What bits do you all use?

[MagicMelon]

Just curious what bits everybody here uses on their horses and their reasons?

I use as mild a bit as possible with all mine - French links usually with sweet iron / copper metals as it makes their mouthes nice and soft. I use the same bits for everything including SJ and XC. Only one horse Ive ever had needed something stronger for XC.

I also dont tend to use anything other than cavessons unless the horse needs something else. What does everyone else use?

Just asking purely out of interest!

 

[TGM]

Ditto - my horse and my daughter's pony both have french link loose ring snaffles. I prefer cavesson nosebands, but at present daughter's pony is still in a flash because that is what she came with and don't want to disturb status quo as we haven't had her long. All my previous horses have been in snaffles, except one who came to us in a dutch gag. Eventually he was reschooled to go in a snaffle for everything bar XC.

 

[spaniel]

I use a port mouth pelham with two reins. My horse has a fleshy mouth, lips and tongue and cannot bear the nutcracker action of the snaffle.

 

[shenanigans]

i hav 4 horses and 2 of them go in a french link. 1 of the ponies goes in a pelham (only at shows) coz he just wont settle in anything else. and the other pony goes in an american gag because a 10 year old rides her and she would be impossible to hold round big tracks. All of them change bits all the time though to keep them fresh and stop them from getting on the forehand.

I dont think the bit makes any difference it depends ho you ride them.

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[lisan]

Sprenger B ring snaffle for everyday/Schooling and a neuche scheule universal gag for SJ and XC - found her a bit too strong in the snaffle! She was previously in a happy mouth peanut dutch gag when she came to me.

 

[jaz]

Hanging cheek french link and hanging cheek waterford for jumping.

 

[sophie's_sister]

I use a kimblewick on misty because she ius really strong , and also on a hack when she spooks she canters off down the road and I cant stop her in a snaffle.

But with Sophie my other ned is in a hanging cheek because she likes her head and doesnt like strong bits she is also quite strong but controlible. hope this helps!

 

[slinky]

Loose ring french link and a plain cavesson.

 

[Bossanova]

At home Boss is schooled in loose ring snaffle or double bridle. He hacks in the long shank myler combi or occaisionally snaffle/draw reins if we're just walking. At comps he does dr in the double, sjs in the myler combi and xcs in his other myler weird thing!

 

[S_N]

My broodmare was ridden in a nathe straight bar snaffle with cavesson (crank) noseband, before she became a mummy. My big horse is ridden in a hanging cheek single jointed snaffle at present - only had him a month and this could change, he is quite strong so depending on the situation would possible up grade to a really cool bit that I have and have never seen B4. It looks like a kimblewick (the kind with 2 heights for the reins) but instead of a mullen mouth or joint it has a copper covered mullen center piece that is jointed on either side - similar movement to a french link. He also is in a crank flash noseband. My old horse came to me in a vulcanite pelham (I really, really hate these bits) and he was totally behind it, so I put him in a hanging cheek for schooling and this kimblewick creation thing for more exciting stuff. Both with plain cavessons. My horse before that also came to me in a vulcanite pelham as well (he was only 4!!) within a week he was hacking, jumping, galloping in a loose ring french link copper bit with a plain cavesson and no martingale (I detest martingales, they always interfere with the rein contact).

 

[Twigggy]

Twigs came with a straight bar fulmer happy mouth snaffle but I changed because she leans on it. I SJ and XC her in a loose ring french link snaffle, and I flat her in an eggbut myler comfort snaffle (one of the dressage legal ones). My instructor however flats her in the loose ring, but I get better work out of her in the myler.

I have also come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a 'mild' or 'severe' bit, it's all down to the hands on the end of the reins - bits are designed to have a specific action, not be mild or severe, and it is whether the action and the way you ride and therefore affect the bit suits your horse or not that is the issue, not 'strength' of the bit. (I have seen some horses ridden beautifully in a 'severe' bit and others with cut up mouths in a 'mild' bit).

 

[lilym]

i use as mild a bit as i can, woods na ex racehorse goes in a french link, yet moo a cob, hates the action. i believe in treating all horses as individuals and finding what suits them best and not just using something becuase it's in fashion at the time, my old girl goes best in a 3 ring, a bit which caused controvesy on here once, but i find with that, it allows me flexibility to use the same mouth piece for shooling, but i can drop a ring for hacking, she will back right off anything stronger. i also feel that it is kinder to the horse to take on pull in say, a pelham, than it is to constantly haul at a snaffle.

 

[patchandloopy]

patches= an eggbutt snaffle with cheeks ( for all types of ridden work)
frankie= eggbutt snaffle, pelham for showing
ellie= dutch gag (on the second ring)

 

[Snowberry]

Maisey goes very nicely in a french link, Marcus just has a plain old snaffle and Glen now has a snaffle too, although when he came to us years ago he was ridden in "bubble bit" that seems to be all the rage (god I sound old!) he isnt a strong pony at all and goes very nicely in a snaffle for everything
I think the my kids should have as few gadgets as possible and learn to ride properly!!!

