What is your favorite bit for your horse?

[candysgirl]

I use the JP Korsteel oval mouth eggbutt (https://www.smartpakequine.com/jp-korsteel-oval-mouth-eggbutt-6148p?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=googlepla&utm_content=TES&utm_campaign=2109694282&cm_mmc=Google--googlepla--TES-_-2109694282&source=pla&gclid=CjkKEQjw5LWcBRCeh8uUlqqluN4BEiQAfr64cEzuzrF4yqkNsYewDDh5AsfysbHI1NTXlvOBi4ivu27w_wcB) on my Arab or a mullen pelham when I ride with a bit (I ride him on trails and endurance rides in a sidepull that’s a glorified halter). He doesn’t ever need a pelham for brakes or whatever. I use one foxhunting on really formal days mostly just for the traditional look. I chose the snaffle just based on what bit he went well in and didn’t fuss with. I tried a lot of different bits and that just happened to be the one he liked the best. I’m on board, its inexpensive enough I can easily put the same bit on several different bridles.

I’ve never needed something with ‘brakes’ on him. He’s got a very soft mouth and he’ll slow and stop off of seat cues.

My mare goes in a “jumping hackamore” (https://www.horseloverz.com/product/bridle-parts/190910-tory-leather-jumping-hackamore.html) or a rubber mullen snaffle. Both chosen because the morons I bought her from nearly severed her tongue in half with who knows what and she strongly objects to bit pressure from anything else.

[rcloisonne]

@karasha;7606168

Herm Sprenger “Comfort Mouth” Pelham on my hunter/jumper/equitation/dressage horse (Even though my dressage trainer gives it the hairy eye).

Surprised all you’re getting is a “hairy eye” Pelhams are illegal for dressage. Any dressage trainer I know wouldn’t allow students to take a lesson in one.

That HS is very nice though.

[541hunter]

For the longest time I was riding my BTDT hunter in a Waterford D-ring (like this: https://www.rainbowsendtack.com/product%20images/Eng%20Bits%20Page%2026/BE359.JPG) but recently my trainer was riding another horse in that bit at a clinic and the clinician said that apparently this encourages the horse to ride with his head very low, as all the links make it “drop” in his mouth and he wants to push down to “catch” it. My guy moves very downhill and already wants to carry his head too low (like a Wenglish horse! :uhoh:).

We tried a few different bits before we landed on a slow twist D-ring (https://rainbowsendtack.com/product%20images/Eng%20Bits%20Page%2031/BE416.JPG). He doesn’t seem to want to lean on it as much as the Waterford, which is nice. I have to be mindful of my hands since it’s quite a bit stronger than the Waterford, but it’s been nice to have a little more bit for medal classes and handy rounds.

[karasha]

[QUOTE=rcloisonne;7606306]
Surprised all you’re getting is a “hairy eye” Pelhams are illegal for dressage. Any dressage trainer I know wouldn’t allow students to take a lesson in one.

That HS is very nice though.[/QUOTE]

I never dressage lesson with the pelham; I understand that it is illegal and didn’t say my dressage coach was wrong for having her opinion against it :). I use a french link Herm Sprenger loose ring which my horse despises (but hey, it’s what the dressage trainers prefer). Which is why I am considering the loose ring “comfort mouth” mullen mouth from Herm Sprenger. Mullen mouths are so irregular in dressage, my dressage trainer (who is working on her gold medal) was like “What is a mullen mouth?” :lol: I am the eccentric one in the dressage barn, I suppose, being a hunter/jumper.

But 90% of my riding is in the pelham since it has the mouth piece my horse likes. In lessons, it’s her rule and I totally respect her. In my daily riding, I am not going to deny riding my horse in a perfectly acceptable (and “soft”) bit that my horse prefers. We’re not showing in dressage; we are doing dressage because it is the basic fundamentals to having a good hunter/jumper.

HS’s are nice, nice bits. I was going in a regular straight bar pelham before getting the HS one. Once I put my horse in the HS one he was a totally, totally, totally different horse. Amazing how different some horses can be when it comes to bits.

