My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
For years I heard “people” say that the bit didn’t matter, it was the rider’s hands that made the difference. Although there is some truth to that (poor riding can make even the mildest bit an instrument of torture), it’s not quite that simple. Okay, sometimes it is. I bought one bit for my horse, […]
Read MoreJane at The Literary Horse is a fan of the KK Ultra Loose Ring Snaffle (read the review at Tack Guru). My favorite bit varies..For a while I was using the Myler Triple Barrel Mullen Mouth Snaffle. I also sometimes use the Pee Wee bit which is another mullen mouth design. What about you?
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The full cheek snaffle is one of my “go to” bits — I’ve used it on almost all my horses and currently, it’s my non-hunting bit for Freedom. For a moment, let’s forget about the mouthpiece and focus on the function of the cheekpieces. Full cheek snaffles are direct action bits like all snaffles. They […]
Read MoreMost people think that snaffles are the mildest bits. for example, you see horses advertised with a “snaffle mouth.” The implication is that these horses have sensitive mouths and don’t require a lot of bit to control them. In truth, a snaffle is any bit with a solid or jointed mouthpiece that has no leverage; […]
Read MoreWhen Eric Lamaze won the Grand Prix of Aachen the second thing that caught my eye after the size of the fences was Hickstead’s bit. Or should I say, bits. Although early photographs of the team show Hickstead being ridden in a Pelham, at this competition the horse appears to be wearing a mechanical hackamore […]
Read MoreWhile most of us can walk into a tack store and find a plethora of bits for sale, in India, many working horses are subjected to bits that look like medieval torture devices — crude bits that are made locally. An organization called Friends of Marwari/Kathiawari Horse UK, which was formed in 2008 to promote […]
Read MoreI 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 […]
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