Advice on bitting please

[Louiseandmaddie]

I have owned my new horse for 6 months now and would like to know which bits are the softest and kindest on a horse. my horse is very light in the hand and isn't strong at all and on the nervous side and i would like her to relax a bit and chill out and thought this might help. i would like to have something more comfortable in her mouth but am not very clued up on bits so which ones do people recommend?
thank you.

 

[Cortez]

The very mildest in it's action is the rubber straight bar snaffle, but ANY bit is only as soft as the hands on the other end of the reins.

 

[Palindrome]

After faffing with different bits for my nervous/high head carriage mare, I have settled on a straight bar hanging cheek/baucher:
http://www.shiresequestrian.co.uk/shop/product.php?productid=16577&cat=572&page=1
I like it a lot. I think it's quite mild but has a slight poll action for helping avoiding the giraffe neck and the hanging cheeks make it a bit more steady in the mouth.

You could also look at the bits with a lozenge in the middle, Neue schule and Sprenger make some with special metals that are supposed to help the horse relax.