How important is it for a horse to be snaffle mouthed?

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Curious question really after a conversation the other day. How important is it to you for a horse to be snaffle mouthed? What difference does it make to the price?

I'll use Hovis as an example (he's not for sale but as an e.g.!!)
16.2HH 7 year old cyldesdale cross gelding. Has competed at unaffliated SJ and dressage proving to have a good jump and to be surprisingly fast against the clock. Has trained at unaffliated XC but not yet competed. Has been drag hunting and was well behaved, not strong or silly in any way. Has looked after 13 year old kids right through to 60 year old dads - he is a dope on a rope when needed but with an experienced rider gives an energetic ride. Loads like a dream, is a saint with the farrier, the dentist, the vet and with the clippers.

He is ridden in a cheltenham gag. 90% of the time he is so light in your hands you wouldn't know he's there (I ride like a sack of poo but i do have good hands!!) but its the only thing guarenteed to stop him if he's being strong.
So out of interest what difference would it make if he was snaffle mouthed?
Your thoughts please!
 
Not massively important to me tbh. For me, it is essential to be able to school in a snaffle as i compete BE and BD. But all the rest? I do everything else in a waterford with my mare - she is happy with it and so am I.

ETA to answer your other question - wouldn't make a difference to a horse's value for me. Provided there was another bit that the horse went well in outside the school, meaning the horse was polite, and comfortable (assuming it wasn't something totally extreme! :D)
 
I personally don't think it is important. As long the horse is mannerly in the bit he is ridden in (whatever it may be).
 
as i *do* dressage pretty seriously, its VERY important to me, as i have to use a snaffle until elem.

when i SJ i couldnt care less what crazy bitting combo it went in as long as it jumped like stink!

i think it only really affects market value for dresage horses,eventers (for the dressage phase) and little kids ponies. for sj'ers, and hacks, not so much.
 
It depends on the horse you are selling, for a childs pony or a dressage horse it is very important.

For a serious showjumper or hunter as long as it is safe and controllable in something that isn't too extreme I don't think it matters a jot.

Fo your average allrounder/hacker/riding club horse then I think being able to say it is snaffle mouthed at all times is an advantage. But if it needs something stronger for fast work and is generally polite I think most people will accept that this is fairly normal and go with it providing it is ok in a snaffle for dressage and isn't a nightmare to bit. I think horses that will hunt and xc in a dressage legal snaffle without the rider coming home with arms six inches longer than at the beginning of the day are the exception rather than the rule, and I like many other people would prefer a horse to respond to a light touch with a stronger bit than have to haul on a snaffle.
 
As said, as long as it will do Dressage in a snaffle in a decent manner, I dont think the "other" disciplines make a difference tbh!!
 
I know nothing about the difference it would make to a horses value, but to me it is very important.
I am not a very confident rider (since having those damn kiddie-winkles:rolleyes:) and I would not consider buying a horse that is not ridden in a snaffle tbh. I find the notion, be it correct or not, that if a horse is not able to ridden in a snaffle, hacked, schooling, whatever, then it is not 100% trustworthy and safe. I could not help thinking that a horse in a stronger bit would tank off with me given half the chance:o!
Altho having said that I do ride my friends welshy sometimes and he's ridden in a very harsh american gag :eek:. But this is due to him tanking off with said friend and she now knows she can stop him! I don't feel afraid when riding him, and do canter/gallop in open spaces with him, so maybe I am contradicting myself, but it's just my opinion!:D
 
I find it important to a certain degree, I do alot of showing so it's important for that, I also think in most cases you should be able to school at home in a snaffle, but I also hate it when I see people pulling and pulling in a snaffle when really they could put a stronger bit in and save their efforts and their horses mouths.
 
If you don't want to do dressage I don't see that it matters a spot tbh.

I had a lovely 3/4 arab mare who had to wear a hackamore due to an occult fractured wolf tooth. She was a very mannerly mare but couldn't be ridden in any bit.

As long as the horse is happy, comfortable and goes nicely I don't care what it's in.

Having said that, I always get my horses into the mildest bit that will do the job, taking particular notice and care of what will suit the conformation and dimensions of the individual mouth.

