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Tales from the Horse's Mouth: Part One - Page 3

© Sally White

So-called mouthing bits, with keys, rolling bars or other attachments to encourage the horse to "play" with the bit in his mouth, are fine to use although difficult to find in any material except metal, so they tend to be heavy and quite harsh for young mouths. I personally have never used them, since I have found that most young horses "play" with a bit naturally when it is first introduced, whatever the design. A sympathetic rider, using gentle hands and smooth movements, is far more likely to produce a moist and pliable mouthed horse, whatever the bit, than any amount of keys and other gadgets followed by harsh riding.

Fitting a bit is extremely important. Too narrow, and it pinches; too wide, and the bit can slip from side to side in the horse's mouth. When you look at a straight bit, the rings should be free of each side of the mouth by about a quarter of an inch (1cm). With a jointed bit, you will have to pull the rings down while attached to the bridle (once it is on the horse) to straighten out the bit before you can judge it.

The height of the bit in the mouth is also very important: too high, and it pulls the lips back painfully; too low, and the bit knocks against the front teeth. When the bit rests in the mouth attached to a bridle, pull it down firmly by both rings. The bit should touch the corners of the mouth without wrinkling them. When the bit is released, the corners of the mouth should be wrinkled, but not pulled back. Practice fitting a bit on an older horse if you are not sure, and if you still have any doubts, ask someone experienced to give their opinion.

It can be difficult to fit a bit on a young, unmouthed horse for the simple reason that fitting a bit is done with the bit already in. This is a matter of experience, and educated guesswork. The cheekpieces of the bridle should be roughly adjusted to your horse's head before you start, so the bit should be about the right height already and should need only minor adjustments. Deciding on which width of bit to choose is a matter of trial and error. You can guess the probable width of a bit by holding a couple of different-sized bits under his chin without actually putting them in, but again, get someone experienced to judge it if you don't feel sure. It is better to err on the larger side, so that when the bit is in, if it is the wrong size you can just take it back out again and change it without having pinched the horse's mouth.

Horse correctly fitted with a d-ring snaffle

An eggbutt snaffle

A loose ring snaffle

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