How many wrinkles? Discuss!

[seabiscuit]

The height of a bit in the mouth is something I've never been very sure about.

The pro riders that I've worked for always seem to have the bits very high in the horse's mouth- so high that there are a good 4/5 wrinkles on the side. Absolutely no 'give' in the cheekpieces at all, they are tight.

I prefer them a lot looser- so that there are only 1/2 wrinkles. This is what all my pony club manuals/pro rider books also recommend.However this seems to make the cheek pieces completly baggy. In some horses this seems to make it too low others just right...

I guess it boils down to the individual horse depending on their jaw conformation , but can't help feel that a baggy cheek piece is completly 'wrong' and far too low;yet it has to be at that length to create only 1/2 wrinkles.. on the other hand I hate to see a bit cranked right up there with lots of wrinkles..

Thoughts?

 

[Super_Kat]

I've always been taught (and have alays fitted so there are) 2 wrinkles

 

[seabiscuit]

That was my gut feeling yet all the pro's here crank the bits up dead high?

 

[carthorse]

Depends on the bit and the horse

 

[tigers_eye]

It depends on the horse and the bit! With anything straight bar it should be lower than something jointed, but thereafter I don't think there are hard and fast rules. William seems to like bits as low as possible (so he just can't get his tongue over it), but with others I usually have them a bit higher. Can't remember who I was talking to at Punchestown a few years ago, might have been Bumble Thomas, and was telling her how Deco was so difficult to bit on sj day as she got sores no matter what on xc day, and she said she always bought bits half an inch narrower than PC/BHS standard, meaning they could go a hole lower on the cheek pieces and were therefore less likely to rub.

 

[seabiscuit]

See the yards I worked in, every horse in the yard had its bit cranked up as high as possible regardless of the horse. I was always taking the bits down and they got cross with me!


[ QUOTE ]
. Can't remember who I was talking to at Punchestown a few years ago, might have been Bumble Thomas, and was telling her how Deco was so difficult to bit on sj day as she got sores no matter what on xc day, and she said she always bought bits half an inch narrower than PC/BHS standard, meaning they could go a hole lower on the cheek pieces and were therefore less likely to rub.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats a good tip! See with my mare, her bits rub her really badly and the only way to make sure that they dont rub is to put the cheek pieces so low that the bit is actually far too low in the mouth. So will try a bit thats a bit smaller!

 

[lastresort]

[ QUOTE ]
See the yards I worked in, every horse in the yard had its bit cranked up as high as possible regardless of the horse. I was always taking the bits down and they got cross with me!


[ QUOTE ]
. Can't remember who I was talking to at Punchestown a few years ago, might have been Bumble Thomas, and was telling her how Deco was so difficult to bit on sj day as she got sores no matter what on xc day, and she said she always bought bits half an inch narrower than PC/BHS standard, meaning they could go a hole lower on the cheek pieces and were therefore less likely to rub.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats a good tip! See with my mare, her bits rub her really badly and the only way to make sure that they dont rub is to put the cheek pieces so low that the bit is actually far too low in the mouth. So will try a bit thats a bit smaller!

[/ QUOTE ]


I do this too it does work for me

 

[irishdraught]

It depends how fleshy the lips are. Some have a lot of flesh there, others don't. I don't think the amount of wrinkles actually indicates anything - I think common sense should apply based on mouth conformation versus type and thickness of bit.

 

[kerilli]

i hate to see horses "smiling"... i was always told "high enough in the mouth to just wrinkle the lips", = 1-2 wrinkles.
went to a jennie loriston-clarke demo ages ago, she said that with a horse that carries its head low naturally, bit it high, a horse that holds its head high, bit it low. still trying to work out if i agree with that or not... i think not, overall!

 

[harrihjc]

1-2 I'd say, but Flash hates all bits, no matter where they are in his mouth. Hopefully things will get better when his wolf teeth are taken out after xmas!

 

[KatB]

Depends! Don't like them too high in their mouths, but have to havethem quite high with G as he puts his tongue over them. Am going with the narrower bit option at the mo, means the link doesnt drop as low so means dont have to drag it up as high!!

 

[miller]

High enough that the cheekpieces don't 'gape' when contact is taken up but not so it's tight - number of wrinkles depends on horse, some have fleshier lips than others.

 

[Bossanova]

1 or 2 wrinkles, I think it's quite common to see bits fitted too low

 

[jess_asterix]

i have them high enough so that the cheekpieces arn't baggy when a contact is taken up

 

[PapaFrita]

I like bits on the low side, but my instructors keep trying to crank them up! I think the objective is to stop PF getting her tongue over the bit, although I'm not aware that she actually does this. They also like flash nosebands as tight as possible- I'm forever loosening them!