How many different bits have you got for your horse?

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

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As title really:

Am just wondering how many different bits people have for their horses, and when & for what occasions they'd use each one.

I'll start: I've got a Happy Mouth lozenge with side-pieces which I use for general hacking. He seems to like this bit - and the cheek-pieces seem to give that added reassurance, plus a handy addition coz sometimes he can be a nappy little git and this acts as a "barrier" if he decides to spin or whatever.

Then I've got another bit, same design i.e. three joints & lozenge in the middle, in a sweet-iron. I bought this one as TBH when he's in the Happy Mouth which is a plastic/rubbery thing, he doesn't have quite the moist mouth that I'd like, so this hopefully is better for that & he does seem to go very well in it. We've worn this for stuff like TREC.

Then I've got a Waterford with cheek pieces - a serious piece of kit for when we're feeling a bit cheeky, just to remind us that mum DOES have brakes!!! We'd use this for hacking in open spaces, fast work etc.

Then there's a French Link Rugby Pelham - which he does go really nicely in. It looks like a double bridle if ridden with two reins, so this is for shows etc. But I don't use it very much and in fact will probably sell it.

What about everyone else?
 
I have a loose ring lozenge snaffle that I put on for lunging
I use a hanging cheek french link snaffle for dressage
A cambridge mouth kimblewick for jumping or schooling (swap with the hanging snaffle sometimes for schooling)
I bought a dutch gag for hunting but never went ! and i don't like gags anyway so i probably wouldnt have used it.
Bought a rubber mouth pelham last week and probably wont use it... think thats all
Hack in a hanging snaffle or kimblewick
 
All of mine have a snaffle, a pelham and some have seperate in-hand bits.

2 of my shetlands have a single joint eggbut snaffle. One is a breaker so only has this so far. The other has a small jointed pelham for show ring use.

My other shetland has a small french link eggbut snaffle for in-hand and lead rein then he has a small jointed pelham for open classes.

The darty has a french link full cheek snaffle for everyday use and a portmouth pelham for showing. He has a small loose ring snaffle for in-hand.

2 of my tbs have a loose ring NS lozenge snaffle for schooling straight off the track. One has progressed to a show pelham the other is only just learning so he doesnt have a pelham yet.

My bug tb, when he isn't broken, schools and jumps in a jointed full cheek snaffle and shows in a show pelham.

I also have a 6in double bit set that I tried on my big tb twice and he absolutely hated it. The first day I just let him amble along in it not asking him to work in it. The second day I asked him to work and we shot backwards at a hundred miles per hour! Far too strong a set for him so it's now completely redundent as I have nothing else with a gob that size lol

I have a huge collection of bits, most of which I never use!
 
Only two, loose ring french link snaffle for everything apart from jumping where I use a loose ring waterford snaffle. We do have a massive collection of bits though that we have accumulated over the years! :D
 
the wee boy has a happy mouth french link for when ridden by the toddlers & a liverpool DB for when im working him, wew do have a straight bar show bit for in hand classes but havent get him out yet to use it.

the old boy had more bits than rugs!! & i still never found his brakes.
 
For dressage and hacking, Billy has a eggbutt french link snaffle, with a cavesson noseband :)

For Jumping, He has a sided french link snaffle and a flash to assist with steering :)
 
I have one bit that I use for everything - it's a loose ring french link with copper rollers and scrub board (if anyone knows what this bit is technically called that would be great!)

I also have a sprenger WH lozenge that is dressage legal for if we ever do dressage (which is basically never)
 
a single jointed 3 ring dutch gag (that I don't use any more)
a straight bar Happy Mouth (was using this until recently)
a french link eggbutt snaffle (used that for a while)
a single link fulmer snaffle (haven't used that yet)
a straight bar rubber snaffle (what I'm currently using)
 
Ruby has a hanging cheek snaffle for dressage/dutch gag for hacking [ usually just on snaffle ring - if doing something exciting might go up a ring:rolleyes:] & thanks to Princesssparkle now has a pelham for her double bridle
 
One, technically.

He was started in a single joint eggbutt snaffle and was fine in this for years. He became a little heavy so I opted for a lozenge loose ring which was again, fine for him for a few years. he then had a few loaners who were smaller than I, who he took the mickey with. he was tried in a french link hanging cheek and I think a french link NS universal with flash noseband and martingale. He is currently in a dutch gag with two reins, back in plain cavesson noseband and no martingale and seems happy in this although I'm hoping he will be ok to go back in a hanging cheek as I'd like to eventually do a bit of dressage with him.
 
Loose ring losenge snaffle for flatwork and jumping, and a mullen mouth pelham for hunting. Big girl has a French link snaffle and will probably hunt in it being ex race.
 
Bit boring I'm afraid - We only have 1 - a loose ring french link snaffle which I use for everything!
I'm hoping that by next year I'll be able to show him in a double bridle, but he's got such a small mouth I think it will end up being a french link Pelham!
 
Loose ring Waterford- for schooling when he gets into a leaning frame of mind! generally ridden in snaffle

Full Cheek Lozenge Snaffle with Cooper Mouthpiece- his everyday bit for schooling and most hacking

NS Universal - for XC and fast hacking/big group hacking

Fulmer French Link Snaffle - don't use it very often, mix between this and the full cheek lozenge snaffle for dressage
 
Depends which horse! Big mare really only needs her loose ring single-jointed snaffle for everything, she came with it, it works, why change it?
 
I have the following:

Bitless Dr Cooks bridle - jumping, hacking and schooling
French Link snaffle - Schooling now and again so she knows a bit still need to in her mouth
Dr Bristol - cross country

I mainly use the bitless though!
 
For Kia he is generally ridden in a loosering sweet iron snaffle, flash is added for faster work/jumping at home. He has a Loopring for the common ridings/jumping away from home just for some added brakes and a lozenge show pelham for showing :)

Eowyn has a grackle and loosering frenchlink snaffle for everything at home including faster work and jumping, for faster work or jumping away from home I start out with the snaffle but I have Dr Bristol snaffle for if she gets too strong, I can generally manage her in the snaffle tho :) and for showing we have a lozenge show pelham :) He grackle goes to a flash noseband for dressage since its not legal :)
 
I've got:

A KK Ultra Snaffle
A Loose Ring French Link
Rubber Straight Bar Pelham
Metal Straight Bar Pelham
Jointed Pelham
Weymouth and 2 bridoons for a double
2 Ring gag
Dr Bristol

Now, before I sound like a madwoman..let me explain! Horse was in KK for 2 years, then on an off chance I switched to a french link, which he likes much better.

Pelhams are secondhand, and were used when we first started showing (in vain), but he hates them all with a passion - hence the switch to a double for showing (and one day for dressage) but he still isn't uber keen, so we used it for HOYS and that was it. The bits for it are secondhand and I was given the extra bridoon.

One instructor suggested the gag for jumping, used it once and hated it, so he doesn't wear it...and the Dr. Bristol he actually goes extremely well in, but it's not dressage legal and I'm too lazy to switch bits for disciplines so he does everything in his french link!

So, all those bits and the only one we use is a french link.
 
For my thoroughbred just a smiple french link snaffle but he can be strong when galloping in fields but not sure what else to have him in. I did try a 3 ring continental on second ring and 3rd with double reins to try and see if i could have better brakes but he hated it, so ended up hunting in a snaffle and he was an angel. :)
 
Thoroughbred in loose ring french link snaffle and cavesson for everything. Sometimes we go wild and put a flash on if galloping in company! =P
 
I have a large bit collection of all sorts from straight bar loose rings through to double bridles etc.

Mare is currently happy in her loose ring with losenge, cavesson noseband and running martingale (shoot me now! :eek: )
 
Very few. My horse is ridden in a hanging cheek french link and a dressage-legal Myler with roller. I swop between them for whatever I'm doing (eventing etc.) as I think he gets too used to one. Friends horse I've got at the moment is ridden in the hanging cheek french link.
 
2 x full cheek snaffles
2x normal snaffles

One set with french link and one without

Hanging cheek with french link
Dutch Gag for jumping/fast work with grackle
Pelahm for shows or hunting (grackle)

And then I have just a random selection of gags/waterfords/snaffles of all kinds etc etc!
 
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