I find bitting a very interesting subject, and I wish people could get away from the straight bar, french link, single joint....etc etc list of bits that tend to be used in order of severity and realised that a supposedly very mild bit can be more uncomfortable for the horse than one which is regarded as morer severe, simply because the conformation of the mouth varies so much.

Rant over :p
 
Agree with everyone else. Like to be able to school in one, but not bothered otherwise. I don't think that having to use a different bit is a sign the horse isn't trustworthy. I taught my OH to ride on my old mare and she looked after him, but was hacked and jumped in a pelham. It was just a nicer experience for everyone in a pelham.
 
Persephone said:
Having said that, I always get my horses into the mildest bit that will do the job, taking particular notice and care of what will suit the conformation and dimensions of the individual mouth.

I find bitting a very interesting subject, and I wish people could get away from the straight bar, french link, single joint....etc etc list of bits that tend to be used in order of severity and realised that a supposedly very mild bit can be more uncomfortable for the horse than one which is regarded as morer severe, simply because the conformation of the mouth varies so much.
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I agree with this entirely!!!! I hate the "fashions" with bits too, and want to bang my head on my desk when I see the posts on here about order of severity or just saying my horse is strong what bit shall I use..........

It requires thought about conformation and way of going - there isn't simply a next bit up.
 
Horse schools and does dressage in a snaffle. Hacks in a 3 ring with no noseband - for the varied moments when I needed to change strengths, jumps in a gag. He isn't heavy in a snaffle schooling but I need the stronger bit jumping to help lighten his front end. Ended with these combinations with a lot of trial and errors!
 
I think its interesting that people say it is important for kids ponies because practically every kids pony seems to be in a three ring gag these days!
 
If you really want to do dressage on a particular horse, you can usually find a suitable dressage legal snaffle to ride him in.
The horse that I used to hunt was best in a pelham with two reins, but when I competed him, he was fine in a hanging cheek snaffle as that gave me the little bit of poll pressure that he needed, and he learned to work into a nice outline in it.
But I would rather have eaten my own foot than hacked him out or hunted him in a snaffle :)
 
i think that as long as it goes well and is manerly- it doesnt mattter. for dressage it is good to be in a snaffle, and helpful, but apart from that anything goes.
i ride a lovely mare- who is an absoloute saint. she is snaffle mouthed all of the time, apart from pony club, were she wears a 2 ring gag. this gives me more control, and i dont need to pull at her if she gets excited- so itd allgood:)
 
Personally I don't care what bit a horse I was going to see was ridden in, as long as they are happy in it and it does the job. However, I show jump so it doesn't matter but if I wanted to event or do pure dressage then I would want to see how they felt on the flat in a snaffle as this is what I would have to use, I don't so any of my flat work in a snaffle at the moment.
I think what I am trying to say is it depends on what I wanted to do with the horse as to whether it was an issue.
 
I like to ride mine in a pelham and even sometimes school him in it depending on his mood. (he can be over enthusastic) I have a proffesional ride him in the school in a french link and i do dressage in it. but i like to know when i'm out and about or hes being livly that i've got some brakes he weighs over half a tonne and when he goes he goes:D and with the snaffle i don't stand a chance:(
 
it doesn't matter to me but i showjump and hunter trials. the main thing for mew is that i have control and i am safe as is the horse. if the horse is strong and there is no control then this is an accident waiting to happen
 
Doesn't matter to me, but then I've never had a horse that was truly snaffle mouthed. My first proper jumping pony was in a snaffle at home but I competed him in a pelham with roundings, and at 9 years old I couldn't stop him in that half the time. My 2nd jumping pony went in a dutch gag - she now does lead rein showing in a snaffle, but I took her in a veteran class in a snaffle last year and she tanked with me (she is 13hh, I am 21 and have been riding her since I was 11!)

My current horse wears a cherry roller most of the time, but for XC and some showjumping he wears a cheltenham gag. When I tried him he was too strong for me, and I used the gag for a while for all jumping, but I've had him 6 years now and actually prefer the roller - I find for SJ the gag is too severe, and I feel I can't check him properly in it as it alters his stride too much. That said, we are competing for the first time in 6 months this weekend and will be taking the gag in the car as a precaution!
 
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