Bits

How do I tell a good bit from a poor one other than by price, especially when ordering by catalog. Also is the broken snaffle the mildest one. I have a problem with both my horses when stopped. They are constantly throwing their heads around and rubbing them against each other. The broken snaffle bits I an using came with the horses and I wonder if what you describe might be the problem?

have a problem with both my horses when stopped. They are constantly throwing their heads around and rubbing them against each other. The broken snaffle bits I an using came with the horses and I wonder if what you describe might be the problem?

I have this same problem w/ my team and I kept checking and rechecking the bit adjustment (was it too tight:confused:) but can’t really notice anything. I do use overcheck reins but don’t really know how to evaluate whether that’s the problem. To confound things, one of the horses always hangs his tongue out while we’re working. Previous owner said, “oh he just does that.” They still get about their work fine but I certainly want to make it as comfortable as possible to do what I’m asking of them. Does this seem like a cheap bit problem?

I’ve been building bits now for about 20 years. Some of what taught me was information and patterns from the very blacksmith that made the bits that J-L has at the ranch.
There are ways to relieve the pressure that is causing the horse to throw his head. It makes the weight of the bit rest on the lip instead of the jaw and also reduces the amount of pinch on the tongue.
Some of the bit designs have been made with no reward in them. No release. Thats where some of these odd habits come into play.
Also loosening the bit down a notch will make the horse pick the bit up and hold it. Head throwing is a symptom of a horse that was never taught to hold a bit or is getting no reward or relief.
More often a horse that hangs its tongue out is due to irritation on the tongues surface causing it to go numb. He’s just solving the problem by hanging it out the side of his mouth. Getting away from the pressure.
There’s a misconseption about the inate power of a snaffle mouthed bit. It is the most severe bit that can be put in the mouth to exert lateral pressure, (To make the horse give to the side.) and if not used gentle enough can cause callusing. That will then render the bit nearly useless.
Its kind of like going down the road with your foot on the brake pedal. It eventually just wears the brakes out.
There are so many different ways that pressure can be applied to an animal that changing bits may not need to be going to a more severe bit, but one that applies a different kind of pressure, that works better with that particular animal or teaching of a certain command.
Another thing that will alter the way an animal reacts to a bit is the angle of pull from the drive lines or reins.
These are some of the things that aren’t taught to todays horsemen. We are several generations away from those who knew the information about building an animals mouth.

Rod, I think there is alot of useful information in CIW and Sanhestar’s posts. You might want to re-read;).

I’ve studied bits with alot of interest…as an ear nose and throat (people) specialist, I am fascinated with the way bits make contact, create pressure (for good and bad) and otherwise affect the sensitive tissues of the tongue, jaw, lips and palate. I’ve even been known to put a few in my own mouth….mostly ouch!

But I think every horse, mule and donkey needs to be evaluated individually. I mostly use a high quality single jointed snaffle for most of my riding horses, but I also spend alot of time keeping them soft, so I rarely need to put enough pressure in the lines to cause discomfort. Some horses will have a shallow palate and event the lightest of pressure will cause pain (from the joint). Others have bigger tongues (like many people) and suffer with pinching. So…if the single jointed snaffle is not working for one of your horses, I would go to either a straight bit (consider something with a curb like a liverpool, if you think control might be an issue) or a double jointed (french link) snaffle. There are other options (mylar has an obscene number of alternative bits, most quite expensive) and an equine dentist might be able to help you evaluate your horse’s mouth, but these are two relatively inexpensive bits to try.

I’m using a jointed liverpool for Peanut right now and all seems to be going well, but I would switch to a straight unjointed bit if I thought he was having trouble with the jointed bit.

One last point, to expand on Sabines point… I was taught by a great horseman to start a horse with the bit set low in the mouth, until he learned to pick it up and hold it. As a training tool, I think this is important (at least with saddle horses…I assume the same would hold true for a driving horse), so that the bit is introduced and accepted by the horse, before it is actually used in any significant way. Then it can be raised to a more constructive place in the mouth. I have been suspicious that many chronic head tossers had a bit shoved in their mouths without any ‘foreplay’ so to speak:eek: when they were young.

Peanut was so mouthy as a yearling that I put a bridle on him while I was doing chores in the evening. I set it low so he could play with it. It was like a pacifier for a baby. He would stand in one spot, working that bit for a half an hour. I would take it out as I finished my chores and he would follow me to the barn gate looking for more. I’ve actually never ridden him with a bit yet (only 3 rides on him…all in a hackamore), but I suspect the bit will be a non issue…as it has been with his driving training.

Thanks for the additional information, I didn’t intend to be brusque in my previous response but on re-reading it it comes across that way. I am really excited that the bit change may solve this problem which has had me stumped and I appreciate ALL the posts and find each one to be helpful in some way.

Below is an exerpt from the natural horse website. I thought it might help some.

There was an excellent post on the rec.equestrian newsgroup based on Dr. Deb Bennett’s July 1993 EQUUS article on bit fitting and severity. This page has been sourced from REC.EQUESTRIAN, the body of the text has been unaltered as far as possible. The information is for use at your own risk.

Using a bit incorrectly or using the wrong type of bit can create problems. Some of the most common are:

Avoidance of the bit.
Running through the bit.
Carriage behind the bit.
Dryness of mouth.
Overactive mouthing/chewing of the bit.

For training the green horse we use a sweet iron bit with copper inlays which has 3 inch D rings. We recommend starting with D-ring snaffle bits as opposed to loose ring snaffles because the loose ring snaffles may pinch or cut the mouth of a young horse. We want to make sure that everything we do when handling a young horse is set up for a positive experience. These bits also have enough room in the D ring for the slobber straps and headstall. Sweet iron rusts which causes the horse to salivate, the copper causes salivation too. For some reason, horses really like the taste of the rust. You may see this as ugly rust, but the horse will love it. The snaffle bit is broken or jointed in the middle, which means that it is intended to be used with both hands on the reins as opposed to a curb bit which can be used in one hand.

So what would be the best bit to start a donkey with? This guy hasn’t ever been bridled (that we know of) – at least not in the 5 years the previous owner has had him. I’ll be using him for driving a small wagon/cart, small farm implements/forecart, some snigging of firewood logs. Oh, and he’s an intact jack (large standard), if that makes a difference. I want to keep his mouth as soft as possible, yet maintain control. Although, from what I’m getting to understand, it’s not so much control, {as in out-power}, but more communication. I probably didn’t say that very well, but hopefully it’s understandable. I took a look at one of the places online selling bits… so many, of so many styles & designs that it hurt my brain… so much so, I went back to doing taxes to ease the pain. :confused: