Must have bits

I have an ancient loose ring racing type snaffle that many of the horses I've owned have gone better in than anything else.
I've got a few lozenge type double jointed bits but can't say that I've ever found horses to go that well in them
I keep a Waterford for horses that have developed a leaning habit
I've got a couple of Kimberwick bits (not the slotted Uxeter type) because I find they're useful for horses that have learned to pull
I've got a Wilkie/Bevel bit for the same reason
I've got a 3 ring 'continental' gag with a fairly thin jointed mouthpiece for the same reason
I've got a Happy Mouth shaped mullen mouth bit - great for horses that are afraid to make contact with the bit
I've got bits for a double bridle
A Chifney for horses that are pains to lead
A Pelham
plus others that were bought and never really worked great on anything


If a horse is pulling or leaning so hard on a single jointed snaffle that its having a nutcracker effect it shouldn't be in a single jointed snaffle.
'English' contact shouldn't = having a horse in a vice like grip that's so heavy on its mouth that its causing a single jointed snaffle to nutcracker.

carshon said:

@tinyliny my mare will brace against the bit when we get any speed. I will sit deep in the saddle and try to stop actively riding but she will brace against the bit and go go go. Not really tucking her head into her chest more of I don't care how hard you pull I am just going to keep going. I tend to have to see saw that bit to get her to respond. But a one rein stop is quite dangerous on this horse - she is literally the most limber horse I have ever ridden and can fold herself in two and still keep doing what she wants. Quite scary

When not gaiting at a slower speed even with other horses if she is in the lead she will collect beautifully and just float in her gaits. When another horse comes up beside her or tries to pass the race is on! and bits be damned!

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I've ridden a few horses like this too. The horse has lost her brain at these times, and is out of control.

Was she by any chance a show horse? Keep in mind that many gaited horses, especially the show ones, are trained with the rider sitting back and keeping hold of the reins. That position to a horse means GO not whoa

Couple of ways you can try to get her brain back; if you are out on the trails and have a mountain nearby, go up the mountain until she is listening to the bit again and rather wants to stop or slow down a bit. This of course, is not always possible...

Two, get your riding companions to go around you and literally block her and ease to a stop. Again, not always easy to do.

So the third and best way, is more training, but it has to be done slowly and carefully. You need to retrain her brain to respond to the aids. Snaffle is fine for this. Big bit is not really the answer.

Begin by only riding her in an arena, without other horses. You can add them back later. Do everything at a walk and reward her excessively when she does as you ask. The plan is to retrain her brain and responses while also training her muscles to be a little firmer so she is less like a noodle! Oh yeah, and keeping you a bit safer!!

You need to ask for a nice marching walk on light contact. Do turns, changes of direction and even some leg yielding. Every time you stop her, back her a few steps. Not a vigorous back, just a few steps then stop and reward.

Then begin to change from a marching walk to a slow walk. Transitions are your friend. Reward every try. Continue this path until you are making transitions between the gaits and within the gaits.

Do not make tight circles as this can trip and upset a gaited horse.

You must teach her (gently) that their is more than one speed.

Once you have her controlled in the arena at all three gaits and can stop, turn and back her, then it is time to introduce another horse.

You will do the same exercises with the other horse in the arena, but sometimes you will be going in the same direction, sometimes you won't. Keep her moving and listening only to you. If she starts getting stressed, try circles and leg yields and some backing.

Only once she can safely be ridden around other horses in the arena can you take her back out on the trails.

