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What is in your bit collection?

Western
#1

I own mostly snaffles, having been an English discipline rider most of my life. I do have a Pelham and a kimberwicke, but everything else is basically a single or double jointed mouthpiece with various cheekpieces (eggbutt, loose ring, full cheek, baucher, etc.). I used to have a grazing bit but I loaned it to a friend and never got it back.

When I bought my western pleasure gelding he came with a robart cathedral that looked to my uneducated eye like an implement of torture (http://www.sstack.com/Western_BitsCurbs_MedHigh-Port/Robart-Precision-Bit/?green=3D840AD9-E79A-50ED-925C-72218484C03A). But of course I soon learned it’s a high signaling bit for a very finished horse, and my horse is very light and easy to ride in it.

My gelding is a great all-around sort of horse and I’ve done a lot of cross-training (dressage) with him in a snaffle bit. He has learned to accept and ride on contact, but with his prior training and being built a little downhill, he is just lighter and easier to ride in a curb bit. I’d like to add a bit or two to my “western” collection, so that I have something to bridge the gap between a snaffle and the cathedral bit. I like the idea of using my Pelham so I have the option of using more or less snaffle rein as needed, but I’d prefer a simpler one rein setup and something more traditional looking.

So, what do you like? What bits do you frequently use?

#2

I have a ranch versatility/cow horse. I mostly use a correction bit but I do go to a snaffle for refreshers and to check his overall softness. I also use a Salinas bit with a hood for cow horse and some schooling.

#3

Oh boy. :smiley: I have way too many bits in my bit collection!

But here’s the ones I use most often.

I like this bit for my snaffle bit. Still currently using it on my coming 5-year-old gelding for regular riding and barrel racing.
http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/PetsUnited/TE003460?wid=250&hei=282

For a transition-type bit, I like either a Jr. Cowhorse, or a variation of it.
http://myhorseforum.com/attachments/17204-jpg.228432/
http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/PetsUnited/TE002068?wid=278&hei=282

My horse Red gets ridden in this bit a lot, for his “regular” bit.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k27/r_beau/bit01_zpsbe64cfe6.jpg

For barrel racing, I normally use a Little S Hack for him.
http://www.tackroominc.com/images/964%20Little%20S%20Horse%20Hackamore.jpg

Sometimes, if I want to putz with him on reining things, I’ll occasionally put him in a correction bit for a few rides.
http://profchoice.com/images/M28020588

For showing, I normally use this bit on him, which would also work as a nice transition bit. He’s pretty soft usually so he doesn’t need much.
http://www.doublesranchtack.com/ST%20Bits%20Bosals/239040.jpg
I most likely will use a version of this bit for my younger horse as well, when I show him where it requires a curb bit, down the road.

#4

All of my bits are from Jerimiah Watt.

I have one snaffle bit that is just an O-ring (the top one).

Then I have two loose shank curb bits. This one has a billy allen mouth (#4). This one has a 3-piece mouth. These are my transition bits from snaffle to curb.

Then, for showing cowhorse I have to have a fixed shank curb bit with a roller/cricket, so for my 1/2 Arab Mare I have this cheek with this mouth (#19). Here’s a pix of my Mare in her bit. For my AQHA mare, I have this cheek with a frog mouth (#11). I don’t have a photo of her in it uploaded anywhere … will try to see if I can find one …

#5

Thanks for all the info and links. Those Jeremiah watt bits are pretty!

What are the sliding cheek/gag bits used for? I see them around here mostly on barrel racers. I’m guessing they’d be similar to the three ring/ pessoa bits used by English riders?

#6

[QUOTE=meaty ogre;8660046]

What are the sliding cheek/gag bits used for? I see them around here mostly on barrel racers. I’m guessing they’d be similar to the three ring/ pessoa bits used by English riders? [/QUOTE]

They can be similar to that.

A 3 ring “English” bit could be compared to a Wonder Bit on the western side.

Now I’m not the best when it comes to terminology, but I always understand gag bits to be helpful to give your horse a warning cue before the bit actually fully engages, by allowing the mouthpiece to slide gradually. When engaged, you’ll be adding poll pressure to the horse. I always use bitguards with a gag bit, because that sliding action gives the potential for pinched skin. (I even use them with the O-ring snaffle I posted above, because technically that mouthpiece can slide too, even though there is no gag action.)

While I do have a Wonder Bit, I’ve never had a horse that particularly liked that bit.

Of course, the Jr. Cowhorse I posted above technically is also a gag bit, because the mouthpiece can slide. Although it does not have very much gag action.

I do have a Carol Goosetree simplicity bit that I use from time to time on certain horses, but haven’t really used it lately on my current 2 boys. There is the potential for lots of gag action if you’d fully engage the bit, but you can also be pretty soft with this bit if you don’t need to engage it much.

In my experience, I’ve also found that some horses can get “dull” to a gag bit if you use it on them a lot.

#7

I guess we have to know a little more about your horses or horses to recommend bits.

