The best bit for you is not always the most suitable for your horse.
What do we use a bit for?
A bit exerts pressure inside the horse’s mouth and is used to enable a rider to control and guide the horse.
Success with a bit will also depend upon the effectiveness of a rider’s sympathetic hands, seat and leg aids.
A strong bit is not always the answer to a bit problem.
How does a bit work?
The bit and bridle have several points of communication for horse control.
Depending on what bit you choose, it can work on:
The corners of the equine mouth and lips
The bars of the mouth
(The bars are the gaps between the front and back teeth found on either side of the jaw.)
The roof of the mouth
– this is formed by the palate which again is a sensitive area.
The chin groove
The nose
The tongue
– the outer edges of the tongue are more sensitive than the
Centre of the tongue
Bit Problem
Have you ever looked inside your horse’s mouth and studied his mouth structure?
When considering a bit for horse control, you first need to make an assessment of his mouth conformation.
Equine mouth conformation
will vary from one breed to another and others will not follow the normal mouth conformation of the breed type.
An
ideal equine mouth conformation
is a tongue that lies neatly on the bottom of the mouth and has ample room space between the tongue and the roof of the mouth.
A thoroughbred is a good example and is known to generally have a good mouth conformation, with a gap between the tongue and roof of mouth.
Some horses have a
large fat or bulging tongue, even the smallest of ponies.
A large tongue leaves little space between tongue and roof of mouth for a bit to sit comfortably.
As well as a bulging tongue some also have a low roof or pallet, reducing the space even further with little or no space between tongue and roof of mouth.
How to check equine mouth conformation to asses the best bit suitable.
Part the lips of the horse to look at the size of the tongue.
If you observe a tongue bulging through the teeth, then it is a large tongue, which is commonly associated with mouth discomfort, if the wrong type of bit is used.
Equine mouth image by www.horse-training-care.com
In the picture the equine mouth lips are parted showing a large small pony tongue with no room between the tongue and roof of mouth.
With this type of mouth conformation, a single jointed snaffle with a nutcracker action would be most uncomfortable for the horse or pony.
If you were to use an unsuitable bit the animal would try to find away to evade the discomfort.
A bit issue is nearly always caused by discomfort.
How do I check out the room space?
It is important to know how much room space the horse has between the tongue and roof of mouth.
When the horse is relaxed with a closed mouth, slip a finger in through the bars of the mouth. (The bars are the sensitive areas between his front and back teeth).
When the finger is inside the mouth feel how much room there is if any.
What type of bit you use will depend on the equine mouth conformation.
A strong bit is not always the best bit to a bit problem.
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Horse mouth assesment
Bit problem
Horse control - bit problem
Equine mouth conformation - bit problem
Snaffle bits - horse control
Gag bits - bit control
Pelham bits - horse control
Curb bits - horse control
