What 'bits' do you use and WHY?

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moneypit1

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As title. I school Fly in a Kimblewick, I jump him in a German hackamore and I XC in a sweetiron loose ring snaffle (in which he works the worst)! Fly does not like bits at all. He is happiest in a hackamore but leans too much to school, using me as a fifth leg. I school in the kimblewick (Cambridge last slot) because the poll pressure is enough to get him to work long and low even though he has the softest mouth. I XC in a loose ring snaffle because if I rode in a hackamore or kimblewick and inadvertantly socked him in the mouth he would STOP! What do you use and why?
 
I ride Roger in a liverpool or butterfly driving bit for everything. He is very strong and has always been ridden in them as they give me just about enough control.
 
cloud-
schooling in a loose ring french link- keeps her soft, working into contact.
jumping- 2 ring french link gag, stops her setting on bit, get her back on her hocks, stops her racing off!!

matrix-
when he was ridden, simple eggbutt snaffle, all he needed, and doesnt like too much movment- still has it for his inhand work

pony i share-
springer KK loose ring with losenge for everday things, hacking, schooling- all she needs, but can lean sometimes
double for showing- better outline, off your hand, and goes into "show pony" mode!
happy mouth 2 ring gag for PC rallies as this is more exctiing, and i like to have the brakes there
she has quite a few others she works well in, but these are the main ones.
 
For schooling I either use the double bridle, which actually I rarely do, and maybe only when preparing for shows or at the moment a hanging snaffle with a drop noseband.
For showjumping at competitions I would either use the hanging snaffle/drop noseband or change it for my waterford dutch gag/caversson noseband depending on the day/mood!
For XC, its the dutch gag with the cavasson! - I have several bridles so a quick change is easy.
Like it or not, it generally works for us!!
 
Pharaoh is currently in a happy mouth loose ring snaffle with a roller. Im toying with the idea of putting him in a hanging version for hacking and jumping as now only having a field to ride in (and private hacking) he can get a bit strong willed lol.
 
The horse I ride goes in a bitless bridle, he goes a lot better in it and is more comfortable than with a bit.
 
when i first got my horse i tryed nearly EVERY type of snaffle the when to a 3ring gag then a pelham with roundings and now shes in a loose ring snaffle
or sometimes a pelham with double reins
i mostly jump in the snaffle as i havent rode with double reins long enough - i have jumped in them but i perfur my snaffle :)
no reason it just seemed a nice soft bit i guess not the best choice for a show horse but she spooks ALOT so when she spooks and i accidently pull her mouth i know im not hurting her as much
 
Schooling and dressage comps loose ring pinchless french link snaffle horse been in it since he was a 4 year old and the only bit he truely works into a proper contact with on the flat. If we are having a 'gobby' moment on the flat switch to the neue scheule verbidend as he respects this and will back off and remember to listen then switch back to normal snaffle. For hacking and jumping loose ring happy mouth with roller plus running martingale as I can take a pull with this and he comes back without backing off in front of a fence. If he gets gobby in this I switch to a hanging cheeck or happy mouth dutch gag as a quick reminder and then back again. Had my horse 9 years and he's always been the same sometimes he just needs a quick reminder to listen then he's right back to normal. Love the pinchless snaffle tho each side moves independent of the other so really clear and precise aids.
 
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Why? Because my horses are happy in them. :D

The Morgan goes in a jointed fulmer.
 
I use the Neue Schule Tranz Lozenge Universal, it's fab 'cos you can use it in so many different ways so you only need the one bit for lots of different activities.
I do have a Neue Schule Verbindend too and the Universal isn't dressage legal, but we're no where near attempting dressage tests yet so I don't use it much.
 
Loose ring french link snaffle for everything but cavesson noseband for flat work and a drop noseband for SJ, XC, hacking, etc.

ETA it's because I don't particularly have an issue with brakes, I change the noseband just to remind him to think a bit.
 
Malaga rides in a rope hackamore(no bit) because that's how he was started and he's comfortable that way Pacco is in a Myler high port combination because I reckonede rt was better than a headcollor and a whack on the side of the head with a stick which is what he was used to before :)
 
he goes in a loose ring nathe snaffle, he is fussy in his mouth and what ever i put him in it doesnt always last long. any recomendations for a bit?? he has a very soft mouth but what ever i put him in he doesnt seem to produce any saliva to show aceptance so i sometimes wonder wether he likes it! he goes in that for everything but goes in a grackle for sj and xc. sometimes he goes in something a little stronger for sj coz he doesnt always listen when i check him. i want him to go in a pelham or double for showing but hes so soft he goes backwards in anything to strong! the minute i touch the weymoth rein he flys backwards.
 
Toto schools, hacks and jumps in a hanging cheek Myler low barrel. We've tried dozens of bits and this is the bit that he likes the most and works well in it :) Was recommended to us by The Bit Bank.

