Now I'm confused...

So I was reading in this post this morning (Which bit to use?) and I watched the video towards the bottom about tom thumbs, and now I'm a little confused....

I have two bits sitting in my tack room, one on my gaming bridle, and the other one is going to be put on my leather bridle in the future. I got these from a good friend that I trust, and who has grown up with horses. She said they should work fine, but after watching that video, I'm pretty sure they're both tom thumbs. The shanks aren't that long... But what do you think??
If that's not a good bit to use, what do you recommend?
Thanks!

The attached picture is one of the bits, they're identical except for the other is just silver, no copper on it.

I recommend what works well for you and your horse. Tom Thumbs are generally frowned upon by lots of people, but some find it works well for them. If you don't want to use it, or start noticing a problem, then I'd switch it out for a different bit that works better.

Ok thank you!
I was really confused because the guy on the video was talking about "how cruel they are," but I found they work just fine. But I wanted to check and get some different opinions.. :P
I just want the best for my horse :)

No problem!
I used to ride with one, the shanks were different than the on in your picture, but pretty much the same bit. I just didn't find it worked well with my horse after a little while, but I really don't think it's as cruel as some people say. Some people prefer them to other bits and think they're great, and others think they belong in the trash. But if you want my personal opinion, I think it depends on how well the horse works in it.

That bit is a bit different from a Tom Thumb (N. Amer. TT). That bit has curved shanks, so it give a bit of a presignal before engageing the curb and the pull on the poll. The TT has straight shanks, so it engages it's leverage action much faster, so is more severe .






Here's an article that talks about why the TT can be a not so great choice. However, I agree with the above poster; if it works for your horse, use it.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...zYfKAMinn4CMiw