GLOSSARY

Action: The combined pressure that the bit places on the tongue, the bars, the lips, and the poll.

Balance: (1) The physical properties of a bit, such as whether each canon is the same weight; (2) how the bit rests in the horse’s mouth and moves with the application of a leverage rein.

Bar mouth: A single piece of metal that forms the mouthpiece of a bit.

Bars: The space along the gums in the horse’s mouth between the front incisors (or tushes) and the molars. Sometimes called the “interdental space.”

Baucher: Created by controversial French dressage master François Baucher, this bit is technically a snaffle. The bit hangs in the mouth from the bridle rings and offers a small amount of poll pressure. The distance between the bridle rings and the mouthpiece creates a very slight leverage effect.

Bicycle chain: A serrated, hinged mouthpiece that is quite severe, now mostly used on mules, although it has fallen out of fashion.

Canon: The piece of the mouthpiece that runs from cheek piece or ring to the center.

Cheek: Either the rings or the shanks that attach the bit to the bridle and the reins.

Cheek pieces: (1) The leather or rope pieces of the bridle that run along the horse’s cheek bone and attach to the bit; (2) the metal rings or shanks that attach the bridle and the reins to the mouthpiece of a snaffle bit. The word is used synonymously with “cheek.”

Correction: A high, wide port that allows room for the tongue. Its straight canons apply pressure to the bars.

Cricket: A copper roller, often textured, found in between the arms of a port.

Curb: Any of the leverage bits that have shanks and a curb chain or strap. Because of the distance between the mouthpiece and the bridle rings, as well as the length of the shank and the action of the chain or strap, curb mouthpieces serve as a fulcrum in the horse’s mouth.

Curb chain: The metal chain that sits in the chin groove and is engaged when a rider puts pressure on the shanks of a leverage bit.

Curb strap: The leather strap that sits in the chin groove and engages when the rider takes contact with the shanks of a leverage bit.

Dick Christian: A mouthpiece that is similar to the Dr. Bristol, but has a ring instead of a plate in the center link.

D-ring or dee ring: A cheek that has a flat side next to the horse’s cheek and a rounded ring. The flat side prevents the bit from sliding through the horse’s mouth. It is useful for horses that need extra encouragement in steering.

Dr. Bristol: A double-linked mouthpiece with a plate in the center. The edge of the plate presses against the horse’s tongue when rein pressure is applied.

Double-jointed: A bit with two joints connecting the canons with a center link, lozenge, plate, or ring.

Eggbutt: A snaffle with flattened rings and a mouthpiece that is connected with two cylinders that serve as hinges. The canons are wider next to the rings, and taper down toward the center. The ring is egg-shaped.

Fiador: The throatlatch and knot that connects the mecate rein with the rest of a rope hackamore. Sometimes pronounced as “Theodore.”

French link: A double-jointed bit with a dog bone or figure-eight-shaped link in the center.

Hackamore: Also called a nose bridle, a hackamore has no bit. It controls the horse through pressure on the poll and the nose. It is derived from the bitless halters in which early Spanish equestrians trained their young horses.

Hyoid bone: The apparatus in the horse’s skull to which the tongue is attached. A key structure involved in poll flexion created by pressure on the bit and reins.

Kimberwicke or Kimblewicke: With bit rings shaped like an eggbutt, the Kimberwicke has a curb chain that applies a small amount of leverage.

Jointed: A mouthpiece with a single or double link that joins the canons in the center.

Leverage: The ratio of rein tension to poll and curb chain or strap pressure. The ratio is determined by the total length of the shank and the distance from the rein ring to the mouthpiece. A 1-inch purchase and a 4-inch total shank produce a ratio of 1:3.

Leverage bit: An indirect contact bit to which reins are attached below the mouthpiece. Pressure on the reins pulls the bridle rings down, tightens the curb strap (if there is one), and swivels the bit forward in the horse’s mouth.

Loriner or lorimer: An archaic word for an individual who makes bits, spurs, and other metal tack for horses. The word is still used in the United Kingdom.

Mecate (pronounced me-cot-ee and sometimes called McCarty): A rope traditionally made from twisted mane hair. Usually 22 feet in length, the mecate is used both as the reins and as a lead rope.

Pelham: An English bit with the option of two reins. One is for snaffle control and one for curb leverage. Commonly used for hunters and jumpers.

Mullen mouth: A slightly arched, single-bar bit. It is considered a gentle bit because it provides ample room for the horse’s tongue.

Nathe: A polyurethane compound created in Germany and used in the mouthpieces of bits. Nathe bits often have a metal core.

Port: The inverted “U” found in single-bar bits. It provides space for the horse’s tongue, but can also make unwanted contact with the roof of his mouth if not used properly.

Purchase: The section of the shank from the mouthpiece to the bridle ring. The length of the purchase and the length of the lower shank determine a bit’s severity. A long lower shank with a short purchase increases the severity of the leverage action.

Romal rein: A heavy rein used with a shanked bit. A slight shift of the rein is often sufficient to achieve the desired reaction from the horse.

Shank: The cheek piece of a leverage bit, attached to the canon and running from bridle ring to rein ring.

Signal: In a bit with rings, the slight delay in rein action as the rein slides on the ring.

Single-jointed: A mouthpiece with two canons and a single joint.

Snaffle: A direct-contact bit.

Spade: A vaquero-style bit with a straight bar, and a high narrow port with a cricket. Considered an advanced bit for both horse and rider.

Trigeminal nerve: This nerve originates at the horse’s pharynx, splits into three branches (hence trigeminal), and follows the length of the mouth on both top and bottom of the jaw. It is “command central” for the sensations the horse feels on his head.

Vulcanite: A hardened rubber used for bits.