Generally a horse that pushes on the bit too much should have a bit with a lot of tongue relief and a horse that tends to hide from the bit should have tongue pressure. That’s just rule of thumb, not science.

Bits with a lot of releases in them, aka hinges of points of movement will signal your horse almost anytime you touch the rein but a firm or more solid bit will hide a little hand movement if you have a habit of wiggling your hand too much.

With that said, bits are for hands, not for horses. What I like a
Horse in you may not and vice versa.

Bit maker wise, I love tom balding and maheu bits.

My 2 year old start in a bosal until they are walk jogging and loping and turning a little each direction. Then I go to a loose ring snaffle because it has 3 points of signal to tell my young horses that I’m about to pick up on the rein.
Then a fixed cheek snaffle then a rope gag which introduces a little leverage.
Finally a little correction bit with short shanks with no curb strap. I might ride them for a few months with no curb strap and then transition into a leather strap.
From that point, it’s all about what the horse rides best in. look at the bottom of the port on a correction, how rounded or sharp the angles are tells you how much bar pressure you are putting on your horse when you pick up.

#8

I know that a bit is not a solution to a training problem. My gelding has been strongly conditioned to drop his head whenever you pick up the reins (apha Western pleasure horse, slightly downhill build and a neck that’s a little short and thick). We’ve been doing a lot of dressage to redistribute some weight to the hind quarters and to get his gaits back to being more pure. He’s really done well. But his evasion is still to get heavy up front, and to drop his head well below his withers. I am wondering if a gag bit or one with sliding cheeks might help me lift him with less hauling than I need to do in the snaffle. Like many stock horses he’s much more stiff in his shoulders. But I may be wrong and those bits encourage lowering of the head?

Now don’t get me wrong, I know that half halts and transitions are how I get the job done, but he can get really heavy. There are times when I’m just trail riding or piddling around my farm and I’d like to be able to gently pick up the reins to get him lifted back up. I will still probably primarily use the snaffle, but as a horse who has been extensively ridden and trained in a curb, he is lighter and more responsive. Sometimes I enjoy light and easy. Brakes are never a problem for him. Whoa is his favorite gait. He neck reins beautifully, although I do like a bit I can use two handed as well as one handed fur when I need to straighten him. He still cants toward the rail sometimes at the lope. Dressage has helped that significantly but old habits die hard.

#9

I know that a bit is not a solution to a training problem. My gelding has been strongly conditioned to drop his head whenever you pick up the reins (apha Western pleasure horse, slightly downhill build and a neck that’s a little short and thick). We’ve been doing a lot of dressage to redistribute some weight to the hind quarters and to get his gaits back to being more pure. He’s really done well. But his evasion is still to get heavy up front, and to drop his head well below his withers. I am wondering if a gag bit or one with sliding cheeks might help me lift him with less hauling than I need to do in the snaffle. Like many stock horses he’s much more stiff in his shoulders. But I may be wrong and those bits encourage lowering of the head?

Now don’t get me wrong, I know that half halts and transitions are how I get the job done, but he can get really heavy. There are times when I’m just trail riding or piddling around my farm and I’d like to be able to gently pick up the reins to get him lifted back up. I will still probably primarily use the snaffle, but as a horse who has been extensively ridden and trained in a curb, he is lighter and more responsive. Sometimes I enjoy light and easy. Brakes are never a problem for him. Whoa is his favorite gait. He neck reins beautifully, although I do like a bit I can use two handed as well as one handed fur when I need to straighten him. He still cants toward the rail sometimes at the lope. Dressage has helped that significantly but old habits die hard.

#10

If your guy has a habit of pushing down on the bit than you want something that provides tongue relief so he stands up and lifts those shoulders a little more.

I know many will gasp in horror but I will ride one and two handed in a shank bit that isn’t totally solid. In fact, many of our futurities are one or two handed in any legal bit.

Anyways, I love love this bit for the horses that get heavy. It looks big and scary but really not. It has big copper rollers, the bigger wider port provides more tongue relief and the big loops at the ends of the shanks also provide some “give.”

https://www.horseloverz.com/western-horse-tack/western-bits/correction-bits/professionals-choice-bob-avila-collection-heroes-friends-by-professionals-choice-av-heroes-rp-correction

#11

Thanks hunterkid. Do you use a bit hobble or whatever you call that strap that connects the bottom shanks? I do two hand in the robart sometimes. It works independently if you pick up just one side. I think he does appreciate the tongue relief of a port.

#12

>I know that a bit is not a solution to a training problem.

This is a good thought to hang onto, because I’m not sure you believe it.

Horses that won’t take a contact, or that react inconsistently to a contact/cue could possibly be a bit issue. Horses that lug (which is what you’re describing) are not a bit issue. You can find a bit that’s too painful to lug on, but you haven’t fixed the cause of the lugging by doing that.

As such if you change bits now, at best you’re putting a bandaid on the problem and just waiting for it to reappear somewhere else (ie, a horse that wants to lug but is backed off a harsh bit won’t ever take a proper contact, since they’re still WANTING to lug).

