My boyfriend, bless his heart, bought me a titanium oilslick(rainbow) loose ring bit for my birthday. My girl is mouthy and has been fussing with her sweet iron loose ring, and I’m wondering if she might like this titanium bit. She goes great in the one she has, but she just really likes to fuss with it. I plan to introduce her to shows this summer so we will be attending some local evening shows and derbys. I’m wondering if showing in this bit would be a little too unorthodox? Especially in the dressage phase. It came from England and it is cleared for competition, at least there. If she ends up liking this bit more I would rather not have to go buy a plain one just for shows. TIA!
It will definitely be fine for the jumping phases. As long as the mouthpiece is legal, it should be ok for dressage as well-- there’s no rule about the color or type of metal used.
Usually horses that are fussy with bits (with dental/training issues ruled out) do not do better with loose rings. Eggbutts, D-rings or full cheeks tend to settle fussy-mouthed horses better. A horse who fiddles his bit will play more with something that allows or encourages mouthing. An Olympian once gave me a rather lengthy explanation to the hows and whys, but this was his golden rule. Horses who tend to lock or brace on a bit do better on a loose ring.
