Horse Bits: They’re Simpler than You Think

Horse Bits: They’re Simpler than You Think

After using horse bits for centuries, you would think people would have it down by now, but still to this day the right bit can be elusive to many horsemen and women. There’s training advice everywhere. This bit will make your horse collected; this bit will help give your horse more “stop”; this bit is for soft mouths; this bit is for hard mouths and on and on.

The fact of the matter is that at the core of the bits, they all tend to fall into two types – snaffle and curb type. They all have different names and the rings and shanks may be designed differently, but they all fall into these two categories. Some bits even use both types in combination. The one exception is the hackamore, which is technically considered a bit, although nothing is actually inserted into the horse’s mouth. It works off of pressure around the nose and jaw.

Snaffle bits come in a variety of styles. These include:

• O-rings
• D-rings
• Eggbutt
• Full-cheek
• Kimberwick
• Loose ring
• Gag bit (Some styles are snaffle, while others are curb)

All of these bits use action in the mouth. Even the “French-link” bits are snaffle style bits, only they include a small link in the middle rather than the two mouth pieces joining together in the middle. These bits put pressure on the bars of the mouth depending on which rein is being pulled as well as pressure on the opposite side of the face. If you pull the right rein, then the horse will feel pressure on the right side of his mouth and the left side of his face from the ring. These bits are commonly used on young horses, but can be used on all horses throughout their training and performance career depending on what the horse is used for.

Curb bits also come in a variety of different styles depending on whether you ride English or Western. English curb style bits are styled much more differently than western curb bits, but they function in the same way.

English styles include:
• Mullen Mouth Bit (Ring styles vary, including Pelham, Eggbutt, Kimberwick, etc.)
• Weymouth (Port styles vary)

Western style curb bits are typically referred to as curb bits although the shank styles and height of the port. Curb bits work on the bars of the mouth and apply pressure to both sides equally. The curb chain beneath that goes under the jaw of the mouth applying pressure evenly as well. The port of the bit applies pressure on the horse’s tongue. These bits are typically used in neck reining situations, since they do not apply direct pressure to each side of the mouth.

There are also bits designed for different breeds of horses. This is due to the fact that many breeds have smaller mouths and different configurations. Miniature horse bits are obviously for miniature horses because they are smaller and fit their mouths. The same is true for Paso Fino horses as well.

The fact of the matter is that bit choice can be based on the experience level of the horse, training, as well as personal preference. Sometimes the best bit is the simplest bit and horses can be trained to work well with nearly any type of bit.