[keatssu]

Myler D-ring comfort snaffles for both of my Mares. I’m surprised no one has mentioned Myler.

[CBB]

My favorite bit for jumper is a Waterford Loose Ring Gag. A Waterford is like a bunch of metal balls all jointed together. I couldn’t find an exact picture of it, but this one is close: https://www.equusport.com/item_images/balding_waterford.jpg

My jumper is a bit of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde horse.

When he’s being good and feeling calm and quiet, he’s very sensitive in the mouth. But in a big grass field jumper class by the end of the course, he’s really strong and doesn’t seem sensitive at all. He also has a tendancy to lean on the bit when he has the chance.

We tried some slightly “sharper” bits like a slow twist staffle, but when he was being good which is most of the time, it was just too much for him and he wouldn’t come forward into my hand and tended to overreact.

My trainer suggested the Waterford gag, because it’s very smooth, and because it has so many joints he can’t really lean on it, because there is nothing solid to lean against. It’s been working great. When he’s good, it’s very mild and the gag doesn’t engage at all. But when he really starts to pull on it or try to lean on it, the ropes start to slide through the gag, and he knocks it off immediately.

It has really been a lifesaver for us. I only use it when we are jumping though. On the flat I mostly use a happy mouth two ring snaffle.

[ssandstr]

My little hunter princess mare was going well in a French link D ring until a new trainer suggested that she might be even happier in a sweet iron loose ring…so we tried one. It’s got a French link in the middle (or maybe just a link? But not a flat piece like a dr Bristol) and she seems to LOVE it. Much more accepting of my hands, more interested in actually moving up into contact, and less cranky mare moments. It’s a JP I think, pretty inexpensive. She salivates a ton and will even go long and low (which we have been attempting to do for a long time with minimal success). She has good brakes so that wasn’t an issue. Won’t show in it though, so probably back to the D. Tried a loose ring Waterford briefly…boy was she heavy and cranky in that! Also tried a rubber Tom Thumb single jointed Pelham…also made her mad even with basically no curb rein. She has a small mouth, and I think single joints upset her.

Thanks to this thread though, I’m going to try an eggbutt full cheek and maybe a happy mouth mullen… So many good suggestions and interesting ideas. She gets going over fences, so trying to keep her balanced without getting handsy is our current challenge.

[Hawks_Nest]

My boy is extremely sensitive (especially for a gelding, think mare sort of reactivity) and I struggled for a long time to find something that worked.

As of now he goes really well in a very steady cheek piece (either full cheek w/ keepers or boucher) with a very small bean making it double jointed. So for dressage (we event) he has a stubben double jointed boucher which is slightly defective so locks when bent to a certain point (it is not the ezcontrol, much thinner all around, but acts sort of like it), and to jump he has a HS KK ultra full cheek. I can flip flop between them but the full cheek is the slightest bit sharper so I prefer that to jump or hack out in (part of it could be the figure-8 as well).

In general I like both of these bits for sensitive and/or fussy horses. He also went in a single joint for a long time because they were steadier in his mouth (he would lean on a mullen) and I had tried a d ring kk with absolutely no success. When I do step up bits with him it is either to a pelham (I have to be very careful with it) or to a mikmar combo bit, both are very steady in his mouth but can be sharp enough to get his attention back on him

[DaniW]

An eggbutt d- ring snaffle was always my go-to bit until I got a tb and found out it was too thick for him so he goes in a narrow french link. I don’t like to add more leverage just because they are amped up; I like to teach them to manage their adrenalin instead so I don’t change my bits when I’m going cross country. Thus I practice x-c until its not so exciting or at least that’s the plan.

[imapepper]

[QUOTE=equ3strian;7602540]
Honestly this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! I always see the side pull bridles from dr. cook and the hackamores with a chain or leather under the chin. This is so simple, I love it![/QUOTE]

I have one of those. I bought it for a mare I owned who broke her jaw to rehab in since it’s pretty much like riding in a halter but looks nicer And she went like I was riding her in a halter LOL But what worked on her after the jaw surgery was a loose ring french link in the Micklem Competition Bridle for flatwork and jumped her in a rubber pelhem.

