Tag Archives: bitting

Bits and the anatomy of a horse’s mouth

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Bits, Commentary, equestrian and tagged with , ,

Many people choose a bit because

  1. It’s already in their tack box
  2. Everyone else at the barn rides in one
  3. The bit doesn’t matter — it’s the rider’s hands that matter, or
  4. The horse was ridden in the bit forever, so why change?

Hey, those are the criteria I used for selecting bits for years. My first couple of horses were easy: I rode them in either a loose ring single jointed snaffle or a full cheek snaffle (generally with a single joint).  It took a horse with who had a strong opinion about bitting (Kroni) to make me think about the anatomy of a horse’s mouth — and why some horses do better in a certain type of bit over another. And another horse who has more get up and go than whoa (Freedom) to make me start to think about the need for control and lightness.

I’ve written plenty in this blog about riding bitless — ultimately, that proved to be the best solution for Kroni — but I’m not against bits. They offer the most direct form of communication and that communication can be very subtle. With a horse like Freedom, riding bitless, at least in the hunt field, simply isn’t an option. I suppose that I could use a hackamore, but those exert a tremendous amount of pressure on the horse’s very sensitive nose. I needed to find a bit that could still catch his attention during the adrenalin rush of galloping in the hunt field but which wasn’t so severe that he would curl up behind the bit and not accept contact.

Let’s start with the way that bits work in a horse’s mouth:

This diagram shows the anatomy of a horse's mouth. The areas where a bit can exert pressure include the tongue, the corners of the mouth, the "bars", teeth, palate and chin groove. Which bit you choose depends on how your horse responds to the pressure.

When selecting a bit you need to take into consideration the anatomy of that horse’s mouth. Kroni had a thick tongue and a low palate. This made many bits, especially single jointed bits, uncomfortable for him. He did far better in a mullen mouth bit (no joint) that wasn’t too thick. While thicker bits are generally considered to be milder (in theory they disperse the area over which the horse feels the pressure of the bit) and thin bits to be severe, for him, the thicker bits just didn’t fit well in his mouth and the joint (especially the single joint) was hitting him in the roof of his mouth. Ouch! He seemed more comfortable in double jointed bit designs but even those made him very fussy.

I’ll look more specifically at some of these bits in future posts.

More resources on bits and the anatomy of the horse’s mouth.

Radiographic study of bit position within the horse’s oral cavity, J. Manfredi, HM Clayton and D. Rosenstein, Michigan State University.

Bit by Bit, the Whys and Hows of Bit Science, Emily Esterson

Bitting up

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, English Riding, foxhunting, Snaffle bit and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

For several years I rode Freedom in a loose ring, single jointed snaffle.

I have always been a snaffle kind of rider. Partly it’s because I generally have had horses that require more kick than whoa; partly it’s because I use other aids to control speed and rhythm; and partly it’s because I like a horse to take a solid contact with the bit.

Look in my bit box and you’ll see  a wide range of snaffles. Single jointed, double jointed, Mullen mouth, loose ring, egg butt, full cheek;  the ”harshest ” bit is a big twist.

This spring, out in the hunt field, my trusty  box of snaffles proved to not be enough-even with a running martingale my horse was leaning on the bit and running.  This was new for him. Until this year he tended to curl behind the bit. So, even when he got excited more bit wouldn’t have helped; instead it  would have made him back off the bit even more. Mostly I worked at getting him to take a steady contact.

Add to the mix a rotator cuff injury that  makes my shoulder ache when he pulls and I realized a new bit was in order. But, which one? There are an infinite number there! I quickly realized that i don’t know enough about how bits work to make an educated decision.

This series of articles on bitting will cover what I learned about different kits and how they work in a horses mouth. Like most things horse related there is no one right answer; the bit that works for your horse is the one that is comfortable in his mouth and gives you enough control to do your discipline safely. Note – Bree’s comment made me want to amend this statement. I, too, agree that you should always use the mildest bit possible and that often there are holes in training that need to be fixed rather than putting a harsher bit in a horse’s mouth. It’s certainly possible to half halt using your back or your thighs, and Freedom definitely responds to a verbal cue to slow down.

However, I think there are times when a different bit can work better. When out hunting, for example, I like to leave my horse’s mouth alone most of the time and let him figure out the terrain. But — and it’s a big but — there are times when I need an immediate response (say a hound comes out of the woods in front of you) and ultimately, that’s why I chose to change bits this year.

But, more on that later!