Monty Roberts bits!

[Cneifiwr]

Has anyone out ther ever used a Monty Roberts Sweet Iron Bit (or similar!). I have a mare that hasn't been ridden for 3 years and am going to bring her back into work and am thinking the sweet iron might be a little softer for her ? What do people think? She's a ID x and quite soft mouthed ( used to be anyway!)

Thanks

 

[Cortez]

Well, no metal is "soft" for a start. The theory behind "sweetiron" is that it encourages the production of saliva, which is supposed to be an indication of relaxation. If your horse has a sensitive mouth (which what I am supposing you mean by "soft") then one of the lozenge snaffle bits would probably do the trick as they relieve the pinching effect of the snaffle. Other than that a rubber bit is often good, especially a straight bar for babies.

 

[debsg]

I have used bits with a sweet iron mouthpiece to encourage salivation. You can buy these much cheaper than the MR version, which I believe is around £40. They are popular in Western discipline, so you may find one on a Western tack site. Think I payed around £12-14 for mine. Sorry, can't remember the site.

 

[cambrica]

I had a peewee bit on my daughters strong but 'soft mouthed' sec A. Worked wonders for her. Now moved her on to a wilkie with a lozenge as its acceptable for the show ring.