He goes xc schooling in a Myler D-ring correctional port with the hooks. He's a big strong pony, and he knows it. He goes well in this bit, and he is always very sensitive in his mouth, but if he gets a bit silly I can stop him straight away :) Also recommended to us by The Bit Bank
 
Dressage - french link hanging cheek atm although i'd like to swap her back into her kk snaffle once she really settles down

SJ and XC - Pelham - Makes her sit back and listen rather than charging off like she knows best.
 
Bodey is ridden in a French link bog standard snaffle for everything, apart from hunting, where we need a bit more break-age, so I use a Dutch Gag, however I’m thinking of being brave and just trying a hanging check snaffle next season????
 
miss_buffay said:
he goes in a loose ring nathe snaffle, he is fussy in his mouth and what ever i put him in it doesnt always last long. any recomendations for a bit?? he has a very soft mouth but what ever i put him in he doesnt seem to produce any saliva to show aceptance so i sometimes wonder wether he likes it! he goes in that for everything but goes in a grackle for sj and xc. sometimes he goes in something a little stronger for sj coz he doesnt always listen when i check him. i want him to go in a pelham or double for showing but hes so soft he goes backwards in anything to strong! the minute i touch the weymoth rein he flys backwards.
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This is going to sound counter-intuitive as its technically a stronger bit, but have you tried something like a straight bar (or ported if he's got a large tongue) kimberwick or hanging cheek?

I was recomended to try a kimberwick to give me some brakes while hacking earlier in the year, and we've actually stuck to using it full time now (sans curb chain), as my girl seems much more accepting of it than anything else I've tried. Best I can figure (from how she's reacted to the other bits I've tried), she likes the kimberwick because its held very still in her mouth by the cheek pieces attaching to a shank not the bit ring (you'd get a similar effect from a hanging cheek), and the port mouth, again, is very still in her mouth.

I think there's just as much a fashion nowerdays for loose ring lozenge bits as there is for gags, which is possibly no bad thing as a lot of horses go well in them, and prefer them to the more traditional single jointed snaffles BUT they are not for every horse. The loose ring and double joint means the bit moves a lot in the mouth, which some horses (mine included) just don't like.

Sorry to go off on a bit of a rant here!:) It just sometimes feels that if you're not riding your horse in a french link style snaffle then you've clearly just whacked in a stronger bit to solve problems rather than schooling!
 
i tried him in a kimble wick and he wasnt keen, he leans on straight bars, he seems to llike plastic or rubber covered bits. i tried him in a copper to see if he liked it but it was only a cottage craft one so il have a look about for some good quality bits that encorouge good salivation
 
I mainly use a loose ring, Gold jointed snaffle on Charlie, it has quite a thin mouth piece and he seems to go quite well in it.

When I need something a bit stronger (group rides/fun rides etc) I ride him in a Tom Thumb as he responds very well to it.
 
Cool, cool, just seemed worth suggesting. Good luck with finding something that he likes (this bitting malarky is a nightmare!)
 
cloudandmatrix said:
cloud-
schooling in a loose ring french link- keeps her soft, working into contact.
jumping- 2 ring french link gag, stops her setting on bit, get her back on her hocks, stops her racing off!!

matrix-
when he was ridden, simple eggbutt snaffle, all he needed, and doesnt like too much movment- still has it for his inhand work

pony i share-
springer KK loose ring with losenge for everday things, hacking, schooling- all she needs, but can lean sometimes
double for showing- better outline, off your hand, and goes into "show pony" mode!
happy mouth 2 ring gag for PC rallies as this is more exctiing, and i like to have the brakes there
she has quite a few others she works well in, but these are the main ones.
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Would you mind if I asked where you purchased your happy mouth 2 ring gag? I am looking for one with a roller centre and cannot find one anywhere!

Thank you! ;)
 
Polo wears a neue schule verdinbend with a loose cavesson for everything except hunting. I use it because he's comfortable in it and it's quite thin to give plenty of tongue room.
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For hunting he wears a copper roller with a flash and a standing martingale.

Sister's pony wears a similar neue schule snaffle for dressage and boring hacking. For exciting hacking and hunting he wears a waterford dutch gag on the bottom ring, and out hunting he wears a barry gag (which has 2 offset mouthpieces) with double reins. For 2 weeks after hunting he wears a hackamore whilst his mouth recovers. It does show that no matter how well schooled, light and responsive they are in the school it can all go out the window in the company of 100 horses and a pack of hounds :rolleyes:.
 
Both of mine are in loose ring, french link snaffles for everything. Neither of them are particularly strong, the loose rings prevent them from leaning on the bit and the french link encourages them to soften and accept the contact. :)
 
When I use a bit it's a simple Rockin' S french link snaffle. Because it has a simple action and sits nice and still in the mouth.
 
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