What does the "port" on a Myler bit do?

[LookmaNohands]

I am trying to find a bit for a horse who I have ridden in a hackamore for three years. He was fussy when I first bought him and I thought taking the bit out would help. He got much more settled until his hocks started bothering him and it took a year and a half and a new vet to sort out his hocks. He is quite comfortable now and I am trying to get him back in shape so we can do some dressage shows He has gotten pretty heavy on his forehand so I really need to get him balanced.

I started with a double jointed KK loose ring and he was pretty agitated. In the past, I have found that some horses liked a mullen mouth. I don’t have one but the next best thing I did have was a Myler. He seemed much more settled in it but it is one of those “D” bits that works like a kimberwick and that is not what I need. It also has a slight port. I think I would like to find and eggbut Myler but not sure if I need the port or not. I think the slight port is dressage legal but looking at how the whole thing works I am not sure about what the port is supposed to do. Is it supposed to touch the roof of his mouth?

I need to keep this boy happy and relaxed. When he was sore in his hocks he had gotten quite unpredictable and tossed me three times before I switched vets and sorted out his hocks.

[Moon_River]

Depends on the mouthpiece, most aren’t what I think of as “true” ports but are a modern version of a tongue groove (I’m a Brit, language may vary by location!). The various low port comfort snaffle and mullen type Mylers are designed to allow the tongue more room, so aid swallowing and just be more comfortable, and move pressure off it, shouldn’t be any where near the roof of the mouth. I’ve seen a lot of horses go well in them in the eggbutt or loose ring versions

[spirok8]

My horse is happy in the Myler comfort mouth snaffle bit. It curves forward so that when you pick up on the reins it doesn’t poke the roof of his mouth. He was very fussy and unhappy in a regular snaffle bit.

[L00kAtMeN0w]

I think you are talking about the Myler bits with the low/wide port? Typically, they are the “level 2-3 bits”. The port is there to relieve tongue pressure. Unless your horse has a very low pallet, it shouldn’t touch the roof of the mouth. Some horses just go better with less tongue pressure.

[Kirby_s_Keeper]

Your double jointed KK creates tongue pressure with some bar pressure. The Mylers with a swivel bar joint and port create more room and therefore less pressure on the tongue. It works more on the bars of the mouth. There is no palate pressure involved unless your horse has a freakishly low palate.

[Palm_Beach]

@LookmaNohands

I am trying to find a bit for a horse who I have ridden in a hackamore for three years. He was fussy when I first bought him and I thought taking the bit out would help. He got much more settled until his hocks started bothering him and it took a year and a half and a new vet to sort out his hocks. He is quite comfortable now and I am trying to get him back in shape so we can do some dressage shows He has gotten pretty heavy on his forehand so I really need to get him balanced.

I started with a double jointed KK loose ring and he was pretty agitated. In the past, I have found that some horses liked a mullen mouth. I don’t have one but the next best thing I did have was a Myler. He seemed much more settled in it but it is one of those “D” bits that works like a kimberwick and that is not what I need. It also has a slight port. I think I would like to find and eggbut Myler but not sure if I need the port or not. I think the slight port is dressage legal but looking at how the whole thing works I am not sure about what the port is supposed to do. Is it supposed to touch the roof of his mouth?

I need to keep this boy happy and relaxed. When he was sore in his hocks he had gotten quite unpredictable and tossed me three times before I switched vets and sorted out his hocks.

Catering to your horse’s happiness is not a good training method. He needs to be taught to respond correctly - meaning the correct response to pressure. What you’ve done is teach him to be fussy, since when he is fussy, you release the pressure. Horses are always seeking the release of pressure and respond to that, so when you pick up on the reins and he raises his head or otherwise acts fussy, and you throw away the contact because he is not “happy,” then you just TAUGHT him to be fussy.

You start out with groundwork in a rope halter to get rid of any anxiety, and to teach the horse the correct responses without a bit in the mouth. Then you add the bit, and ask the same question while still on the ground. Of course you may have some fussiness because the bit is a different feeling, but you need to be persistent because you know the horse is not experiencing pain.

If your horse is not 100% giving to light pressure in a rope halter, you have big holes in your foundation and until you fix that, you will have issues with bitting.

[Toblersmom]

The “D” ring style shouldn’t act as a Kimberwicke, unless it has the rings in the edge like one, and that’s where you put the reins. Then it will rotate the port to some extent with rein pressure. The “D” make the bit more stable in the mouth than a loose ring. As others have said, the port is intended for tongue relief.

