About Horse Bits
The horse bit has long been a symbol for control, first used on domesticated horses to pull carts or to aid riders in warfare. Most people classically imagine a horse being ridden with a metal bit, though there are other methods of riding still today that do not involve a bit. There are two broad categories of metal horse bits and many more subcategories, designs and sizes of these bits.
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Brief History
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According to David Anthony, the director of the Institute for Ancient Equestrian Studies, some of the oldest images found of people riding horses dates to 2,100 to 1,700 B.C. In their research titled "Harnessing Horsepower," Anthony and his partner Dorcas Brown write, "The earliest widespread evidence for the use of horses in warfare coincided with the invention of the metal bit and the chariot about 2000 BC." Bits have been around a long time, in other words, but they didn't always look like they do today. Many Native American tribes rode their horses with bitless bridles, in fact, using their legs and seat as a means of directional communication with the horse. Organic bits made of rope or leather were the first types of bits and today most are made of metal.
Basic Funtion and Parts
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Some bits are one solid piece of metal and others are jointed in two or three parts. Some are smooth and some are twisted. All of these bits are designed for slightly different activities and to get different types of responses from a horse. The most basic bit design consists of the mouth piece and the bit rings, which the sides of the bridle and reins are attached to. For a bit to work properly it should sit on top of a horses tongue. Some horses can fiddle with a bit and especially if it is not the proper size, can get their tongue over the bit, resulting in a significant lack of control on the rider's part.
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Snaffles
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These are used in English and western riding styles and are the simplest of bits. They consist of the two general parts, mouthpiece and bit rings, and so work by putting pressure on the corners of a horse's mouth. This is how the majority of modern horses start out in training, and many people prefer to use only these types for their simplicity. There are several designs, including the O-ring snaffle, D-ring snaffle, full-cheek snaffles and Eggbutt snaffles. The O-ring and D-ring look like their names sound, with bit rings in those shapes. The Eggbutt's bit rings are in an oval egg shape and the full-cheek has a small bar on the top and bottom of each O or D shape to prevent slipping.
Curbs
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These bits came about in approximately the fourth century B.C. and were worn by medieval war horses. These bits must be fitted more precisely than a simple snaffle because they are fixed and do not have much give. A curb bit consists of two long cheek pieces and a center bar that must be as wide as the horse's mouth. This center bar has a U-bend in it called the port. The length of the cheek pieces below the port bar is called the shank and the length above it is called the purchase. Many port bars are solid though some may be broken like a snaffle bit. These bits are more often used for neck reining and since they can be more powerful, less force is needed to communicate with the horse. Used in conjunction with a chin strap this bit also applied pressure to the chin and poll.
Hackamores
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This is a bitless form of control and communication that puts pressure on the horses, chin, poll and nose. These are constructed of a thick noseband, cheek chains, curb chain (under the chin) and the bit hobble. Different kinds of hackamores may be made of leather, rope or covered chain. This is often seen as a less intrusive method of reining.
Combinations
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Some styles of riding combine bit systems. Generally these are called double bridles or full bridles and consist of two bits and four reins. This is, of course, a more advanced technique for horse and rider and can be seen in competitive show rings such as for dressage or on the street on the mounts of police riders. Usually for this method a small snaffle is used behind a curb bit.
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References
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