[Mukluk]

I have not tried very many bits on my mare. I’ve had her since she was 4 and hadn’t been ridden much since leaving the track. She goes in a Eggbutt french link with a copper center (one of them has a roller). For dressage she has one with no copper. If there were a bit library perhaps it would be interesting to try some other bits but I don’t think she’s too fussy. I haven’t ever had a trainer think that she needed something different.

[Tookers121]

I ride my 7 yo TB jumper in a hack-a-bit for jumping. He likes to have a giraffe head, but hates most leverage bits like the elevators. I tried this and he LOVES it! One wiggle of the bottom rein and he is back and focused, TB brain
http://www.doversaddlery.com/happy-mth-jnted-hackmre-bit/p/X1-0123/

He has a very soft mouth so the happy mouth works really well for him and we flat and do most of our training in a plain happy mouth loose ring.

[pattnic]

My gelding goes in a loose ring HS Duo, like a couple others have mentioned. This is the bit I use on him for everything, including XC schooling. In the past, I have also used the JP Copper Roller Full Cheek someone else mentioned, and also that same bit wrapped in Sealtex. That was back when he would get strong when we were riding in company and the Duo would come out of his mouth bent. :rolleyes: He minds himself better now when his buddies are around.

My mare goes in - flamesuit on - a single-jointed slow twist Tom Thumb Pelham. The bit locks into place so that it doesn’t completely collapse like a regular single-jointed bit. Miss Mare has made it clear that she prefers a stable bit, so full cheeks, eggbutts, Bauchers, and Pelhams are preferable to loose rings. She has also made it clear that double-jointed bits are not satisfactory (too much movement, I guess), but regular mullen mouths are also not ideal (I’m guessing not enough tongue clearance?). She also likes mouthpieces that are curved, like the JP mouthpieces. She liked her Pelham with a ported mouthpiece best of what I had - it was the only bit in which she would get “lipstick”, but it still wasn’t the bit. It was also too much on the flat, so it was suggested I try a slow twist full cheek on her. I found one with a curved mouthpiece, and much to my surprise, she liked that bit, too (more “lipstick”). Weird. That bit was fine for the flat, but not really enough for jumping. So I started looking for a single jointed slow twist Pelham, despite my aversion to jointed curbs, and hating myself a little bit that I was looking for such a thing. I found it (mine is the Pessoa Magic slow twist Pelham, and also has a curved mouthpiece), and the mare is quite happy in it. Weirdo.

I would love to try the Sprenger Pelham karasha linked to for Miss Mare - another bit she goes very well in is her driving bit, which is a Glory butterfly bit. I think the mouthpiece of the Sprenger Pelham is very much like that of the Glory bit, which arches both up and forward.

[foursocks]

Another interesting bit- a friend’s event horse runs XC in a Swales pelham, like this: http://www.townfields.com/products/339/pelham-swales-3-in-1-bit

He used to go in a Balding gag, but the beauty of this is that it removes poll pressure and still gives her brakes when she needs them. She removed the curb chain because that was way too much, and the horse seems really happy in it now. A little half halt as needed and he is right there with his rider.

This horse has run up to Intermediate so far and he is a very powerful XC machine- so this is much more bit than most horses would need, but it is pretty mild until she employs the curb rein. He flats in a loose ring French link, but point that horse at a big fence and he is all: WE ARE GO!!! It feels a little like riding a strong-minded semi. :lol:

[olim2005]

I have a greenie I ride in a jointed happy mouth D-ring. He originally started in a full check, single jointed because his turning was bad. He started to get to low in the head carriage so my trainer recommended a segunda, but the port was too much for him (his mouth is small). So I then went to the happy mouth French link. He moves balanced and it’s a less severe bit.

