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The purpose of a chain bit?

29K views 65 replies 21 participants last post by  boots 
#1 ·
I was looking through my Smith Brothers catalog and i seen a chain bit. I was wondering what is the purpose of this kind of bit? Is it easier on their mouth and tongue? I just don't understand the reason to be putting a chain in a horses mouth. Could someone explain this to me please. Thanks!!

http://www.smithbrothers.com/images/250/0117.jpg
 
#28 ·
I've always thought of how a bit would feel on my hand if I were to use it to pick up a small bucket of water; in my opinion, a double jointed bit would probably spread the weight the most evenly and be the most comfortable. A twisted bit or a chain bit would hurt like the dickens after a short while.

This is a very important point of mine: As I ride english, the horse is supposed to accept contact; you should feel some weight in each rein; the bit must encourage this. The horse can't be afraid of getting hurt/sore when they reach into that contact. In my opinion, some bits (regardless of the hands; remember that there should be some weight in the contact) greatly discourage this.
 
#30 ·
This is a very important point of mine: As I ride english, the horse is supposed to accept contact; you should feel some weight in each rein; the bit must encourage this. The horse can't be afraid of getting hurt/sore when they reach into that contact. In my opinion, some bits (regardless of the hands; remember that there should be some weight in the contact) greatly discourage this.
This is an excellent point in the differance between western and english riders.

I seek to have my horses on the loosest rein, and lightest touch possible. There are times in training when I seek contact, but training is always done in a snaffle for me. Still, if I can twitch a muscle and get the desired response...I couldn't care less. To me, snaffles are great for training, but don't offer me the finesse I need on a strong horse in a high-pressure situation. When I'm running at mach 5 towards a barrel, I want to know that I don't have to pull on my horse to get him around there. A small twist of my wrist, a lot of leg and seat, and finally a desired, beautiful turn before we're off and running again. Same if I'm doing ranch work at the barn. English has a LOT of demands in its own right, and I highly respect that, but not every little thing can be accomplished as well in a snaffle as it can be in another bit.
 
#29 ·
Could someone please explain to me what the mechanics are of the chain bit, and why you would choose to use it.

I have ridden English and Western, so have a hoof in each camp.

Re Spade bits, as I understand it they are designed to be used only bu the most accomplished of horsemen, on the most highly trained of horses. The whole point is that the bit shows off the refinement of the partnership, by the almost invisible aids given.

Of course give the same bit to a heavy handed novice looking for extra brakes and you have a wreck in the making.
 
#31 ·
Could someone please explain to me what the mechanics are of the chain bit, and why you would choose to use it.

I have ridden English and Western, so have a hoof in each camp.

Re Spade bits, as I understand it they are designed to be used only bu the most accomplished of horsemen, on the most highly trained of horses. The whole point is that the bit shows off the refinement of the partnership, by the almost invisible aids given.

Of course give the same bit to a heavy handed novice looking for extra brakes and you have a wreck in the making.
In a nutshell, the chain collapses and conforms to the mouth of the horse, similar to a waterford. I find that smaller chains and thinner links pinch quite a bit, which is why I like mine that has thicker, smoother links and edges that don't pinch either. Some of them are poorly made and not designed well, which is another reason why people assume all of them are cruel.
 
#32 ·
Hmmm....

going down a bunny trail here........

A waterford is similar in its action, altho a little less flimsy as the chain - and waterfords are supposed to be for horses with sensitive mouths who need no curb pressure but need a little more 'lift' than a snaffle (so I've been told) - waterfords can be a 'transitional' bit used to teach a horse to work towards carrying a mullen mouth when graduating from a snaffle (when introducing the double bridle, for instance)

Maybe the mechanics are the same in that regard?

but I know nothing about chains....I looked it up online and see it brought up when referring to barrel racing more times than any other discipline....

any barrel racers out there see it used that much with other speed event horses?

:think:
 
#33 ·
GH, it really depends on the type of chain..