 

[slinky]

Do you have time to do anything else with all those bit changes?! lol

 

[S_N]

[ QUOTE ]
I have also come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a 'mild' or 'severe' bit, it's all down to the hands on the end of the reins - bits are designed to have a specific action, not be mild or severe, and it is whether the action and the way you ride and therefore affect the bit suits your horse or not that is the issue, not 'strength' of the bit. (I have seen some horses ridden beautifully in a 'severe' bit and others with cut up mouths in a 'mild' bit).

[/ QUOTE ]

I could not agree more with this statement, wasn't there some famous equestrian who said something to that effect some moons ago??

 

[Troggy]

Loose ring french link for everything bar hacking in company and XC where I use a french link 3 ring gag on middle ring

 

[spaniel]

[ QUOTE ]
All of them change bits all the time though to keep them fresh and stop them from getting on the forehand.

I dont think the bit makes any difference it depends ho you ride them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Surely you are contradicting yourself??

The bit certainly does make a difference but my choice of bit is governed by the shape of the horses mouth and not by how 'strong' or 'mild' it is marketed to be.



[/ QUOTE ]

 

[RachelB]

Lily came in a straight bar rubber eggbutt snaffle, but started to clamp on the bit so we changed to a jointed loose ring snaffle. Always rode her in the same bit, with a cavesson noseband apart from when I used a flash for pony club jumping or XC rallies (purely for my confidence (she liked galloping off with me in all the excitement), not to clamp her mouth shut or anything).
Cracks currently has a loose ring french link snaffle for anything but jumping (which I don't do with her) when she had a jointed dee ring snaffle with copper bits in. She's in a flash all the time, but as she's not my horse it's not my decision whether or not to use one.

 

[Bossanova]

Rememebering he's the most spoilt horse ever... he has 4 bridles which makes changing between disciplines much easier!!!

 

[Henry!]

Quite.
I use whichever bit I consider the horse is going well in & my hands stay soft.
Might be one of the snaffles. might be a pelham or kimblewick. Yet to use a gag, I have to admit.

Since I've ventured onto equine forums it has struck me that there's almost a smugness if one's horse is ridden in a french link snaffle. A hint that it is better schooled & ridden by a better rider. Maybe I'm wrong but in any event I've ridden too many horses to think that is the case. The horse I lost to grass sickness went beautifully in a loose ring french link for everything. What a joy that was. Why? Because I didn't have to change his blessed bit after dressage

.

Current 4 year old, keen, big tongued, enthusiastic IDx - Mmm, methinks Nelson will get his eye back before he'll be a "genuine" (a lied about description if truth be known) snaffle mouthed horse. But then I'm old enough not to think that pelhams are severe bits not when compared to a horse who doesn't respond to a light tweek on the rein when they have a snaffle in their mouth .

 

[giggles mum]

Most of the ponies at our yard are in snaffles but quite a few have the ones with cheek bits. There are a few in Pelhams and a few in dutch gags on the mildest ring, and one horse with a bit that I don't know with a D-shaped side bit, a bun in the mouthpiece and on top of the side bits it a tiny little extra ring.

 

[*jess*]

ok i don't have a horse!

but if/ when it will would be in either a pelham or gag (cheltenham)

i prefer a gag.

Now before you you say i use harsh bits its 'cause of polo!

 

[Tia]

I have 14 horses and they all have french link snaffles - either loose ring, hanging cheek or tom thumb but the mouthpieces are all the same for them and they all go perfectly in them.

 

[Taboo1968]

French links all the time! hanging cheek, loose ring, eggbut and also dutch for x country.... DD came in a rubber snaffle and goes much better in FL. The new boy was apparently in a loose ring snaffle, but seems to be ok with a link? Its only been five days so I have to experiment a little.... but I totally agree with what others have said.... its not the bit, its how the horse is ridden....

 

[chestnut cob]

At the moment I am using a hanging cheek snaffle for flatwork and jumping at home, although I am considering putting him back into his Myler comfor snaffle for flatwork but not sure yet. I use the hanging cheek snaffle because he stopped listening to me in the myler (braking problems!), so I needed something he would resect a little more but that was still dressage legal. As it happens, he actually loves the hanging cheek!

I use a waterford snaffle for XC and usually for SJing as well because he gets strong and I need brakes and steering! I do have a waterford gag as well but only used that a handful of times for going hunting and for the first fun ride of the season!

 

[Enfys]

Ponies are in french link snaffles, horse uses a hackamore or scawbrig at home, long shank myler combination out with a group.

 

[heatwave]

h has a kk snaffle with lozenge all the time apart from,in the winter i use a waterford snaffle to go galloping in as gets very fresh.
a mild bit can still be servere if it is used in correcty or in the wrong hands.

 

[Beanyowner]

Loose ring snaffle with lozenge for dressage, general schooling, cross country and hunting (would prefer something which was a bit harsher for hunting and XC but he bits down into them and pulls anyway...so better for him to pull in a snaffle than hurt himself in something stronger!)
Double for showing.

 

[miller]

KK Ultra for hacking and jumping and double with KK Ultra bradoon and Sprenger forward port weymouth for schooling/competing on one horse and single link fulmer on the other for everything.

The one that goes in the KK will not go in a french link - wierd and the other has been in the fulmer since I got him 8 weeks ago - very green and my trainer has tried him in other stuff but everything else rubbed his mouth however well it fitted! May well try him in the KK once the steering is a bit better.