what bit???

i have a 18 month old quarter horse that im going to be starting to break soon and i want to know what kind of bit is best to use to start a horse? im going to be doing barrels/showing/maybe roping if i can find someone to teach me.i have a d ring snaffle and i was pondering over buying a full cheek snaffle or a wonder bit.i hate tom thumbs as i used one on my tn walker who was broke in one and she is very stiff and she wont flex worth a crap.and i want to use a bit with my horse because i have tried riding with a hackamore/bitless bridle and i felt very unconfident because i thought the horse was going to run away if he didnt have anything in his mouth.

You're going to start breaking him at 18 months??? That's insane. I would suggest waiting until he's at least three, and ideally four.

As for good greenie bits, mild snaffles are the best way to go. A coppermouth French or oval link would be good. Single jointed snaffles can work as well, as long as they don't irritate the horse's palate.

DO NOT get a wonder bit. All it is is a modified gag and they're designed exclusively to put a horse's head in a vice grip. They can cause a lot of pain and are definitely not suitable for young horses. You're right that Tom Thumbs aren't great, either. I would just stick with a plain snaffle.

I agree, 18 months is far too young to start breaking in. You shouldn't start backing him until about 2 1/2 as they're still growing.

Not that I'm a horse trainer, but 18 months seems very young. My horse is in a JP Korsteel full cheek snaffle.

Check out Myler bits. I was at a horse expo recently and watched a demo on them. They strongly advise staying away from snaffles as they are the most overridden bit in the world. They have some great tools for training your horse on a bit. I am going to use one next year on Hunter.

I also agree with the 18 month thing. My horse is just 2 now and I am only going to get him used to the bit and saddle next year not even thinking of backing him until he is four.

snaffles are fairly mild. yes mylers are nice but way to expensive if you need to change bits alot, or with a growing horse, need to change the size alot.

I keep to snaffles all the time. It's probably just the way I work, but I prefer them over every other bit in the world.

Try and get a single or double jointed snaffle as it allows abit of play in the young horses mouth so they don't just have a dead weight in their mouths.

And by the way, 18 months is WAY too young to start riding your horse. His bones and ligaments are not finished developing and will be suspectable to injury and you may even mess up his development which will cause problems later on in life.

The best time to back a horse for riding would be around 4 years, although some people do back them at 2 years.

I agree with everyone else, stick with a nice soft snaffle, and please don't start him at 18 months, that is WAY too young.

The way I was always told was start backing at 2 1/2-3yrs then break in at 4yrs.

I wouldn't even begin to entertain the idea of riding an 18month old. If that's when you think it's okay to start riding, please forgive me when I say you need a LOT of education.
Start his groundwork when he's two. Spend a year on it. Start riding him when he's three, and for goodness sakes please don't put a shank bit in his mouth for a few years. Or never. It's not needed unless you're going to show, and I have a sneaking suspicision you would not know how to use one properly. You cannot ride a shank bit like you do a snaffle.
While your baby horse is growing up, read some books, watch some movies, and go hang out with a trainer. You'll be amazed at how much you can learn.