CHAPTER - 6
THE GREAT UNIVERSE OF BITS
“You cannot buy your way out of a training problem.”
—Julie Goodnight
One of the ambiguities of the bitting world that will remain as long as there is a free market, innovative bit makers, and demand by riders, is whether we really need all these bits or whether they are the invention of marketers looking to sell us the latest and greatest invention. Bit makers sell the illusion to some people that riding will be easier with a new bit and all problems will be solved.
Looking closely at the world’s collections of ancient bits, it’s easy to see that little has changed over the past thousands of years. The ancient curb is very much like the modern curb; the snaffle is still a snaffle.
Surely some of the new developments in bits have been a godsend for our horses. Metallurgy, for example, has come a long way since the Bronze Age, and we’re now able to produce bits that suit our particular horses’ taste buds, or that wear more evenly, or that produce a softer mouth. We know from science that certain metals stimulate our horses’ sense of taste. Certain polymers work well for those horses that don’t like metal in their mouths, and we even have apple-flavored bits, although whether these are manufactured for horses or for their human owners is an unanswerable question. That’s good news for horses and riders because no matter how finicky your horse, there’s always the possibility that you can find a bit that works. And if you can’t, there are custom bit makers, such as Jay Shuttleworth, who makes custom bits for high-level hunter/jumper riders on the East Coast; Greg Darnall, one of the foremost Western bitting experts; and Wilson Capron, whose stunning artwork and fine craftsmanship are unmatched.
Why would you need a custom bit when there are so many options on the market? Perhaps there’s something special you’d like represented on your shanks (if you’re a Western rider) for your show horse in the Western pleasure ring. Another reason to seek out a custom bit maker is that your horse has a unique mouth. Perhaps he has a jaw that’s not quite straight or a very low palate.
Custom bit makers are capable of recreating antique bits, modifying current styles, altering shapes and widths, adding a ring in the center of a lozenge, and about anything you might want. But be warned that a poorly made bit can have disastrous results: a sharp piece or malformed angle can injure your horse’s mouth and make him reluctant to “take” the bit at all, so make sure your custom bit maker is reputable and skilled.
A hunter must stretch over his neck and topline.
There are so many bit choices available now that it’s worth borrowing bits from friends to get an idea as to whether your horse goes better in a different kind of bit, rather than spending a lot of money on either buying bits or having one made. But if you should find that your horse has a special quirk, an odd-shaped mouth, or some other unique problem, seeking out a custom loriner is a great option.
Despite the lack of significant changes in bits since they were invented, there have been some notable innovations, borne out of our understanding of equine anatomy, that have made them more comfortable. For example, angling the mouthpiece, or a portion of it, at 45 degrees can make it lie more comfortably on the horse’s tongue. The mouthpiece may also be elevated so it more naturally follows the arc of the horse’s tongue. There are other new shapes and many more sizes, acknowledging the wide variation in horse mouths.
Mass customization—the mass production of goods with differing individual specifications through the use of components that may be assembled in a number of different configurations—has been fully embraced by bit makers since the seventeenth century. It’s an important concept in bitting because it allows the rider to choose a single style of mouthpiece—say, medium thin single-jointed—and then decide what kinds of cheeks would help the horse perform best. As you read through the upcoming chapters, remember that these days, just about any of the standard mouthpieces come with any of the standard cheeks, and vice-versa. Nearly every bit is available with a variety of mouthpieces or different materials. Some bits even come with adjustable mouthpieces, which means you can own one bit and change the size for several horses.
Those early loriners of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries acknowledged the bit as a whole rather than simply a mouthpiece and cheek piece. In other words, for a bit to be most effective, every aspect of it has to be considered at once. Some bits today actually allow you to customize them without buying a completely new bit. Mikmar combination bits, for example, have a high port, a copper roller in the center, and a thin rope across the nose. They have become favorites of some top jumper riders for their adjustability. You can move the reins into various positions on the shanks and the noseband so it is possible to change the leverage on the bit, the poll, and the nose pressure to uniquely suit your horse. It allows the rider to customize the bit’s pressure points without changing the bit’s mouthpiece.
Another company that developed its own style and family of bits is Myler. Their products have a signature curved mouthpiece that keeps the pressure off the tongue. They also sell different kinds of mouthpieces with the same general shape, such as a curb with an arch-shaped mouthpiece. Many of their bits have a barrel roller in the middle that encourages the horse to play with the bit and keep a softer mouth. Myler has a system of bits that encourages riders to continue to purchase new ones as their horses become better trained. The Myler system follows the basic training scale. Bits are purchased based on where each horse falls in this system, and are labeled thusly.
Level One
• Horse has just begun training or has had little training
• Horse is learning basic gaits, transitions, and obedience
• Horse has begun to “break at the poll”
Level Two
• Basic training is established
• Horse is relaxed at the poll; holds position when rein is released
• Horse possesses more complex skills such as bending, collection, side passes, and lead changes
Level Three
• Horse is considered broke or finished; willing to obey commands
• Horse is relaxed at the poll
• Horse possesses advanced skills; works well off seat, legs, and hands
Thanks to University of Michigan bitting studies, in which radiography examined the position of five different kinds of bits in the horse’s mouth, we now know much more about what happens as different types of rein pressure are applied. The study, performed by J. Manfredi, Hilary Clayton, and D. Rosenstein, noted the differences in bit position with rein contact and without rein contact. The scientists also noted the distance of each of the bits from the premolars with rein tension and without rein tension. They discovered that certain bits did change position in the horse’s mouth when rein pressure was applied, while other bits did not. That seems to verify that some horses are more comfortable in certain types of bits due to the shapes of their mouths. Therefore, it is in the horse’s best interest that our trainers, marketers, and product developers keep working to make the horse comfortable.
Of course, the more options we have for our horses, the better off we all are. The only way the carpenter knows, for example, that one hammer works better than another is by trying them out. Such is the case with the bit—trial and error, combined with some knowledge of theory, is the best method.
Some horse trainers have many bits for just that reason. Depending on the horse, the rider, and the situation, the trainer may try some different options. Several trainers told me during the course of my research that simply getting rid of a harsh bit and using a mild one made them look like heroes because the horse relaxed almost instantly. Sometimes the problem was the horse had been ridden with a completely different kind of contact and bit before it came to the trainer. Experimenting was the only way to figure out what the horse was most comfortable with.
Even the most impeccably trained horse occasionally needs a change to “freshen” him up. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to put in a double-twisted wire after riding in a plain snaffle. It might mean swapping out a full cheek for a loose ring, or a French link for a KK Ultra. You may try the same curb bit in sweet iron, which is more porous than steel, rusts more easily, and lacks steel’s bitter taste. But you have to give it time. Changing bits will undoubtedly produce a response the very first day you ride with your new bit. The question is, what kind of response will it produce on day three, four, or five? What about day ten, day ninety, or year four?
Once the horse has habituated to the “newness” of it, you’ll be able to see whether he’s responding differently to the bridle. The differences can be subtle, so the rider needs to be sensitive and knowledgeable about the horse’s way of going. It may only be after a few weeks that the rider will feel the difference in his horse after changing out a bit, especially if it’s a subtle change. Perhaps the horse has been too fussy in his mouth, and the rider is seeking the same softness but without the busy jaw. Perhaps the rider wants slightly more response to his half-halt, or to reinforce the “sit” in a reining horse. In this case, he might switch to a quicker bit. We’ll discuss more about which bits produce what kinds of results later in the chapters on the specific families of bits.
In some rare cases, you may come across a horse that’s had such bad riding and training that he’s learned to lean on the bit, balancing on it as if it were almost a fifth leg. No amount of jiggling or moving the bit creates any response. With such a case, you might find that changing bits is going to have little impact on the horse—he’ll continue to lean and ignore that bit no matter what you put in his mouth. The horse has not engaged his hindquarters, or perhaps has an ill-fitting saddle, or has been ridden by a rider who hangs on the contact without release.
An early fix would have been to school more effective response to the seat and legs, whereby the rider changes her position and rocks the horse back onto his haunches, which allows him to lighten his front end and soften his mouth. The rider that applies steady, unending pressure without release and without the direction of the seat created the problem. The same holds true for horses that run through the bit.
It’s also possible that a horse experiencing physical pain in his hind end—either his haunches, his stifles, or his hocks—may have difficulty sitting back and lifting his front end. By traveling on the forehand, he’s attempting to relieve the pain in his hind end. In this case, the rider would do well to have the horse examined by a vet, especially if the heaviness in the bit is a relatively new development, all other things being equal.
Besides physical pain in the back or hindquarters, a change in rider can be another cause for discomfort. A bit that works wonderfully in one rider’s hands may be a disaster in another’s. Greg Darnall, renowned Western bitting expert, notes in the Western Horseman article “A Bit on Bits:” “Suppose a trainer shows a reining horse in a bit that has some leverage to it and a quick pull. He gets along just fine with the horse because he has good hands. But if a heavy handed amateur rider were to show the horse in the same bit and pulls too quick or too hard, he will not get the nice, fluid stop the trainer did.”
All aids, whether the seat, the legs, or the hands, should be used in such a way that there’s a moment of pressure followed by a quick moment of release. It is only in this way that a rider develops a light response in his partner. The pressure is minute, lightning fast, and should produce a reaction. In that way, the horse and the rider are having a conversation about what the rider wants. “Forward, now.” “Balance, now.” “Lateral, now, now, now.” A steady leg pressure deadens the horse to the aids just as a steady rein pressure deadens his responsive mouth. When an unrelenting hardness is applied to the bit, the horse becomes deaf to the rein aid. It’s like the boy who cried wolf—a constant pressure that signals nothing. Then, when the rider actually needs the horse to respond, he no longer has the tool at his disposal.
A horse with such resistance to the bit probably won’t salivate or chew very much, if at all. A well-trained, happy horse should go along with a wet mouth. It doesn’t have to be dripping, but he should exhibit at least a little moisture. This is both a sign that the horse hears your signals and that he’s comfortable. It would be nearly impossible for a horse with a locked jaw to have a wet mouth, since saliva is produce by relaxed chewing. A wet mouth shows the horse’s mouth is free and light. A locked mouth is dry and has the sensation of being “hard” and inflexible, both to the touch and to the bit.
When working with a young horse, it’s a great idea to mess around with his mouth—run your fingers along the bars, play with the tongue, gently slide your forefingers over the area of the horse’s mouth where the bit will eventually go. This will habituate the horse to the feeling of the bit and also make him less defensive to having foreign objects, whether a veterinarian’s hand, paste wormer, or a bit, in his mouth.