When it comes to things like a bicycle chain..The chain is thick, pointy, and can pinch. It's really a last resort for lazy people who don't want to work on a training issue, or for someone who has just ruined the horse's mouth. Nothing else works so let's just stick something that will hurt in there. Right?
Bad chains-



But the chain I use is a flat lying chain, it conforms to my horse's mouth and has different areas of give instead of just a bar or joint mouth piece. It's not too much pressure and it's not harsh. Those bits apply mild pressure in the mouth and let's the horse relax it's mouth or tongue more so around the mouthpiece..

good chains -

 
#36 ·
Wow DR those first pics just look uncomfortable. I just didn't understand what this bit was used for, and i was confused about it. I've been trying to find a bit that my mare would be comfortable in, and i just haven't yet. She is a barrel horse in the making (very slowly). I think i'll give it a try and see how she takes to it. She plays with a regular loose ring snaffle, and gives me this look like really i'm supposed to do something with this...and in a tom thumb she gives me a depressed and bored look, so i've been working bitless. I'm terrified of hurting her mouth.
Thank you all for your info!! Glad to know such knowledgeable people!! :)
 
#37 ·
I make my own chain snaffles actually. Its pretty hard to find them so I bought 10 rings and got some bigger, smooth chain and got the guys at work to weld them together for me then I took a really soft/durable tape that we use at work on our pipe spools and taped the link that attaches to the ring just to insure that there wouldnt be any rough spots from the welding. I made 5 of them and all my friends bought them off me and I actually made money off it.

Like cowchick stated they are great for horses that get a little bargy with their shoulders.

I love mine. Probably my most used bit. Im gonna keep using it and not feel bad about it.
 
#41 · (Edited)
That's kind of iffy to me, I've never had any first hand experience with that stuff but I'm thinking it would make it a little softer on the mouth but the mechanics and other work of the bit would be the same, it would just prevent pinching.

I didn't get the chance to really work with her in the tom thumb, but i know just from working on the ground she didn't like it. The simple snaffle was a bust since she just played with it and ignored me while doing so. Again i was still on the ground, since i'm afraid of hurting her mouth i do ground work in a bridle. I will give it a try, is it one of the pics u posted?? Thanks
This is what I would try if I were you. It's a really nice bit..There are different makes of the Jr Cowhorse.





Very good, very versatile bits..They work for all different levels and "picky" horses.
 
#48 ·
Wow! I start shivering if It's under 75*F...guess I live in the wrong part of the country :lol:

As far as chain bits, I've always thought the ones with a small, thin chain looked harsh, but the bigger ones seem like a good option.

Some horses really do prefer seemingly "harsher" bits....there's a horse at my barn that really likes TT's for some reason...her owner has tried all different bits and she throws her head in anything else, but is really quiet in the TT. The reins are almost always loose and she responds very well in it.

Because I ride with contact, I couldn't imagine putting my horse in anything besides a smooth mouthed snaffle, so I think It's hard for some english riders to accept the idea of stronger bits.
 
#46 ·
Thanks DR. You could come up to PA n visit when it snows, where i live we usually get alot. The coldest it has ever been here was -5*F. I don't ride in the winter, i have and don't like it much, tooo cold for me, its vaca time for the horses. :) I have relatives that might be near u DR, didn't get to see much of Georgia when i was there tho.
 
#52 ·
I still have to disagree. I've already stated my reasoning so you're welcome to check back in the thread more, I won't repeat myself.

I should also add I DID say I ride and train mainly in snaffles. And I do believe my horse would agree a bit is only as harsh as the hands. A chain just sitting in the horse's mouth on a loose rein is not hurting it.
 
#55 ·
^ Indeed

My horses don't NEED anything. Selena goes completely bareback and bridleless if I ask of her. She can be ridden in pretty much any bit. I've had her in ports, no ports, billy allens, cavalry shanks, mylers, combination gags, jr. cowhorses, sweet sixes, hackamores, bosals...But I settled on a bit that compliments her strengths and weaknesses to what she works best in, and that bit is an 8'' shank Billy Allen reiner bit.

Now we have a horse at the barn who goes in a bit with a lot of gag. Now, he gets way lifty on his own, so for his work that gag complimets his style. If I was to use that bit on Selena however, I would have a trainwreck on the barrel pattern. She would duck in, drop her shoulder, etc. The gag works for that gelding very well because he lifts naturally quite a bit. But the bit I have Selena running in right now has just enough for me to manuever her with finesse and keep her elevated just enough that she can make a performance out of it.

If a horse came to the barn for training and the owner said "find me a bit that works", I would evaluate what the horse needs than train in a snaffle on the foundation and building, then when it came time to really work I would find something that complimented his style. If that bit happened to be a chain bit, so be it.

I could acheive what I wanted in a snaffle, and it can be done if I asked with the right cues, but the purpose of these step up bits is so that way it's easier for both horse and rider to achieve the goal in a high pressure situation. If I'm at a barrel race running for a couple hundred dollars, I want the bit my horse works good in with the least amount of effort from them and me and no other will do. Making things as easy as they can be in competition is the goal. No, we aren't covering up issues with the foundation, we're just using the tools available to get the job done to the best of our abilities. It is not wrong to set yourself up with the proper equipment for success.

