a good ported curb she likes (Ported curbs are my preference) But for now it will do.

[IMG]http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/KitN_Li/Horses/20141221_152652_zpstrwemhvz.jpg)

[beau159]

What a HORRID looking bit.

You better mail it to me right now so I can do you a favor and take it off your hands.

:yes::lol::yes:

If your horse goes well in it, well there you go!

I myself am not a total fan of a single-jointed curb bit, but that just so happens to be what my show bit is for my horse for reining classes. I don’t ride in it all the time but it works well for him for showing and fine-tuning.

What a snazzy looking bit!