what is the kindest comfiest bit for horses?

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darkhorse123

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My cob is curretnly in a loose ringed french link snaffle - i really only need a bit as an emergency break on the roads etc - he rides beautifully in bitless (in school) but to hack out we have to cross some pretty manic A roads.
So im buying him new tack - hes a good steady cob and used to above bit - is there anything i can use or buy that is even kinder?
Also - is a thick or thin bit kinder to their mouths ?
 
I use a nathe straight bar bit, my boy is very happy in it, the more I bit him up, the stronger and unhappy he gets.
 
to know which bit will be best, you need to know about mouth conformation. How do his teeth sit? is he parrot mouthed etc? has he got big fleshy lips or thin ones? how about his tongue, whats that like? does he have much room in his mouth for a bit? how big his is mouth? .. I'm afraid until I knew those questions I couldn't answer - for example my mare has quite a large mouth but has big fleshy lips and a large tongue so doesnt have much room for a double bridle or anything like a straight rubber bar type. She is ridden in a slim pelham but that bit in something with a thin lipped mouth may be too harsh and something like a rubber mouthed bit may be better...


sorry probably not much help to you. x
 
Have a look at A Whole Bit Better by the Mylers about mouth conformation and bitting. I absolutely love Myler bits as they take the shape of the horse's mouth into consideration far more than anything else on the market does. I use a myler hanging cheek as it is so still in the mouth with a slight port to give room for the tongue - for hacking I use a combination to take pressure away from her mouth and spread it around her head.
Incidentally, many insurance companies such as The Good Horsemanship Society will cover you to ride bitless on the roads if this is something you want to do.
 
ty everyone - im only a novice so cant comment on size of tongue etc - i dont have a clue!
He has his teeth done yearly and noone has mentioned any parrot mouth or anything
What got me asking is a yard mate said his french link is thick and hes a cob so should a thinner one?
Now im feeling like a proper numpty but as i said hes my first horse and i just followed on from what he had before - until my friend said cobs dont like thick bits - I can ride him bitless in the school and my insurance co (petplan) have said hes covered riding out bitless -
I just dont feel comfy bitless on A roads we have to cross - ive been told to go for a sweet iron french link - much thinner - but in my novice head im thinking wont thinner be harsher?????
 
MrVelvet said:
to know which bit will be best, you need to know about mouth conformation. How do his teeth sit? is he parrot mouthed etc? has he got big fleshy lips or thin ones? how about his tongue, whats that like? does he have much room in his mouth for a bit? how big his is mouth? .. I'm afraid until I knew those questions I couldn't answer - for example my mare has quite a large mouth but has big fleshy lips and a large tongue so doesnt have much room for a double bridle or anything like a straight rubber bar type. She is ridden in a slim pelham but that bit in something with a thin lipped mouth may be too harsh and something like a rubber mouthed bit may be better...


sorry probably not much help to you. x
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this is what i cant answer - first horse x
 
The best way to find out some suitable bitting for your horse would be to get a good equine dentist to have a look at him. They should be able to point you in the direction of a bit that suits both of you :)
 
Your dentist will be able to tell you about his mouth conformation.
Then you should look carefully at every horse you meet to practise assessing their mouth conformation, (your friends will think you've gone mad but so what?). It is the case that cobs very frequently do have thick lips and fleshy tongues and are more comfortable in a thinner bit but not always.
If you ring a bit-bank, they will be able to advise you about suitable bits.
 
Echo everyone who has said you need to know about his mouth conformation etc before considering type of bit, I think you also need to consider what type of 'action' suits him best, for example many horses with fleshy mouths dislike the 'nutcracker' action of a normal eggbutt snaffle but much prefer the french link type (something you're obviously using at the minute).

Finally, when you do decide to go 'bit hunting' as it were, I highly reccommend the horse bit shop online, they do a bit bank service where you pay a small fee (usually around £5) to hire the bit for 30 days, if it suits you then just pay the remaining balance for the price of the bit and if it doesn't you send it back. I've used them many times before with great success.

As an aside, I know you're not a million miles from me and I do have a couple of the Myler bits for my boys so if you wanted to try one I'd be happy to come over and let you try them out (provided they'd fit of course!).
 
If its not broken why fix it?
You have given no indication that your horse is unhappy in the bit you are currently use. I'd personally pay more attention to my horse than my friend.

I also have a cob with a big tongue, also use a french link mouth piece, he goes great in it, but he hates the nutcracker action of a single joint which is very common in cobs. French links tend to be fine I have found.

