review this bit? please....

I think it would be dressagee legal personally. It has a half moon centre piece for tongue relief and double jointed to avoid nut cracker effect. Slight poll pressure but all in all a mild bit.
 
No, there wouldn't be poll pressure. That's a common misconception about hanging cheeks.
I'm sure you can't have ported mouth pieces for dressage? It's just the rules. It looks like a mild enough bit to me. I've never had anything that needs a port so I personally would just get a french link or lozenge version myself but that's just me.

Hanging cheeks are very still in the mouth, don't put much pressure on the bars due to them being suspended and don't roll down into the tongue when you pick up the reins. My horse goes in one as he is fussy and doesn't seem to like the bit having much play. That is all I know about hanging cheeks I'm afraid :(
 
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Got one! I wanted a hanging cheek for a little poll pressure, as my horse tends to lean a little in a straight forward snaffle. I had tried him in a mullen mouth piece but it was too wooden - this gives more 'feel' and I liked having the port as he has a big tongue.

Not sure if technically BD legal, but have competed in it and no one pulled me up!
 
jesstickle said:
Good to know :) Does it have to be fixed with no links to class as a port then? For BD I mean. Because it quite clearly is ported to my eyes!
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no, the low port mylers count as well and they are jointed with a link effectively, just that the link is straight and the 'port' is on the arms.

I dont think this would be BD legal and would think that the port is too narrow to give tongue relief as such.
 
jesstickle said:
Good to know :) Does it have to be fixed with no links to class as a port then? For BD I mean. Because it quite clearly is ported to my eyes!
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Not sure what it has to be, tbh, But this particular one is just a snaffle with big link, similar one (only loose ring) by Shires was definitely dressage legal, in real life the link is not like a port.
 
It's a lovely bit, I've several with this mouthpiece and different cheeks, including this one which gives a bit more stablity. I use them on youngsters and plenty of older horses too. I like the half moon link because it's more comfy and gives them more tongue space. The dressage legal/not legal thing is a bit of a grey area - interestingly it used to be described as a "ported link" but now they are all called "halfmoon" or "3/4 moon" and I wonder if that's the reason. I would argue that it is simple a double jointed mouthpiece with a rounded link.
 
I like the look of this bit a lot, it has been well thought about and there is a lot to like. I cant see why it is not classed as ported though because it is, its just that the port is more revolving as it is based on snaffle and lozenge.

Its interesting to learn that a hanging cheek according to the law of physics has no poll pressure as I have always thought they do.
Where is the study of this I would be very interested.
 
vienna in essence there is no leverage because the rein is not fixed, it is free to move about the ring so the rein moves and not the bit. If the bit had a slot aka the mylers it would have some poll pressure.
 
Thanks for that reply...yes I can visualise what you are saying. However why is it that there is an element for the horse/pony to come easier to the bit/outline with these bits or to duck behind the bit?
I understand some sort of leverage must come into play, so if its not from the poll I am thinking its from the hanging cheek?
 
Have a look at this

However, you are correct in that if you were to get any poll action out of this the only way you could do it is by attaching the reins to the cheekpice ring as well as the cheekpieces and pulling back. Then as you pulled on the reins you would pull the cheekpiece ring behind the vertical, causing a triangulation where the hypotenuse between the mouthpiece and the poll was shortened by the action of your pulling on the reins thus causing the bit to raise in the mouth and/or increased pressure on the poll.
 
vienna said:
Thanks for that reply...yes I can visualise what you are saying. However why is it that there is an element for the horse/pony to come easier to the bit/outline with these bits or to duck behind the bit? Probably becasue of the stablising action of the bit taking away some of the inconsistencies of the rider's hand
I understand some sort of leverage must come into play, No, no leverage comes into play unless you attach the reins as in my comment above.so if its not from the poll I am thinking its from the hanging cheek?No
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My comments in bold
 
Okay just used one today. When you take up the rein the bit does rotate slightly and thare is a small pull on the headpiece. Only slight. There would be more poll pressure if the rein was fixed.
 
ditto Dee odororant, our mare is very fussy in the mouth but goes well in this bit, to the point of sometimes getting a little leany because it is so stable in her mouth.
 
Theoretically, when the horse is on/just infront of the vertical, there cant be any poll pressure as the rein is in a direct line to the mouthpiece and therefore mouth of the horse.
HOWEVER if your horse is above the bit (or actually overbent to start with), the direct line of the rein changes and there comes a tiny bit of poll pressure, which is why you quite commonly see overbent horses in hanging cheeks, if they have a tendancy to overbend, a hanging cheek will make it worse.
A lot of horses like them though as they take the pressure of the bars and a little off the tongue. But again it depends on the horse's headcarriage, as well as the height of the riders's hands, as with any bit.
:)
 
I agree with this. I have always liked the hanging cheek bit and my horses have never gone behind vertical with them but the very fact that we are of course going to attatch reins to them means during riding there will probably be some poll pressure as you can actually see with these bits the cheek piece leather loosen.
I will most definately be interested regardless of buying this bit it looks a lovely, useful piece of equipment.
 
vienna said:
I agree with this. I have always liked the hanging cheek bit and my horses have never gone behind vertical with them but the very fact that we are of course going to attatch reins to them means during riding there will probably be some poll pressure as you can actually see with these bits the cheek piece leather loosen.
I will most definately be interested regardless of buying this bit it looks a lovely, useful piece of equipment.
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If the cheek pieces loosen then there is LESS pressure on the poll, not more! They are indeed useful bits. My daughter rode my cob in one and he went better for her in that than in anything else, but it's nothing to do with poll pressure and all to do with stability:D
 
Yes i know what your saying of course when the cheek piece loosens there is less pressure but that would be because the horse moves away from the original pressure which which is why I think these bits are pretty fool proof as they almost set the required contact to at the vertical without the rider doing too much.
 
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