Bitting is weird. My guy isn’t “fussy.” Yet, we have still had a bit of a bitting odyssey. He was originally started for the EMM in just halter and lead rope, showed at the contest in a bosal, and the trainer indicated that when she rode him in a bit she used a Myler low-port D-ring. So I got a Myler low-port D-ring. He was calm and responsive in terms of stopping and turning with it, but we were having a hard time getting him drop his nose and round up with it. One day I took my tack home to clean and the trainer was going to put in a ride, so she grabbed one of the school horse’s bridles, a JP Korsteel French Link D ring. MUCH better about starting to develop contact without going nose-up and hollow, so I started riding him in that. But he chewed and chewed. And then chewed some more. Like the rudest kid you’ve ever met with a wad of gum in his mouth. Kept with it, since otherwise he was going so well with it, thinking he’d settle down eventually. He didn’t. Eventually decided to shop for a proper dressage bridle, picked one out from a vendor, looked for a bit for it that looked the part better, thinking I’d get an eggbutt or loose ring version of the bit I had been using. Vendor didn’t carry it in his size. Rats. The DID carry an oval mouth JP Korsteel loose ring in his size, so I got that. So far, it has been BY FAR the best option for us. He mouths it gently, particularly if he’s puzzling through something new, but doesn’t gnaw on it like a beaver. Responds to pressure by dropping his nose and rounding (well, usually). Going so well I got another one to put in his jumping bridle.

If you look at the bits carefully, the orientation of the tongue relief on the Myler is different from the JP Korsteel, and apparently that difference is a big one for my guy. The oval mouth has a rounded lozenge and a bit fatter overall mouth piece than the French link, and apparently that’s a much bigger difference than it looks, too.

[arabiansrock]

Try the MB 33WL. It is dressage legal and takes the pressure off the tongue. Our mare LOVES her western curb bit, hated any snaffle bits, got this myler and all of a sudden she will accept the contact. Made a whole world of difference in her training. Also be aware that if his teeth need doing, the bridle may be irritating to him.

[Posting_Trot]

The bit will work like a Kimberwicke (sort of anyway) if you use the rein hooks; it will create some leverage although without a curb chain.

You can just not use the rein hooks and your problem will be solved.

[CHT]

Pretty much any snaffle touches the roof of the horse’s mouth. Without a bit, the horse’s tongue touches the horses palate. With a bit, when the tongue is at rest, it pushes the bit up so it touches the roof. When you engage the bit, the bit pulls down/back away from the palate and onto the bars (and/or lips). A low port can (as previously said) be more comfortable on the horse’s tongue and more ergonomic in their mouth, while a higher port (in a snaffle) can make it so the horse can’t use its tongue to protect its bars. I like the low port Myler’s myself, although my current horses go better in an eggbutt French link. Sometimes what a horse likes isn’t what we expect.

[MegBackInSaddle]

@Palm Beach

Catering to your horse’s happiness is not a good training method.

Respectfully disagree, at least to a certain extent. Certainly, at times, we can spoil a horse and thwart their training progress by worrying about or trying to cater to their every whim.

However, they have limited means of communicating with us. Bits are pretty personal. Based on a horse’s anatomy, as well as prior training, experiences, and what you’re asking them to do, different bits of “comparable” strength/harshness/gentleness can be received very differently by different horses.

While bitting is rarely the cause of nor solution to issues, it is a factor in effective communication. All things being equal, I vastly prefer to communicate by touch with my mare’s sensitive mouth via a bit that suits her as well as possible.

[LookmaNohands]

@Posting Trot

The bit will work like a Kimberwicke (sort of anyway) if you use the rein hooks; it will create some leverage although without a curb chain.

You can just not use the rein hooks and your problem will be solved.

Actually, the bit has a curb chain too. The main problem with the “D” is the straight up and down part which, when any pressure at all is applied, can press into the side of his face where his teeth are. I have had this problem with other horses too so I want to try an eggbutt because I think the loose ring is too fussy for him.

[Posting_Trot]

Yes, if you’re using a curb chain with it, then it is effectively the same as a Kimberwicke.

So it’s the straight part of the “d” that is pressing into the side of the horse’s face? All the time? Or just when you’re turning? If it’s all the time, maybe you need a larger size bit?

