Bit Information (Snaffle and English-Type Bits)

A D ring is a great bit to go to after a full cheek, and a double jointed mouth like a French link might be good for your horse.
Bit keepers are for full cheek bits only, they keep the "arms" rotated correctly.
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Always wondered why English people use keepers on full cheeks and Western people don't. Is it largely a safety thing, to keep the arms from snagging on something and creating an accident? Or do you not want the arms perpendicular to the mouth, because you don't like the pressure from lateral rein work in that spot?

Two reasons:
- to keep the bit steady and rotated correctly in the mouth
- safety, to help prevent the arms getting caught
Some English people will freak out if they see a full cheek without the keepers - I'm not one of those people haha.
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What do you mean by "rotated correctly in the mouth?" I saw in the opening post that you mentioned the correct orientation of the mouthpiece, but it seems to me that tilting it back with a keeper would actually negatively affect the position of the joint. Of the full cheek snaffles I've seen (which, admittedly, is only a handful), the mouthpiece is always perpendicular to the cheeks, just like in an eggbutt or D-ring. You don't rotate those for everyday use....and if you rotate the full cheek using keepers, aren't you going to bring the joint down so that it breaks over the tongue rather than straight back? It seems that this would also influence the ability to do any sort of lateral reining, as, unless your horse is carrying a perfectly vertical headset, you'll be pulling across the joint rather than breaking it.... (this all makes sense in the picture in my head, but I'm afraid it's not coming out in words very clearly)

The safety thing I understand, so I always try to be hyper-aware when using my keeper-less full cheek.

So I ended up with a Single Jointed Fulmer and was so excited to see this reportedly illusive bit that I forgot to purchase the bit keeper doh but I will the very next time OH happens to look away long enough.

I''m not sure what difference the lipstrap will have on the way the bit sits in the mouth, maybe it will keep it still (?) and on correct angle, with the cheek arms straight up and down.

As the fulmer is a loose ring (with full cheeks) should I also use bit guards as recommended for loose rings? If yes, how do I get them on and where do they go exactly?

Once again, great thread and appreciate the advice, alot.

Great choice! No, you do not need bit guards; and I'm unsure what you are referring to about a lip strap?
Glad you found a bit you like!
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Allie, the lip strap is what they call the curb strap down in Aus.

Because the fulmer is a full cheek, you really don't even need one. The lip strap does nothing more than keep the bit from being pulled through the mouth during extreme circumstances and since you already have full cheeks, that is also what they are for.

What an interesting read, thank you for spending the time to post this all up, its really informative. Threads like these are what make this forum great.
Its funny how depending on where you are in the world, its called something different- we call the elevator a bubble bit :)
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You are very welcome! Even for a short-ish article like the one in the OP, it still took hours to make lol!
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Yep. A lip strap = curb strap which I think = bit keeper? Anyhow, it seems I don't need one with a fulmer 'cause it has full cheeks to stop the rings sliding through the mouth?

Here's a pic from this morning.