“The loose ring allows the reins and the mouthpiece to rotate, so it gives the horse a little more ability to move the bit,” says Clayton. The most common type of snaffle is the loose ring. However, the central link should be short to avoid having the joints situated right over the bars.” Many horses are more comfortable with a double-jointed bit. The double-jointed bit forms a U-shape over the horse’s tongue and avoids digging into the hard palate. For horses with a low palate, this is painful. In a bit with a single joint, the joint tends to protrude toward the roof of the horse’s mouth (hard palate) when using the reins. Thus the balance of tension in the left and right reins is important. If tension is applied to one rein only, then the mouthpiece moves back on that side and moves forward on the other side. “A straight mouthpiece with no joints puts even pressure on both bars if equal tension is applied to both reins. “The number of joints affects how the mouthpiece applies pressure,” says Clayton. These are often used on young, green horses or for horses with highly sensitive mouths that object to more severe bit action. As the horse becomes more advanced in his training and carries his poll higher with his face closer to the vertical plane, the pressure increases across the lower jaw (bars).Ī slightly curved, unjointed (mullen) mouthpiece-particularly if made of flexible plastic or covered in rubber-is mildest of all, but is easier for the horse to lean on. Snaffles work primarily on the corners of the lips in a lifting action. Plain snaffle bits: French link loose-ring rubber-covered D-ring single-jointed loose-ring Happy Mouth loose-ring single-jointed eggbutt single-jointed full-cheek.Ī snaffle with a smooth mouthpiece, either solid or jointed, is considered the mildest type of bit and is effective for most horses on the flat. I’m not advocating people should ride in very thin bits.” “These horses are more comfortable in a thinner bit-within reason of course. “Some horses have a small mouth, and there isn’t room for a big, fat snaffle,” she explains. Dressage Federation (USDF) gold medalist.Īlthough the adage is that thicker bits are the mildest, they may not be the most comfortable for every horse, says Clayton. Clayton is the McPhail dressage chair in equine sports medicine at Michigan State University and a respected author, as well as a U.S. “Signs of unhappiness include excessively mouthing the bit, repeatedly lifting the bit with the tongue, opening the mouth, crossing the jaw, flinging the head around, shaking the head, swishing the tail, and not accepting an elastic contact with the bit,” says Hilary Clayton, Ph.D., MRCVS. You’ll need to stay attentive to his cues to find out if the bit is a good match or not. A young or unfamiliar horse should always be ridden first in a simple snaffle. While bits may seem to have a somewhat scientific basis due to their mechanics, horses often defy logic and simply prefer one type of bit over another for no discernible reason. These pressure points include the corners of the lips, the bars (spaces on the lower gums between the incisors and molars), tongue, chin groove, poll and roof of the mouth. Bits act on several different pressure points depending on their construction.

Types of gag bits