Bits

[sanhestar]

I always started the young horses with a double broken bit after I introduced them to “giving the head”, turn left, turn right, stop with a side-pull.

[near horse]

Hi Robert,

I did see D. Hamill on RFD introduce the “idea” of having a bit in the mouth to a mule by clipping a “stick” (like a fat dowel) wrapped w/ a piece of cloth that had some molasses on it onto the halter (obviously the stick was loosely in his mouth:D). He just let the mule stand there for awhile mouthing and getting used to having something in there. I think he was just taking a small step trying to make it not a negative thing. I don’t recall what he eventually used for a bit. Again, there are probably a lot of different ways to achieve the end result. Just thought I’d throw one in that I saw work.:)

[CIW]

I have my Jack driving in a full ring snaffle. Jacks, in general, have very gentle mouths but have to be driven in a proactive manner. They also must be given plenty of time to think something through for themselves. What often happens is that we get in a hurry with them and try to force them through to our own preconceived result. The end is an animal that reacts hard. Thus where donkeys get the reputation of being tough mouthed.
People who have had donkeys around will confirm that they can learn from repeatedly watching other animals go through a certain proceedure. When asked to go through that process they will often just do it as though they had been doing it for many years. I also have seen this in my own animals.
Just be gentle handed and let the donkey choose the speed for a while. Once he has gotten a good grasp on the task at hand he will repeat it the same way each time asked. Unfortunetly that is also true when he has learned something thew wrong way. So be aware.
Theres a pic of my Jack and son driving 15 min. after we first harnessed him. I think the Jack was about 6 or 7 yo. then.

[Robert MoonShadow]

Geoff; Thanks – that’s a good idea!
CIW; Yeah, I saw that photo = couldn’t see much detail past that big old grin your boy’s wearing! I’ve heard that about donkeys – jacks especially – that they actually have soft mouths unless taught otherwise. I think {from having pack donkeys} that they are especially adept at learning by watching others do it. I know that when I got Little Bit & added her in my pack string, it wasn’t but 1/2 hour into being led on a lead rope while watching the others just follow on their own (or go on ahead a bit) that she put on the brakes & flat refused to budge until I took off the lead rope & walked away… almost as if she was ‘insulted’ to be the only one on a lead. I’d forgotten about that incident, until you’d mentioned similar, here… I’m going to see if I can’t work that in to my advantage. Thanks!

[near horse]

I want to add that for my “tongue hanger” horse I’m going to try a straight bit – actually a Mullen mouth – straight w/ an arch to it, not a port. Another teamster mentioned that in addition to the action on the tongue and jaw, some bits can bother the roof of the mouth in some horses. I’ll give it a try.

Also, while there are a lot of bits out there, it is challenging to find some in the draft sizes 6 to 7’s.

Happy Spring – now turn some earth!

[grey]

I really like the super-fat bar-shaped “logging bits” of yesteryear, however I have yet to find one larger than a 6″. Both my mares take a 6.5″ bit and one would actually be more comfortable in a 6.75″ in some cases. I guess I will eventually have to stretch a couple of 6″ bits to get them to fit. And by “stretch” I mean cut in half and add a bit of metal to the middle.

Many a cheap mullen-mouth bar or broken-mouth snaffle bit that comes with a headstall is chrome-plated. Once that chrome plating starts to flake off, the raw edges of the plating can be razor-sharp. I use stainless or base metal, some of which may or may not have copper somewhere on the mouthpiece. All the chrome-plated bits that come through my place get tossed or used in art.

I have tried most of the shanked driving bits out there but my horses object to the curb chain. In my case, I have found that if I can’t get it out of them with a bar or broken-mouth snaffle, I won’t be getting it out of them with any other sort of bit. I end up trading one problem for another. So for driving I stick with any one of several types of snaffle bits: mullen-mouth bar, D-ring, full-cheek. I have had a loose-ring snaffle pinch before, but my mares have awful fleshy lips.

I do have a low port curb grazing bit with a leather curb strap that I use for riding. Both my mares seem happy in it.

[OldKat]

@grey 8265 wrote:

I really like the super-fat bar-shaped “logging bits” of yesteryear, however I have yet to find one larger than a 6″. Both my mares take a 6.5″ bit and one would actually be more comfortable in a 6.75″ in some cases. I guess I will eventually have to stretch a couple of 6″ bits to get them to fit. And by “stretch” I mean cut in half and add a bit of metal to the middle.

Many a cheap mullen-mouth bar or broken-mouth snaffle bit that comes with a headstall is chrome-plated. Once that chrome plating starts to flake off, the raw edges of the plating can be razor-sharp. I use stainless or base metal, some of which may or may not have copper somewhere on the mouthpiece. All the chrome-plated bits that come through my place get tossed or used in art.

I have tried most of the shanked driving bits out there but my horses object to the curb chain. In my case, I have found that if I can’t get it out of them with a bar or broken-mouth snaffle, I won’t be getting it out of them with any other sort of bit. I end up trading one problem for another. So for driving I stick with any one of several types of snaffle bits: mullen-mouth bar, D-ring, full-cheek. I have had a loose-ring snaffle pinch before, but my mares have awful fleshy lips.

I do have a low port curb grazing bit with a leather curb strap that I use for riding. Both my mares seem happy in it.

Same here; chrome plated = No Bueno

I’m lucky, I guess, because my mares don’t have real wide mouths. Mostly I can find bits to fit them at local saddle shops if I go to the larger sized bits that they carry.

[Ronnie Tucker]

you can take a cutting torch to burn the chrome plating off then you have a plain metal bit

[Author]

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