No bit, not even a snaffle, can fully bring out the best in every single horse out there. End of story.
 
#56 ·
Sorrel horse, if you cant do it in competition in a snaffle then that is covering up a lack of training.
I regularly compete for a hell of a lot more money then a few hundred dollars, I have to gallop my horse in a group and bring it back, it also has to be ridden by the judge at a show at all gaits on both reins. so i have to prepare a horse for a completly strange rider to get on it and preform to the same level it will for me. I would take any horse I have trained and concider ready to show into the showring in a snaffle, at a certain level I am required to use a pelham or double but I never Need it.

you can give absolutly invisible aids in a simple snaffle and have them obeyed instantly without having to resort to horrid bits like chains etc. No matter how fat your chain or how smooth the links they will always pinch, it is just the basic physics of the bit itself.


The waterford is not a nice bit either and is generaly only used on horses who have had thier mouth ruined already.
I certainly dont see spade bits as a display of how good your horsemanship is. I see it as a display of how crappy your horsemanship is that you need to inflict pain to get what you want.
 
#59 ·
While you can give invisible aids in a sniffle with contact, finished western horses are not ridden with contact, so different bits are used in order to give more discreet signals without shortening the reins. I do agree with you from an english standpoint, but perhaps you should get a bit more info on western so that you can see what I mean before calling someone else's horsemanship crappy and horrid? People are more likely to accept your point of view if you don't insult them...
 
#58 ·
CowChick, love this It is used as a signal bit, not a leverage bit, simple and clear on the difference. Of course it can't be denied that there are idiots in the world that may want to slap a spade bit in as brakes, we can but hope that Darwin takes care of them.

It is also so true that we view the world in terms of our own discipline, and forget that what will work for one style, would not be good for another, especially thinking of the difference between riding in constant contact, and riding with no or very little contact
 
#60 ·
I had the privelege of riding a finished bridle horse/working cow horse. He was ridden with a spade bit of which I was scared half to death of over using. Turned out my fears were unwarranted because I only had to think of what I wanted and he was doing it. Body language I suppose, but my age at the time made me think the horse could read my mind. My hold on the reins was to keep them from falling to the ground. I probably could have removed them.
 
#61 ·
My mare DOES NOT LIKE the simple snaffle, she thinks its a toy and just plays with it with her tongue, Yes she can be ridden in it, but she would rather play with it, she just has that kind of personality and it seems to be too light for her to really care about my cues. As for the tom thumb, it seems to be too heavy for her mouth, too much pressure on her tongue and bars. So thats why i asked about the chain bit, if i should consider trying it on her, since she seems to be my difficult horse. I'm terrified of hurting her mouth so i use little contact on her mouth when on her back, she's getting the neck reining thing down as well as seat and leg aids. As for on the ground, i lunge her some to get her to understand the idea of having it in her mouth for steering and gentle control. I do not wish to become my grandfather and break her the harsh and hard way, damaging her spirit and overall her mouth, making her hard mouthed and difficult to handle after a while.
I did not mean to cause such a huge debate on this subject. I've had the pleasure of riding a beautifully finished western horse, it was like riding with an invisible connection.
 
#63 ·
Alright well, I feel like I'm talking to a wall now. I agree 100% with what Cowchick said. Anything else I was to say now would be me repeating myself. But Faye, if you think my horse needs coverups, you clearly don't know me or my horse.

OP, I'm glad you found the answers you were looking for. With this, I will respectfully back off from this thread. The arguments have become repetitive and if you'd like to see my opinion any further you can look at my previous posts. My opinion hasn't changed.
 
#64 ·
Thank you SorrelHorse, i do appreciate you op on this subject since you have experience with this piece of equipment. And i agree, no reason to keep arguing with someone who doesn't want to see things from the other side of the fence. Everyone is well and so to share and keep their own op of the subject, just because one is opposed doesn't mean all should be, everyone has a different way of thinking and going about things. Thank you again, for being considerate.
 
#65 ·
I was looking through my Smith Brothers catalog and i seen a chain bit. I was wondering what is the purpose of this kind of bit? Is it easier on their mouth and tongue? I just don't understand the reason to be putting a chain in a horses mouth. Could someone explain this to me please. Thanks!!

http://www.smithbrothers.com/images/250/0117.jpg
I disagree with them saying it’s a super harsh bit, every bit has pros and cons but only the riders hands make it harsh. I ride my very soft mouth horse in a chain bit and he loves it. Every bit works differently you can’t tell someone not to use something because you don’t like it:)
 
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