Top Tips for fitting a loose ring bit

[Decision_Tree]

Hello everybody!!

I am changing my horses flatwork bit from a hanging french link snaffle to a loose ring french link snaffle. He has borrow one from my instructor and gone well in it.

He normally wears a three loop gag for hacking out, XC and jumping as can be strong at times. His gag is measuring 6in but the loose ring which he borrow was a 5.5in. I was wondering if anyone had ideally some pics and tips for making sure i find the best fit as I want to be careful and get the best for my horsey. I have ordered a 5.5 from the horse bit bank and it looks a tad snug for my liking so want to make sure my thinking is correct before I exchange it for a 6in.

thanks
Em

 

[Hels_Bells]

I was told 1/2" each side larger for a loose ring to avoid nipping. In fact I was so paranoid I went up 1" each side from his fixed ring snaffle and it fits him fine - he's got quite a lot of lip so it seems better to go larger!

 

[Kenzo]

You need a small finger's width at each side between the loose ring whole and your horses mouth to ensure it won't nip/grap the corners of his mouth once it is in the correct positionm, if your gag was 6'' then you should of really ordered the same size to try, sometimes with a loose ring you can afford to go up a size, but obviously depending on the make, the design and the thickness of the mouth peice, some have a slight curve, some are designed to be pinchless.