Happy mouths are gentle, but I would say most need more room than your average french link, I know my lad would struggle with something so bulky, but it depends on your horses mouth.
 
ty everyone- thing is im not sure he is happy
He is and always has been a head shaker - hence why i schooled and want to hack out bitless - truth is i darent hack out on a roads bitless even though my insurtance has said we are ok doing this
He head shook when i bought him (yes i know my fault but his eyes got me)
His head shaking is all year round and yes when i next get dentist ( due april) i will ask him

ty mpk for offering to help - but now im stumped - is a thinner french link bit better ie kinder than a thick one - peopel at my yard are divided - it seems sense a thinner bit must be harsher or am i wrong ?

and another question - yes you can get saddle fitters in yorkshire but can you get bridle or bit fitters?
 
Thicker bits have a larger surface area to spread the pressure, so are seen as 'kinder' for that reason. However, if your horse, like mine, doesn't have much space for it then it will be uncomfortable and my horse would always be opening her mouth around a thicker bit. Hence a thinner bit would be kinder for my horse. Does that make sense?

Either have a look at the book I suggested on Myler bits or call the Bit Bank and they will be able to give you some good advice. Yes, there are such things as the equivalent of saddlers for bits - they are called loriners e.g. at the Bit Bank or Ron Myler.

If you want a Myler try one with loose ring cheeks (don't get one with hooks, you'll see what I mean in the shop) as they are potentially more severe) and ask for a level one mouthpiece. Something like this is very mild, dressage legal if you ever want to compete and you can hire it so your horse can try it out and see if he likes it: http://www.horsebitbank.com/loose-ring-comfort-snaffle-wide-254.phtml
 
Its a rather old fashioned view that thicker is kinder. Cobs not only have felshy tongues but tend to have lower palates, ie roof of the mouth, hence their preference (often) for a double jointed bit - it doesn't stick into the palate as much as a single link.

And it's kinder for a softer request to stop using a thinner bit than having to haul on a thick bit for seconds at a time - the mouth is very sensitive and sometimes an apparently "harsher" bit that works is kinder than one than is a bit "softer" and not as effective.
 
darkhorse123 said:
ty everyone - im only a novice so cant comment on size of tongue etc - i dont have a clue!
He has his teeth done yearly and noone has mentioned any parrot mouth or anything
What got me asking is a yard mate said his french link is thick and hes a cob so should a thinner one?
Now im feeling like a proper numpty but as i said hes my first horse and i just followed on from what he had before - until my friend said cobs dont like thick bits - I can ride him bitless in the school and my insurance co (petplan) have said hes covered riding out bitless -
I just dont feel comfy bitless on A roads we have to cross - ive been told to go for a sweet iron french link - much thinner - but in my novice head im thinking wont thinner be harsher?????
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My boy, whilst not a cob, has a fleshy tongue and so a thick bit doesn't really suit him and although it seems crazy a thinner bit is kinder to him as he doesn't have much space in his mouth for the bit to sit comfortably.
I have had him in a KK Ultra loose ring snaffle bit but thinking along the same lines as you I went for a thick bit - I have since changed it to a Dynamic RS loose ring snaffle which is much thinner and shaped slightly better for his mouth.
There are bit banks (not sure of the names but you will probably find them if you google) where you can pay to 'loan' a bit before you decide if you're going to buy it.
Good luck
 
Current research has somewhat contradicted the old belief that thicker = kinder, and my own experience would agree with this. Also IME, cobs tend to dislike the snaffle family altogether and go much better in some form of curb action (this includes the pelham family of bits), they are often big-necked, front-heavy chappies and need a bit of a "lift" from the curb: no horse likes someone hauling away on a supposedly "kind" snaffle, when a light touch of a supposedly "harsh" bit will get the point across much better.
 
Cortez said:
Current research has somewhat contradicted the old belief that thicker = kinder, and my own experience would agree with this. Also IME, cobs tend to dislike the snaffle family altogether and go much better in some form of curb action (this includes the pelham family of bits), they are often big-necked, front-heavy chappies and need a bit of a "lift" from the curb: no horse likes someone hauling away on a supposedly "kind" snaffle, when a light touch of a supposedly "harsh" bit will get the point across much better.
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I'd second this :)
 
the headshaking (if it is true 'headshaking') won't really be affected at all by the bit. if he headshakes there are different things which might make him more comfortable, it's a very difficult sydrome to treat though.
if he's better in the bitless then i'd hack him with a nathe bit in (i think they're probably the kindest of all) and a bitless as well, and ride on the bitless rein, only touch the rein going to the bit if you feel you need to.
 
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