Happy mouth bits -

crestagold

Active Member
Joined
20 December 2008
Messages
38
Visit site
would a hanging cheek snaffle straigt bar bit be milder then a 2 ring gag which is pinching the corners of my horses mouth or would a jointed hanging cheek snaffle be better on the corners of the mouth? ALso the other bit i looked at was a straight loop ring bit. Would any of these bits help with rubbing the corners of the mouth?
 
Hanging cheek would be milder than a gag.

Choice of mouth piece depends on the horse. I'm not a big fan of straight bar bits as I don't think they offer much "refinement" of instructions but that is just my opinion. Hanging cheeks lift the bit slightly in the horse's mouth so are good for horses with sensitive tongues and bars.

If the bit is rubbing the corners of the mouth then it might be too small? Often gags do rub mouths though because of the movement in the the leverage action which can pinch which is why a lot of people use bit rings.

If you are having to use the bit very hard and pull on it a lot (especially if your pony is pulling back) then this can make a mouth sore. I had a mare that pulled and pulled in a snaffle or a gag and she used to end up with a sore mouth. I switched to a kimberwick which immediately stopped all the pulling. However this is just an isolated example.

Hope this is some help. My advice would be if the bit is pinching and you are not using it very hard, try bit rings. If you are having to pull hard it might be time to consider a different type of bit.
 
My experience of Happy Mouth bits is that the surface can become rough so have you checked the condition of the bit. My horse has a sensitive mouth and I have found that an eggbut is best on him, any kind of loose ring rubs the corners.
 
Top