What are some good bits for strightening horses. My horses can be very noodley around barrels and am trying to find a bit that will add some more straightness
A snaffle bit and lots of training to get control of her body. What sort of work do you do with her now?
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That’s a training issue not a bit issue.
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You might be able to straighten the head but the other 90% of her body will still be a noodle. They address this at Barrel horse clinics, there should be some things on line. It’s a pretty common problem caused by steering only the head and not the body. The fixing is closely related to the D word.
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ON the grounds I may be hung…gonna say the fix IS the D word. You have to teach the horse to bend around your leg and control the amount of bend with the outside leg. The fix also means fixing the flapping legs and arms that is so disgustingly prevalent in can chasing now - you get more speed and better turns if you sit deep and still than when you do the funky chicken on horseback.
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You won’t be hung by me. 
Slow flatwork based on basic dressage is what all the good can chasers do IME. You sure can pick them out of the crowd.
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OP, do you ever school just riding with no pattern? Can your horse stay straight going straight? Do his hind feet track right onto or ahead of the front feet in a straight line? Or does the back end trail out and the front end lean in?
Do you have him on the correct lead as you approach your turn? Does he stay on it or fall into a cross canter?
When you start your run, is he going straight or drift one way or another, particularly toward the first barrel? When you come off the last barrel do you let his body finish or sprint off sideways risking the inside haunch catching the barrel?
If your horse isn’t moving straight to start with, he can’t use himself properly around the turns or on your start and finish runs which translates to TIME lost at best and getting a barrel at worst. If you learn to manage haunch and shoulder independently, you can strengthen him and get him moving straight so you can bend around those barrels quick and easy.
Dressage is simply a French word for basic training that applies to every discipline. If the basics, like a straight horse, aren’t there, the horse can’t master discipline specific skills like Jumping a course, running a Reining pattern or Barrel racing. It’s not about the pattern, it’s about that basic skill set.
Are you working with a coach, preferably one who doesn’t just run you around the pattern 20 times? Have you looked for Barrel clinics on YouTube? Might help you with schooling exercises away from the barrels to get your horse better broke and able to use his body miore efficiently. Then your time faster and less likely to rack up penalties. Riding a precise track can get a better time then just running fast and losing time on every turn.
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For a horse that is “noodly”, your bit choice can be very important. While I agree the root problem is that you need to teach the horse HOW to use their body in the turn, but it can still help if you pick an appropriate bit.
In general, hackamores tend to help “stiffen” a noodly horse. As well as a mullen mouth on a bit. Or a plain snaffle.
Bits that have a lot of gag action or poll pressure can tend to make a noodly horse worse.
I worked with my “new” horse Dexter last year. He too is very noodly and I had to teach him how to keep his hind end and shoulder in position during the turn, and not just noodle his neck around. It is easier to stay two handed to help “hold them up” and use your outside rein as support. I played around with a lot of different bits over the summer, and finally ended up with a Little S Hackamore which worked wonderful for him.