[Palm_Beach]

@MegBackInSaddle

Respectfully disagree, at least to a certain extent. Certainly, at times, we can spoil a horse and thwart their training progress by worrying about or trying to cater to their every whim.

However, they have limited means of communicating with us. Bits are pretty personal. Based on a horse’s anatomy, as well as prior training, experiences, and what you’re asking them to do, different bits of “comparable” strength/harshness/gentleness can be received very differently by different horses.

While bitting is rarely the cause of nor solution to issues, it is a factor in effective communication. All things being equal, I vastly prefer to communicate by touch with my mare’s sensitive mouth via a bit that suits her as well as possible.

I find they are happy when they have clear and effective communication from a consistent rider. I do the same thing with every horse, and get the same result, and it has nothing to do with bits, as they all start in a rope halter. I don’t have a multitude of bits since I get correct results from the beginning, and have calm and happy horses as a result. The ones that start out fussy are usually the easiest to get happy since they usually just want someone to be consistent.

[MegBackInSaddle]

@Palm Beach

I find they are happy when they have clear and effective communication from a consistent rider.

This much we can totally agree upon.

@Palm Beach

I do the same thing with every horse, and get the same result… .

Oops, we disagree again. I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. I’m glad that works for you. I find different horses can respond pretty differently to the same stimuli. As much as I’m capable of figuring out what works best, I alter my approach to fit the horse.

And I have exactly one horse and perhaps 12 or 15 bits. They’re all snaffles, so relatively similar bits. And boy-oh-boy does my sensitive girl have some opinions on some of them! :lol:

[Toblersmom]

@LookmaNohands

I want to try an eggbutt because I think the loose ring is too fussy for him.

Have you tried a loose ring, though? I had a similar thought process when I was looking for the bit for the dressage bridle and took a chance on the loose ring since they didn’t have an eggbutt and I’m human and I wanted the new getup NOWWW. Even though it’s far more “unstable” than the D ring he was going in (and chewing chewing chewing), he’s far less mouthy with it. I don’t know if that very freedom of movement lets him get in a position in his mouth that’s more comfortable, more easily, so he leaves it alone, or what. I wish we could just talk to them.

[xeroxchick]

A port is actually (vaquero traditions) supposed to rest in the horse’s mouth at an angle and encourage the horse to flex at the pole and carry itself, with little contact on the reins. Cowboys and crafters spend a lot of time looking at the balance of how it actually rests in the horse’s mouth. My husband has some square port bits that his horses go very well in. As an English rider, I want to use two reins to be sure that I’m only using the leverage of the shank when I need it. I think we mistakenly think Mullen mouth bits are gentle when they might not actually have enough play to be encouraging salivation. A snaffle when used hard enough has a port like action on the mouth. I try a Waterford bit when the horse leans on the bit. Or a sweet iron snaffle dropped a little low so the horse has to reach for it a little. Have never had much luck with Mylars, and I’ve seen a few riders sing their praises but only use it a few times. I used to hunt every horse in a rubber Pelham but after a decade duh started to notice that some horses get rubs, hence my huge bit collection! It all depends on what the horse is doing and I’m not sure what your horse is doing here.

[Palm_Beach]

@MegBackInSaddle

This much we can totally agree upon.

Oops, we disagree again. I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. I’m glad that works for you. I find different horses can respond pretty differently to the same stimuli. As much as I’m capable of figuring out what works best, I alter my approach to fit the horse.

And I have exactly one horse and perhaps 12 or 15 bits. They’re all snaffles, so relatively similar bits. And boy-oh-boy does my sensitive girl have some opinions on some of them! :lol:

That sounds like a lot of work and money.

[MegBackInSaddle]

@Palm Beach

That sounds like a lot of work and money.

Lol! My free horse has been expensive!
​​​​​​
Most of the bits were picked up on the cheap. I think the most I’ve paid was about $45 for a happy mouth I wanted to try and couldn’t find used, but most were picked up for $5 or $10 each.

As for being a lot of work…?? Changing out a bit once in a while and perhaps taking a second bridle out to the arena with me isn’t much extra work. I’ve only tried perhaps 4 or 5 of the bits in my collection on my mare.

[Simkie]

@Palm Beach

I do the same thing with every horse, and get the same result

No one who has been in horses for longer than five minutes believes that the same approach, bit or other equipment is suitable for every single horse. Shocker! Some horses are different than other horses! And that’s normal.

More and more, you just read like a troll. Do you even have horses, or are you here just to rile people up with your ridiculous statements?