I only currently own three bits for this reason. One semi-lost Baucher snaffle somewhere left over from a horse I don’t own, a hand made silver butted three piece snaffle, and a spade. Keep things consistent and everything else is just a training problem.

To fix the lugging, go ride out on a rough trail. He’ll pick his nose up or trip over his feet. Go for a gallop…haven’t yet met a horse that can gallop with its nose on the ground. Back him up every time he wants to lug, or throw the reins away and lope off if he tries to lean. There’s a million ways which start with you changing, rather than punishing him for what he’s been asked to do before by just changing tack (that’s called failing out of a bit).

He’s only doing what he’s been trained to do, after all. Don’t try to change the bit to fix training that you no longer like, retrain him.

#13

I agree with what you’ve posted atkill, but I’m not looking to punish him with a harsh bit. And I don’t want to undo all of his Western pleasure training. He has a natural lope and he just seems to prefer packing a curb bit on a loose rein to riding on constant contact. My nervous TB is much happier on contact. Different strokes for different horses.

#14

What are you trying to keep and what are trying to change, in relation to the bit?

#15

If you’re consistent in your training, horses are more than capable of understanding that this is their WP, and that’s their eventing bit.

#16

I like how he goes in the cathedral. My only real complaint is that if I lift my hand even just a little he drops his head at least 6 inches and it’s hard to get it back up. (In addition to moving him forward, changing directions and transitions between and within gaits, I have also used a neck strap to signal him to lift. All of it helps but the head drop is pretty ingrained n his training). I was just wondering if there are cheekpieces or bit designs that signal to lift.

He likes ported bits, he packs them quietly and happily, rates and steers with minimal rein movement. But he can get a little stiff and I like to do shoulder in with him to free up his trot stride. It’s easier to do if I can use the bit two handed as well as to neck rein. I think that’s the purpose of the robart bits, but I do wonder if that can be confusing for the horse. He doesn’t mind when I use the cathedral two handed (I bridge the reins if I do). But I worry that only using the cathedral could desensitize his light mouth. Maybe I’m worried about nothing though because he is very light in that bit?

I appreciate all the bit knowledge. Quality bits are expensive and I’d love to put together a useful selection without wasting money.

#17

Bits can be designed to encourage a horse a horse to hold is head at a certain angle, but they can’t influence a horse to keep its head at a certain height…that’s a training issue.

Re the cathedral bit, yes, it will be more likely to dull a horse’s mouth in the same way any tongue relief bit will. “Tongue relief” is a masterful bit of marketing, because to relieve pressure on the tongue it has to go somewhere; that somewhere being the bars.

If you were a horse would you rather have pressure over your 4" wide tongue muscle, or 1/8" wide skin-covered-bone bars? There’s a reason people get more response out of tongue relief bit.

#18

Great point about the tongue relief bits. Specifically, would a sliding cheek bit not immediately put pressure on the poll? I was thinking of trying one of those to see if I can get away from that reflexive head drop the instant I pick up the reins. Maybe worth a shot? I just don’t want something too strong on poll pressure that’s going to signal him to lower his head.

So what is a good curb mouthpiece that distributes pressure evenly? A Mullen? I definitely need to get my grazing bit back, it had a very slight port… I’m thinking that might be a good place to start.

With the cathedral, it’s almost like he sucks it up into his mouth, if that makes any sense. Maybe he’d like a hooded mouthpiece? Seems it would have the same issues as the cathedral though.

What do you think of the combination hackamore bits?

#19

[QUOTE=meaty ogre;8661755]
Great point about the tongue relief bits. Specifically, would a sliding cheek bit not immediately put pressure on the poll? [/QUOTE]

Sliding cheek covers a huge range of bits.

Poll pressure would encourage him to lower his head, yes, but few bits actually generate anything of the sort (most times the headstall just distorts).

Again, dropping the head is a trained response, not a bit thing. If you release pressure on any bit when he wants to drop his head, you train him to drop his head. Likewise if you release pressure when he thinks “up”, he’ll do the same.

Evenly on what? The bit with the best overall pressure distribution is a full spanish spade, which is the point of all the pieces of a spade. Pressure is spread over the mullened moutpiece, braces and spoon. Most people don’t want to go there though, and I wouldn’t suggest it in your case.

An unbroken, slightly mullened straight bar bit would be gentlest on the tongue, but it depends on what your goal is.

Yes, because he’s likely trying to get away from bar pressure.

If by hooded mouthpiece you mean a Mona Lisa, it depends on how much tongue relief is there.

That they shouldn’t have the term hackamore applied and they’re a dog’s breakfast of random pressure, but that’s a personal opinion.

Remember also that you’re talking to a guy who owns two bits without feeling deprived, so I’m not the best reference here.

#20

I have half a dozens bosals, of varying diameter and weight. Several bosalitos, and several spades.
I have some simple loose rings snaffles, and some french links.
I have one correctional bit.
I have a bag full of other stuff I never use, but keep for trading.

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