Information on Horse Bits & Hackamore
Bits are used to partially control your horse's direction usually made of metal or a combination of metal and plastic. Horses of all disciplines can be ridden with snaffles or leverage bits, though the times to use the different bits depends on discipline, amount of training and the horse's personal preference. It is always important to check the rules association sanctioning a show you are competing at to find out what bits are legal or illegal.
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Snaffle Bits
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There are several versions of snaffle bits, which are bits that have the reins placed on the ring are fastened to the mouthpiece. When the reins are used, the bit works only on the corners of the mouth. The loose-ring snaffle has a round ring on either end that freely moves through the mouthpiece of the bit, making the bits very mild. A full-cheek snaffle has a long piece with a small fixed ring on either side of the mouthpiece that presses against the horse to help him turn. D-ring and eggbutt bits are shaped like loose-ring bits, except the rings do not slide and only have sideways movement. D-ring bits have D-shaped rings, while eggbutt snaffles have a rounder ring.
Leverage Bits
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On a leverage bit, or curb bit, the reins fasten to a ring that is dropped below the mouthpiece, attached by a piece of metal called the shank. Because of this dropped placement, the bit works only slightly on the corners of the horse's mouth and also works on the area behind and between the horse's ears, called the poll, and on the horse's chin through the attachment of a curb chain or strap that attaches on either side of the mouthpiece. The mechanical hackamore is also a leverage bit, though there is no mouthpiece because of the curb chain and shanks. Some leverage bits allow for use of a snaffle rein on the mouthpiece ring and a curb rein on the ring at the bottom of the shank.
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Bosal
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A type of steering device that is called a hackamore, but is not the same as the mechanical hackamore mentioned above, is the bosal. This piece of equipment wraps around the horse's muzzle so that pressure is applied to the nose, and is generally made of rawhide. The reins, or mecate, is a rope that is wrapped around the bottom of the bosal.
Slightly Different Bits
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There are some bits that fulfill some of the characteristics of snaffles, but also have some aspects of the leverage bit. The Baucher is a snaffle that has a ring attached to the mouthpiece and another, smaller ring on a small shank above the bigger ring. This small ring is for attaching the bridle to the snaffle, while the reins go to the bigger ring. This setup creates some pressure on the poll when you use the reins.
The elevator bit is similar but can create even more poll pressure than the Baucher. The elevator bit has a larger mouthpiece ring, and a series of rings below the mouthpiece and one ring above the mouthpiece. The one ring above allows the bit to always have some leverage action on the poll, but you can adjust the leverage by choosing which ring to attach the reins to.
The kimberwicke is a bit shaped like an eggbutt snaffle but also allows for a curb chain attachment. This bit applies pressure like a leverage bit. The gag snaffle is made so that a rope can slide through holes in the top and bottom of the ring of a snaffle. The bridle and reins are attached to this rope, which creates pressure on the poll.
Mouthpieces
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Despite what you may have been taught, mouthpieces do not make the snaffle or the leverage bit. All bits can be jointed, where the mouthpiece is in two pieces; they also can be straight or ported, where the mouthpiece rounds up in the middle. The amount of rounding up depends on the style of the bit. Some bits have two joints in the middle, and the Waterford mouthpiece consists of a series of small ball shapes.
Double Bridle
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The double bridle is used most often in advanced English-style riding and consists of a leverage bit coupled with a snaffle bit. Each bit has a set of reins attached, and the rider can use the two bits together or separately by manipulating each set of reins.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit horse image by Henryk Olszewski from Fotolia.com
