Bit Information (Snaffle and English-Type Bits)

Another Dressage/English Bit worth mentioning is the Baucher. It is a legal Dressage Bit. After experimenting with four other bits with my mare she really excelled with the Baucher. This bit is a true snaffle in that there is no leverage/shanks. It has about a 1 to 1 1/2 inch solid extension on the rein rings that the cheeks of the bridle go into adding a small amount of leverage to the poll.

candandy49, good point, I should have posted about the Baucher on the OP, and I might ask a Mod to edit that information in. However, from what I understand, the Baucher does not have any leverage; it doesn't have two fixed points to get leverage from. It is more like a full cheek in the sense that it's attached to the headstall, making the bit sit correctly in the mouth.
Please take my information on Bauchers with a grain of salt though, as I am not as informed as I would like to be on the action of that particular bit.

JustDressageIt, what I should have said is the Baucher has a fixed purchase on the bit. The purchase being the part of a bit that extends above the mouth piece like on a Western type curb bit or Pelham, I.e. With the Baucher there is slight poll pressure when the horse has bit contact or on the bit.

I used the Baucher with my QH mare when I decided to try going in a Dressage saddle and snaffle bridle with her. As an 8 year old when we became each others she had always been ridden Western and with a tiedown. The first time I tried riding her without the tiedown she flung her head until I could see the tip of her nose. After trying 4 other snaffles on her I found the Baucher. It worked like a charm with her.

This is just a great thread.

Thank you :)

The poll pressure of the baucher is negligable hence why it is dressage legal as opposed to the wilkie or beval which apply similar poll pressure to the gag bits and thus are not dressage legal.

Hey JDI, possibly could you pop some info on driving bits in there too? I would like to get a PDF version of your list as well so will PM my email to you? I too teach lessons and have done so for years and completely agree that it would be an excellent handout!

Cheers, SQHS

Baucher has no leverage as the reins attach at the same level asn the mouthpiece and there is no curb chain - So nothing rotating the bit to make the purchase come into play. The arms above the bit only serve to keep the bit in a specific place in the mouth and keep it much stiller than other bits.

Right. No leverage, no poll pressure, no gag, no rotation in the mouth.

Yes, much akin to attaching bit keepers to a full cheek - so the bit is held steady at the correct angle.
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