Bit Question

[GinaB]

I was at my lesson last night and was riding a different horse (well, pony!) than normal as Bambi was lame.
She was wearing a bit that the bridle had like cheek pices that went through circles on the bit and then were attached to the reins. I found a pic on ebay that describes it as an English gag and another that says Cheltenham gag. (Sorry for bad description!) I was just wondering in what manner does this bit work? The pony was very strong on the right rein.

 

[KatB]

It is a very strong bit that works with poll pressure when a contact on the reins is taken up. The mouthpiece is normally a single jointed so has a nutcracker action. It should really be used with two reins, one on the gag and one on the bit ring to act as a snaffle, so you can adjust the amount of pressure you put on the bit as a gag, but very few people use it in this way.