What bit do you use and why?

For Fabio i use a Peewee most of the time. He's got a big tongue and he really likes the mouthpiece on this one. Happier in it than anything else i've tried. I use a waterford if we're hacking in company as he gets silly when following in canter and thats the only thing he can't lean and take a hold on.

For Freddy we use a Happy mouth lozenge link snaffle or a plain rubber snaffle. He seems to prefer the rubber mouthpieces. Have tried him in a normal french link and a verbindend and didn't really go well in either. He did go nicely in the Peewee too actually but only have one and use that on Fab! Still to experiment with XC so will cross that bridge when we come to it!
 
I used to have my girlie in a hanging cheek french link, as felt her nueue schule trans-lozenge wasn't doing anything for her acceptance wise when schooling - but realised the hanging cheek was actually just pulling her into an outline more than her working from behind so have put her back into her NS and have now resorted to blood, sweat and tears to finally get her working nicely - she's as light as a feather in walk now so just need to keep slogging at the trot next! Suppose it was more my riding and I wasn't pushing her enough to lighten up on the front end, so she used to feel incredibly heavy and pully!!

Cobrastyle has stolen my hanging cheek now anyway!!
 
I have the orange Loan Mare in a pelham for hacking and showjumping, not because she's especially strong but because she's comfortable in the mouthpiece. She loathes any kind of joint in a bit and will fuss with it constantly. The best she'll tolerate is a waterford and even then she's not a huge fan. For schooling she's in a straight bar flexible rubber snaffle.

My Life Partner mare did everything in a waterford as we did a lot of dressage and we both got on with the degree of refinement it offered. Also because the NS bit we both liked was out of my price range at the time! My old boy I always rode in a dutch gag on the snaffle ring for everything except jumping and hunting, when it was second hole, with a flash and a running martingale! He is/was very fast, very quirky, and had a typical over-excited Arab head carriage - also ex-BSJA and as likely to jump over the judge's car as over the fences, so steering and stopping could be a bit tricky. Anything stronger and he'd simply take off. Maybe if he were 10 years younger, I'd try him in something different, but I don't remember having this many options for bits 10/15 years ago.
 
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All of mine are schooled to snaffles - my preferance is for a jointed full cheek but will also use small eggbuts on the shetlands due the size of their heads. All of my retired racehorses go beautifully in a snaffle in schools, fields, out hacking and out competing.

They are all also schooled to pelhams. The shetlands to short shank, small either jointed or port mouth pelhams. The TB's into Show Pelhams so they have the extra leatherwork for the show ring. I never use my curb rein, I have no need to.

The only one of mine that is different is my fell pony as he can be strong and leany. I can ride him in my NS Loose Ring Comfort Mouth Snaffle but it is hard work. For the show ring he changes between a normal portmouth pelham, a portmouth show pelham and a swales pelham depening on what show and how he has been at home that week.
 
I have my boy in a waterford snaffle as he can't lean half as much on it, works well with it and most of the time provides enough brakes!

Occasionally if we're going out in the trailer hacking i will change him to his french link dutch gag with roundings as I have way more control and brakes :)
 
I have a Neue Schule ported pelham for my big cob, she is strong, but there's plenty of room in this bit for fleshy mouths and tongues. The smaller cob goes well in a Peewee, which is a bit I really like, he tends to lean in ordinary mullen mouth bits.
 
scrunchie said:
As title. :)
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I use an Sprenger lozenged snaffle in one of the thinner sizes - my IDx has a low palate and thick tongue, so needs something a bit finer. He also has a somewhat dry mouth, so the metal alloy helps him be moister in the mouth. I changed to it recently, and it has really changed his acceptance and elasticity. He is very polite with a soft mouth and excellent manners, so we don't need anything at all strong. He loves it - when I bridle him, he reaches for it like a child for a soother, which he never did with any other bit. Very happy with this one.
 
Chestnut mare has a full cheek Myler comfort snaffle (with hooks - the metal loops that the reins go through) because after borrowing lots of bits, that was the mouthpiece she goes best in. The full cheeks are because she can be nappy and whip around - the cheeks help me to keep her straight.

The grey also has a Myler but hers is a hanging cheek comfort snaffle. I got it because she hated the lozenge loose ring snaffle that I first tried. I then tried my mare's Myler and the grey loved it but needed a size down. I like hanging cheeks/bauchers because they are very stable in the horse's mouth.

The gelding isn't bitted yet and the TB is retired so they don't have bits. :)
 
Little eggbutt snaffle for everything from hacking to hunting :) We have brakes and steering and - luckily - have never needed anything more complicated on him.
 
A fulmer snaffle as one of his many tricks that he's tried since owning him was to pull the bit into his mouth and pee off.....!!! He can't do it with this one :-) however we had to buy him an ex military one off eBay as he's got such a big mouth xx
 
Mine; single jointed eggbutt- why; cos as a kid there wasn't much choice! (since discovered she prefers single joints anyway)
Dutch gag for jumping- cos I need the poll action.
Used to wear a double for hunting- because it wouldn't have gone down well to overtake the entire field.
Daughters pony; french link egg butt snaffle- cos we broke her in & its a nice mild bit, haven't yet seen any reason why I'd consider swopping it.
 
