Bits - can someone please educate me?

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tye_bo

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I'd always rode my mare in a french link snaffle but I'm just getting her back off 3 years loan and the girl has been using a pelham for hacking and schooling as she said it gives her a better outline. As I say can anyone educate me in the differences between the two?
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God I've been out of the saddle for 3 years and I'm like a begginner again
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If you are used to riding in a french link and your mare goes well in it, then I would personally stick to that. It is a milder bit and it is also dressage legal.

A pelham is quite strong, and hopefully your loaner has good hands and rides well, but when you take up a contact on the bottom curb rein, the long shanks apply considerable pressure to the horse's poll, which causes the horse to bend his head, hence the nice outline.

To achieve the same effect with a snaffle requires more work from the rider, in terms of schooling and suppling exercises, but is much kinder to the horse if you can encourage the horse to soften and give to your hand, rather than just apply pressure. If you put roundings on, you end up with a bit somewhere between a snaffle and a pelham, so it's not as strong and this works for some horses, although alot of people don't approve of roundings.

So without going into pages and pages of the benefits of snaffles versus stronger bits, I would go back to a snaffle because it doesn't apply poll pressure, and see how she goes!
 
Thanks Llwelyn, she can be strong and can nap so I imagine this is why she uses it. Sorry to be extremely dim but what's roundings and why don't some people approve?
 
a pelham is a curb bit, it more or less forces the horse into a rounder outline by applying poll pressure, even if the horse's muscles aren't really up to it. a french link, being a normal snaffle, doesn't work in the same way, so if you can get the mare in an outline in that, as it's dressage legal, that's really what you should use.
 
I would say that you are best putting your mare in the gentlest bit that she goes nicely in for you. If by wearing a stronger bit your horse has been forced to go in a "nice" outline, then it is not a natural outline for her at the moment. If she can do it in the pelham, forced, she can do it in a french link snaffle through sensitive schooling.
My heavy cob goes best in a loose ring french link snaffle and works nicely from behind into his bridle. Since I have had him a year now he has developed a strong arched neck and powerful back end and feels very "light " in hand in all paces.
A strong bit just gets quick results, but most people can see that its a forced outline achieved by "hauling the front end in"

Its doing things the wrong way round.
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Roundings are short bits of leather with two fastenings, that join directly onto the pelham where the two sets of reins go, and then you join the reins onto each rounding.

The rein pressure acts on the curb and the snaffle at the same time, so it isn't really doing one thing or the other, but despite this it does work ok for some horses and is better for people who can't manage two reins (although you could argue that if you can't manage two reins you shouldn't be using a pelham, but that's another argument to take up here!).

A pelham in the wrong hands is severe, and if your mare naps then a pelham won't help, as the pressure will make her less inclined to go forward, not more. So I think the general message here is snaffle, snaffle, snaffle!
 
Ditto the others really - Using a pelham (especially if you use a lot of curb) you can put pressure on the poll and essentially get the head tucked-in and the horse LOOKING like it is in an outline. Trouble is, this is likely to be a false outline. You need to get the horse working from leg to hand, rather than just hand - Ie getting the horse working in a supple and forward way over it's back. I would stick with the french snaffle and see how you get on.
 
Cripes, I thought it was the idea to educate your horse to give nicely to the pressure of the curb, so you can use a lighter hand?

I didn't know that the pelham meant that the horse is "forced" into an outline.
 
Well, yes, I would agree with you on that but with a clause! If you are a good, experienced rider and the horse has been trained properly, so all his muscles are correct and he understands what is required of him, and he accepts the bit, then the curb (particularly if you are referring to a double bridle) does just that.

But the problems start when people use a pelham (or a double) for a quick result. They haven't put the work in, and the horse has not been worked correctly, but the pressure of the curb rein gives the horse no alternative but to tuck his head in and appear to be nicely rounded. Haven't seen a pic of this particular mare, so would not even begin to pass judgement on how the loanee rides, but for anyone in doubt I would always say use a snaffle, especially with a napping problem. Could always revert to a pelham on a hack if mare gets out of hand, but snaffles for schooling IMO.
 
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