My other horse is a head shaker and really strong. I tried EVERYTHING on him. Note; his head shaking is stimulated by allergens, rain, snow, and nervousness. He did okay in a slow twist egg butt for awhile, but it wasn’t enough jumping. My trainer tried him in the segunda because he was getting his tongue over the bit. That helped, but the port was so high it made him stop suddenly and he started refusing jumps. I started riding him in a hackmore to see if it would help with his head shaking. It did sooth the headshaking. The hackamore offered a relief by kind of itching his face. BUT he was able to hang on it, that’s when I went to a hackamore bit and I love it! He gets relief from headshaking and I get some lightness with a bit.

My third horse gets stiff in the shoulder and will sometimes get behind the bit or when jumping pull and hang. The happy mouth wasn’t enough, although he jumped well. The 2 ring with no rubber made him suck under. I have been riding him in the segunda and it’s great for flat…but sometimes he hits the segunda piece and freaks out jumping. I love the segunda because it lifts his stiff shoulder, but I am looking for something slightly step down as far as severe.

It’s important to note that all three of my horses are charity cases that I took in and they are now wonderful. Makes it a little more difficult though to consider bits, especially if they have some lack of confidence.

[Equitational]

So would most recommend a Lathe or HS Duo for super sensitive mare? I’m really tempted to try one.

Started a thread about it in the Dressage Forum.

[kboned]

I actually have two, BOTH eggbutts :winkgrin:

First is a french-link eggbutt, I use it for flatting because my horse responds to it well and fits his mouth much better.

Second is a level 2 myler in the eggbutt style. Use it for showing (jumpers) and schooling courses at home. He gets the typical TB canter going at jumps sometimes, all shoulder no butt action, so the myler really sits him on his bum to the jump.

I’d rather flat him in a bit that’s milder, and school him in something with leverage, just so it mixes it up and keeps his mind a thinking a little when it comes to my aids. Seems to be working well for us.

[foursocks]

[QUOTE=Equitational;7867004]
So would most recommend a Lathe or HS Duo for super sensitive mare? I’m really tempted to try one.

Started a thread about it in the Dressage Forum.[/QUOTE]

Definitely try a duo/nathe, if you can. It is now my go-to bit for a horse who doesn’t like the loosering French link and is sensitive. My older guy now runs XC in it- no martingale, nothing- and while he is very big and very strong he is educated enough to respect the bit.

[jumpingbeans]

My horse is very particular about his mouth, when we got him he had horrible ulcers in his mouth and would fly backwards when taking the bridle off because it hurt so bad! (poor guy!). After getting his teeth done and mouth better he is still very picky about bits. If he doesn’t like something he will lean very hard on the bit and rip the reins out of my hands constantly (So much fun, NOT!) OR he will overflex his neck to get away from the bit, its very frustrating! I have tried A LOT of combinations with him, and have found he hates anything metal, anything that’s single break, and anything too thin. I came up with idea of trying a mechanical hackamore on him and WOW what a difference that made! He is a dream to ride in it, extremely adjustable, happy as can be, never leans or pulls. Luckily he is primarily a jumper so he can show in this as well. However, I want him to have a bit in his mouth at least a few days a week (one, because I don’t like to ride in the same thing I jump/show in every day and 2, because he does the equitation some and I don’t want him to get used to never having a bit in his mouth), so after a bunch of combinations I found he likes the straight bar happy mouth bits the best, I think the thickness of them feels good in his mouth, so I ride him in a loose ring or elevator version of this and when he does the equitation he goes in the Pelham version. He is still not as happy in this as the hackamore but so far its been our best option! I will continue to search for others if anyone has any ideas!

[Denzel]

My horse has a variety of happy mouth bits we use for different occasions. At home, he goes in either a double jointed HM loose ring or D ring. I also have a double jointed HM 2 ring I will use at home with 2 reins if he starts getting draggy and I need a little more leverage to get the point across without getting ugly and pulling. I also have a mullen mouth HM pelham for shows in case he gets belligerent, since he is a hunter and can’t show in the 2 ring. The pelham gets the job done, but the 2 ring lets me school softness more since he can’t hang on it as much as a solid cheek.