Mine are in snaffles routinely. F's in a happy mouth losenge which he seems to like at the moment, though he's been in various single joints, french links, etc. J's just in a normal eggbutt single joint.

Both have pelhams for showing, though F's only just started working in one. J's is a port mouth, which he goes really well in. F's is a french link as he hates port mouths :rolleyes:

I used to sj J in a dutch gag on the second hole because I could pick his head up a bit in it. Never needed extra brakes or anything though, he's far too polite!
 
Eggbutt snaffle with a losenge for flat work and hacking he was in a french link loose ring but he prefers the fixed cheeks. A straight bar pellham for showing and a double jointed snaffle with rollers on the middle link for jumping as he wasnt strong but he has a tendancy to use his head and neck against me.
 
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Neue Schule starter bit, as recommended by countless people on here and my EDT! He does tend to get a bit strong now he's started faster work though, so I might bump him to the next one up soon.
 
Both of my 3 year olds are in french línk loose ring snaffles, they're babies so a gentle bit is essential.

My daughters cob is in a french link dutch gag (just 1 hole down), he is fine 99.9% of the time in a french link snaffle but that 0.1% of time he's a git, she needs the extra leverage to control him.
I ride him on the snaffle ring though :)
 
My Appy has a loose ring french link snaffle. I use a loose ring to stop him leaning on the bit and the french link helps to encourage him to accept the contact.

My ISH is in a NS Universal Gag. Having tried him in many different bits including a Loose Ring Snaffle, Wilkie Snaffle and a straight bar Dutch Gag, we came to the conclusion that we needed something with a smaller mouthpiece due to the fact that he has such a large tongue and so needed more room for it. He goes really well in the NS Universal Gag as it is anatomically shaped to the horse's mouth and so is kinder than a normal Gag, but still has the extra control which we need occasionally when he gets excited! :)
 
Jazz - MB02 hanging cheek snaffle. More secure in jazzy's mouth and he goes nicely.

Mouse - MB02 full cheek snaffle. Helps with his differing views on direction ;)

Thunder - MB02 loose ring snaffle - he doesn't seem to need anything else :)
 
For my boy I use an eggbutt snaffle. Nice and simple.

When I was pony clubbing I used an extra thick extra heavy eggbutt snaffle, the mare had a long mouth and the extra thickness and weight stopped from the bit whacking the top of her mouth (she stopped throwing her head after I changed to this bit).

My old boy I had a tom thumb because he used to open his mouth.
 
English hackamore due to blind, lower jaw wolf teeth. Two vets practices have said to leave be as a nasty op to remove. She just can't cope with having a bit in her mouth.
I am going to buy her a Dr Cook's in a couple of weeks.
 
I use a full cheeked, single jointed, copper roller (mouthfull much?! :rolleyes:) as I wanted something pretty mild to use on my 5yo.
We borrowed this from my YO on her reccomendation to see how he took to it and he seems to go really well in it so far so we've sort of acquired it (with her blessing!) ha ha! :D I'm open to change if I ever need to, but I don't think he'll need anything stronger - fingers crossed - as his brakes seem just fine, we've just started getting a nice forward going walk/trot instead of a calm, ploddy "well what a lovely day for a mooch around the school" way of going ;) - Thank you lovely instructor/YO lady! :D
 
A sweet iron french link snaffle on knobberpony.When we bought her she was in a happymouth straight bar snaffle and her vendors told us that she had to have that as it was all she'd ever known.After she had gotten through 2 bits in 4 months from chewing them and was throwing her head about,we tried a French link,I decided on sweet iron because she plays with the bit a fair amount and could be tricky to bridle sometimes.

Since we changed bit she is a lot happier,never objects to being bridled and rarelt throws her head,the difference is amazing and I'm really glad we changed bits when we did.
 
Various french links.
Big lad is in a standard french link, he doesn't go well in anything else.
Arab mareface is in a hanging cheek french link, best bit for her so far.
Standiex mare is in a loose ring french link, suits her.
Little bog pony is in bog standard french link atm, was in a full cheek snaffle to address some steering issues (after coming off the lead rein haha).
If I were to hunt the large one, I'd need him in something else, pelham perhaps.
 
Both of mine are in Nathe bits (bendy rubber/plastic). Even the very strong horse goes well in a Nathe pelham (no metal curb chain) and the other is in a straight bar Nathe snaffle which must be about the mildest bit possible. Both do BSJA and cross country in these bits. I've kind of gone off the idea of metal bits...
 
My just backed 4 yo, French link fulmer, I love this bit and start most off with it.

Very fussy 5 yo that came to me very nervous of her mouth, nathe straight bar fulmer

Strong 6 yo that I struggled to bit is in a reinsman Tom thumb with roundings and a back strap after taking advice from the bitshop

18 yo strong, hates metal bits and joints has just been switched from a happy mouth snaffle to a vulcanite Pelham and I'm cursing I didn't try it sooner

7 yo neue schule elevator with roundings and back strap to jump, comfort myler at home
 
None (micklem low pressure bridle) for hacking - she is far more relaxed and have actually more control) but French link hanging cheek happy mouth when etiquette dictates ( eg dressage and jumping). It seems very wierd bitting her now and she really doesn't like the pressure. Wish we could compete bitless
 
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