Do you change bits depending on the activity?

[Jazzy B]

I ride my lad in a snaffle. I took him on a pleasure ride yesterday and I tried everything but it was very much a case of "hold on tight riders here we go"!! My question is, do people change their bits dependent on their activities? Are there people out there that do pleasure rides in a snaffle and have control and has that always been the case or you just don't have any problems at all?? If you normally ride in a snaffle, what would you change it to?

 

[Goldenstar]

Yes I do and I vary snaffles for flat work regularly but even if the horse is snaffle mouthed I keep one snaffle for exciting hacking and flat work I vary all the horses bits regularly .

 

[Batgirl]

Can't comment on your situation in particular but there are a lot of people that change bits for different activities.

I used to jump, hack and do pretty much everything in a hackamore and just flat work in a snaffle with ym old guy. Current boy is in snaffle for all but thinking about a change for XC but not yet.

My friend jumps in a gag, schools in a hanging cheek snaffle and does higher level flat work in a double.

The question to ask your self is what precisely is the problem? Is is brakes? Steering? head tossing? All these things have different solutions and the solution may not be a bit Do you have an instructor or experienced friend that could suggest for your horse/situation?

 

[SuperCoblet]

We pretty much have a bit for every occasion
Full cheek, french link snaffle for dressage, schooling and quiet hacking.
Pelham for higher schooling (teach in pelham... transfer to snaffle)
More exciting hacking (ones where he knows there are big gallops/ scary things on) in a waterford dutch gag only on the snaffle rein.
Show jumping in the waterford dutch gag on the 2nd rein.
XC and funrides in the waterford gag varies from the 2nd and bottom rein depending on what venue we're at.

Special pony he is

 

[TelH]

I use a jointed pelham for showing. I do the odd schooling session at home in the pelham but generally use snaffles the rest of the time, different snaffles on different ponies.

 

[Loika]

My girl goes lovely in a lozenged snaffle for flat work (in a confined area) and flash noseband but she can too easily ignore it which is not safe jumping or hacking so i switch to happy mouth dutch gag(1st small ring) and currently grackle noseband (just because gag and flash rub!) because I need those extra seconds on the road to be safe. My friend suggested switching bits prevented the horse getting "over familiar" or into a particular avoidance groove, it worked for her horse, not seen much differance in mine but she's special!! Double for showing and if I think we might ever get better at dressage!

 

[lara b]

Yep, hanging cheek snaffle for schooling, Kimblewick for everything else!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Yes I change bits quite a lot with mine.

For ordinary hacking, just around the lanes etc., we usually go in a jointed snaffle with a lozenge & cheek pieces. For a hoon and/or the common, we'd normally go in something with a bit more brake-power.

Then there's the Waterford for faster work and/or we've been a bit cheeky in the snaffle.

Then there's the French Link Rugby Pelham which is for school work and/or when we've been a bit extra cheeky with mum and need a bit of a reminder!!!

I tend to change him as soon as he's got cheeky in the snaffle. Sometimes if I'm just hacking but want him to work in an outline, we'll go in the French Link Rugby.

 

[blood_magik]

yup
snaffle for flat, Pelham for jumping.
other horse has a jointed snaffle for jumping and a Myler for flat.

 

[paulineh]

I use a snaffle to school and hack out/train. I then change to a Myler long shank combination. This gives me brakes at the start of a ride ,but once settled it works like a hackamore.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Yes

For "less exciting" activities- hacking down the lanes/ schooling/ bareback/ jumping in the school- I use his plain loose ring snaffle

For "exciting things" - jumping in the field (mostly although sometimes use snaffle), xc, fast hacks and fun rides I use his Dutch gag. The hole(s) I use it on depend on the activity.

 

[noobs31]

QR yes, in that I put a snaffle in for schooling because I have to in a dsg test.

However, to all intents and purposes no, as I ride in a pelham with 2 reins for everything else. Mouthpiece identical to snaffle bit. Then if I get any rudeness I use the curb, if I don't, everything stays just like it does in the arena. No matter how exciting things get. If he ups the ante then so can I. For this reason I cannot abide curb/gags ridden with one rein or roundings.

 

[tinap]

Yep!
Full cheek snaffle with lozenge for all work in arena at home & for dressage & waterford 3 ring gag for xc, SJ & sometimes for hacking, depending what mood he's in!

 

[Llanali]

Hmm definitely! Nearly everything I have had has had different bits.

At the moment, grey mare has loose ring plastic snaffle for flat, with cavesson or flash, grackle and beval snaffle with two reins for showjumping and a grackle with a jointed copper roller kimblewick with elasticated leather curb and two reins. Hacking- slow hacks in snaffle, fast hacks in beval.

Bay mare- cyrprium french link eggbutt snaffle for flat, showjump in a rubber pelham with two reins and a leather curb, cross country in the same with a running martingale.

Little chestnut special lad, tranz angle lozenge snaffle for flat, myler short shank combo for SJ and a myler long shank combination for XC.

 

[JustKickOn]

Full cheek snaffle with ported lozenge for flatwork/dressage and hacking, and started using a Magenis Snaffle with copper rollers (see pic below) for jumping, and will use for XC too, just because I think it is better to use something a bit stronger and have to give one pull, than use a gentler bit and have to heave with it. She does also have a loose ring snaffle with curved mouthpieces which I sometimes use for flat or if lunging, but she is better in full cheek.