Barrel Racing bits :) ?

What bits do you use ? Why Do you like them :) What do they help with !

Teh gelding im riding can be put in anything but usually either a smooth mouth short shank jr cowhorse or a smooth mouth butterfly bit.
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My mom uses a Gag/Hack combo with a smooth mouthpiece.

I use a Jr Cowhorse, 3 piece smooth mouthpiece with copper roller and short shanks. This mare works great in the bit and its a huge step down from what she was ridden in before me. I could probably go with a snaffle and will try it this next season.

On my other mare, I use a Myler DRing Comfort Snaffle. Simple and effective and very gentle. This is my favorite bit ever.
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My go to bit for any barrel horse is anything by Sherri Cervi. I love her bits, they are made well and have always been a great help to any issue I am trying to correct or use on a "finished" barrel horse. I prefer the longer shank with the twisted dog bone snaffle bit on my little palomino mare. She may be little but she shoulders like you wouldn't believe and having the heavier iron shank makes it much easier to do the lifting needed with out tearing up the horse's mouth.

If I use a hackamore I prefer the beetle hackamore or the little s. Usually if I am using a hackamore is because the horse I am riding needs me to be WAY out of their face and those two are great options to use because they aren't a super heavy piece at all.

My old guy Beau I ran in a Jr. Cowhorse short shank with a twisted mouth. Regular trail riding I had him in a medium shank dog-bone center smooth mouth.

My mom runs her horse Crinkle in the standard ol' ugly solid curb bit (the type you always see attached to bridles in the tack shop to buy all together). You could run this girl in a halter she neck reins and stops so well, but we have her in the totally solid curb becuase she likes to grab the shanks and chew on them with her mouth. She can't grab the shanks if its all solid. I would probably put her in something different, but my mom likes riding her in that. And you really don't use the bit on her much.

Red .... I am still trying to figure out. Right now, I've found what has worked the best is a Wonder Bit with a smooth mouth, single joint. I tried the Jr. Cowhorse on him but it was almost too much bite for him right now. But I'll also ride Red in his O-ring snaffle with dogbone center. And now that winter is colder, I usually just ride him in a Little S hackamore becuase then I don't have to put a cold bit in his mouth, and he works good in the little S. I actually might make the Little S his pole bending "bit" because he did a smokin' just-starting-to-lope run with it.

I'll just go through our barrel horses...

Link,my gelding in a Little S Hack because he is very touchy and I could probably run him in a halter, and I can with a plain snaffle. But the Hack gives me just a bit more control incase he starts to get to close I can move him over. Otherwise he's automatic and a push style horse.

Heart, my mare in a medium shanked reining type bit with copper rings in the middle. She's pretty easy to run, she was ran in a hack gag combo when I got her but she dropped her shoulder in it. Plus I think it was to much bit for her.

Tori, my mom's mare ran in a bit like Heart's but with a bit longer shanks. She's kindve a free runner and has cheated before. So this bit works for her.

Leggs's, my step dad's mare in a Jim Warner Hack, she's a push style horse and she knows what she's doing. It's best to stay out of her face.

My old mare I ran in both the Jim Warner Hack and a medium shanked Gag Combo Bit. Depending on how she was running at the time.
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Wow what a broad question...

For kicks, I'm sitting in class and I'm bored so I will list the bits I have used on every horse I've ever ran.

Jester - Snaffle with a chain mouth or a draw single jointed gag. He was light.
Jasper - Little S Hack.
Tey Kiro - Little S Hack
Cash - Smooth Simplicity or a Sweet six
Hottie - Martha Josey Prime Time bit. He was STRONG.
Bailey - Twisted wire snaffle or o ring sweet six.
Selena - Either a short shank Jr. Cowhorse with copper rollers, or an O ring combo bit. Depends on how she feels.
Ruger will probably be run in the same thing as Selena.

It's funny, I've had a lot of horses but some of those I barely even showed. LOL My Mom and I share horses so for awhile there while Jester was iffy, I had a lot of her horses.

I will just put the running bits because my horses have different bits and set ups for different things.

JJ
Open Pen (not on the fence)- Long Shank Sharron Camarillo Correction bit
Tight Pen (on the fence)- If he is running strong (mainly to first) I use the SS Camarillo Correction, or the SS Cervi. It really depends on how he is running...

Scrat
Long Shank Charmayne James Lifter

Polly
Still trying to find a bit with good feel...tried Jr. Cowhorse, Tender Touch, Little S, Easy Five, Banana Bit (Set very low). Still trying to find the magic feel lol.

But when we are riding, tuning, ect they each have different bits they go in.

My daughter rides her mare in a Jr. Cowhorse, short shank with smooth mouth piece. That's her best bit. She has been ridden in a Jr. Cowhorse with a twisted wire, but my daughter is 10 and I try to avoid her using bits like that. I think she's still too young to step up to a twisted wire. The horse has also been ridden very successfully in an Ed Wright short shank with the dog bone mouth piece.

For trail riding though, she loves the cheapo o-ring snaffle from the feed store! She also does really well in any Myler we've ever tried. However, those don't quite work for barrel racing needs.

I have been riding and training my horse Sassy in snaffles (twisted, smooth, eggbut). I can tell she is ready for her "step up" bit. She responds well to leg and seat cues, but she is easily bored. What little basics there are to go back and work on with her, you can only work on for so little before she says "...yep no this sucks. Lets do something else. I'm about to have a major mental breakdown." She's a great horse and is way too smart for her own good.

I recently (aka this morning lol) purchased a Simplicity bit, it doesn't seem too harsh but is just a step up from what she has and will help her lift her shoulders more. Going to ride her in it tomorrow and see how she takes it!
Classic Equine Goostree Dr. Bristol Simplicity Bit - Horse.com