Thanks @AnitaAnne - I don't have much history on her. I bought her out of a herd of 20 horses before the owners dumped her at an auction. From what I can gather with how she rides - I think she may have been a field trial horse. the previous owners were not all that forthcoming about her history and even though she is 14yrs old no one has transferred her papers to their name since her yearling year. This horse was all business under saddle when I first got her. If she felt your toe in the stirrup she was off at a nice gait but super ground covering. She truly does "glide" with no knee action like many of the gaited show horses. And this mare will go through, over and around anything! It has taken most of this year for me to get her to stand still when mounting and to learn that she can relax under a rider. It was only late this summer that her inner race horse seemed to emerge. She will stop and slow down but it does take some see sawing which I hate. We have done a LOT of leap frog on the trail so she can get used to being behind - it is only when on an open road and gaiting along that she truly wants to race the horse beside her. And don't get me wrong - at first it was great fun! My husband, daughter and I were having a blast kind of racing at a gait- but then Tillie became uber competative - not scary - no bucking or rearing just really pulling against the bit and refusing to come down when asked. But I know that rearing and other shenanigans can and will follow so I want to nip it in the bud.

I fear I have hijacked this really great bit thread- I appreciate all of the advice and will put some of it to use. I don't have ready access to an arena but will use our hay field in the spring when we get ready to hit the trails again.

I ride most of the time in one of these two bits. The other one (not shown) is used occasionally and for young horses is a loose-ring copper mouth single-jointed snaffle. I have probably 50 bits in my tack room, and I use these 90% of the time and nearly any horse goes nicely in them.

Phantomrose said:

I'm wondering in general, is it good to experiment with different bits, or is it better to just stick to one bit for a horse?

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I don't change bits unless there is a problem. For instance, I was looking at a horse for one of my foster children. My daughter rode him first and he was totally out of control, she had to pull him into a ten meter circle to get him to slow down enough for me to grab his bridle. This was at the canter!

However, his way of going was quite good except for the giraffe neck, and my daughter said he was super smooth to ride.

So I pulled a bridle out of the car and we changed him. Turns out the sellers had him in a double twisted wire snaffle with long shanks!! No wonder he was riding like a giraffe!!

In the O-ring double jointed bean snaffle he was a different horse; still forward and light off the leg but controllable and in a much better frame.

The horse turned out to be one of my better purchases, and I became friends with the seller. She did not realize how nice a horse he was until I owned him, and if she had known would have priced him higher. She was not the owner, just selling him for a friend.

He reacted very poorly to any shanked bits, but was good enough to ride in a halter.

Some disciplines have the horse "move up" in bits, but most riders if not showing just use whatever works best.

I have a problem collecting a big box of bits, even though I have owned the same horse for the past 10+ years.

For Toofine, I have a few bits that are commonly used in my arsenal:

• Myler Snaffle with barrel mouthpiece - everyday bit
• Myler Curb bit with same mouthpieces as Myler Snaffle - for Western classes
• Myler 3 Ring Combination with same mouthpiece as Myler Snaffle also - my go to for refreshers and trail rides
• Mechanical Hackamore - for trail riding, swimming, and speed events
• Waterford Baucher (soon to be Waterford elevator bit) - for those days when he decides leaning on my hands or bolting is a good idea

And other bits that I have in my arsenal for horses that I ride for others, horses that I have trained in the past, etc etc:

• Full Cheek French Link Snaffle
• Full Check Slow Twist Snaffle
• Dogbone Twisted Shanked Snaffle (can't think of the actual name, it is very popular on this forum)
• Dogbone Smooth Mouthed Curb
• Copper Mouthed Single Break Curb with swivel sides (again, can't think of the proper terms)
• Waterford Elevator Bit
• Loose Ring Single Break Snaffle
• Eggbutt Single Break Snaffle
• Kimberwick with Single Break
• Pelham with Single Break

I know I'm missing a few, and also, these are on my wishlist:

• Ported Show Curb
• Loose Ring Lozenge Snaffle (Parelli comfort snaffle as example)
• Pelham with a Double Break
• All sorts of rubber mouthed bits

And a bit I continue to eye, though most people on here would probably disagree, is a chain mouthpiece bit. I am curious just to try one, as a "step up" from a waterford, as my horse is a leaner, and I have had a mare in the past that would get frustrated with any sort of pressure in her mouth, and I feel like that "looseness" would've helped her relax, and accept the bit better.