The bit must be comfy for the horse. It needs to be the right width and a suitable thickness. But remember, the bit is only as light as the hands on the other end of it. Some individuals are brutal with a snaffle, believing that it is a soft bit. A soft rubber mullen mouth or Nathe snaffle is a very soft bit. A thin jointed stainless steel snaffle can be a weapon of destruction. Note the use of the word “can”. The bit that fits and is correctly adjusted can only become an instrument of torture in uncaring hands.
Usually we only consider the effect of the bit on the horse, but what about the way it affects the rider? An important aspect of the bit is the way it affects the psychology of the rider. In my experience curb bits encourage quieter hands. I always remember the first time my coach had me ride her horse with only the curb part of a double bridle. It was amazing the effect this had on me. I was so conscious of my hands and keeping them soft and quiet and forwards thinking.
Loose ring, jointed snaffle bits tend not to encourage quiet mouths in mouthy horses. The joint allows more room for the tongue so may be more comfy but young horses will tend to play with anything that moves…and in time that can become a habit. Other jointed snaffle exponents explain that the joint means that each side of the bit can be used independently. First of all, I don’t believe that this is the case; the two sides are, after all, attached. Secondly, I believe that the hand receives. The body does the steering and speed adjustment. So why would we do different things with each side of the bit?
Some authors are adamantly against jointed snaffle bits. They “demonstrate” the action of the snaffle by encouraging riders to wrap one around their arm and pull on the reins (ouch!). This makes no sense to me. Firstly, the conformation of the human arm is nothing like a horse’s mouth. Secondly, no bit should be pulled on like this whether in a horse’s mouth or around a human’s arm.
Heather Moffett (11) recommends a mullen mouth rubber covered Pelham with two reins. I have used this bit on my Lusitano horse who was very “mouthy” and have found the stillness, stability and security it engenders has allowed him to build confidence and quietly accept the bit. It is possible to soften the effect with an elastic curb chain or rubber covers. For the rider, the two reins give more options for finer control. I can ride on the snaffle rein alone, or the curb alone, or both reins. It is an opportunity for some good practice before moving on to a double bridle. Again, dealing with two reins helps to ensure attention to the hands. Of course, if you compete in dressage this is not an option you can consider.
For horses that do not like a curb try a mullen mouth D ring snaffle for a similar effect. One friend of mine uses an elastic curb chain with this to provide even greater security without the leverage of the curb action.
Bits are available in many different materials including stainless steel, plastic, rubber, vulcanite, aurigan, cyprium and sweet iron to name just a few. The newer metal mixtures are said to encourage the horse to accept and mouth the bit.
My trainer believes that the best bit is a simple one. She prefers a loose ring snaffle bit with a single joint and a wide mouthpiece with some weight to it. She does not like light bits with narrow mouthpieces. For young horses she prefers to use a double jointed training bit with a lozenge. She does not like the feel of the lighter plastic bits for young horses. If she wants to soften the effect of a metal bit she wraps it in leather.
Some classicists say that the only acceptable bits are the snaffle and the double bridle. But they often fail to explain why. Perhaps this is just the way it has always been done. Whilst I aim to follow classical principles I also have an open funnel to new thinking and making my own mind up about what makes sense and what doesn’t. I suggest you do too.
Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling explains the classical progression of bitting in his book “Dancing with Horses” (19). He starts a young horse with 2 pairs of reins attached to the cavesson and a bridoon bit. Then a curb is added and the reins are attached to the bridoon and curb. Eventually he progresses to a curb bit with a single pair of reins. He says “a horse bitted in this way has reached the peak of his craft”.
There are some very expensive bits available nowadays. But I ask you, do our horses go any better in them? The key is comfort and fit. I see no relationship between price and way of going. At the end of the day the biggest difference is the hand on the other end of the rein.
Do we need to use a bit at all?
I asked William Micklem this question. Here are his thoughts –
“It's a good question....do we need to use something to control the
direction and speed? Yes, otherwise it gets pretty exciting when
there are groups of horses despite the possibility of riding without a
bridle/bit. What are the alternatives? Tongue attachments..the oldest
type of control mechanism, still used in Western riding, but not
pleasant to see a severed tongue or partially severed tongue. Bitless
bridles mainly work on pressure round the jaw which can be extremely
uncomfortable, especially as the upper jaw is so much wider than the
lower jaw. Some of the USA ones are sheer cruelty...although there are
more mild forms which are great in a controlled and quiet environment
but in practise often prove dangerous for other riders and spectators.
I always want to see how a horse goes without a bit before deciding on
the next step and I know that many horses are transformed in both
behaviour and way of going without the bit that was uncomfortable to
them. Most of these horses need one or more of the following:
attention to the teeth, a change of noseband, a period of time without
a bit, a period of training to get them to use their backs, time for
cracks and tissue damage to heal up, a more allowing hand.....but in my
experience at the end of the day most will be more comfortable in a bit
than with a bitless bridle. The majority of horses appreciate less
pressure on the tongue...hence two of the uses of my Micklem
Multibridle...not available at the moment but soon I hope...”