Bit selection for showing young horses in hand and early ridden work

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SELECTING A BIT FOR THE YOUNG HORSE

Selecting a bit for leading/showing ‘in hand’

A bit that has a lightweight nylon, rubber or rubber covered straight mouth piece would be suitable for leading the young horse. The softness of the bit will help to prevent damage to the ‘bars’ (gap between the front and back molar teeth).

It is good for the horse to have a ‘wet mouth’, (i.e. the corners and sides of the lips have saliva which gives lubrication to the bit and mouth). If the mouth is dry it is easier to damage the mouth and for the horse to hold onto the bit. The wet mouth should occur if the horse is comfortable and relaxed through its jaw and poll. ‘Mouthing bits’ which have a series of small ‘keys’ to encourage the horse to chew and play with the bit were designed many years ago. Unless the horse has a very dry mouth they are normally not necessary and if they are not used appropriately will encourage the horse to constantly fidget with the bit.

Rough handling of the horse’s mouth when leading from the bit will not only bruise the mouth but also damage the bars of the mouth (young developing bone). The weight of the handlers hand and arm with the slightest downward pressure may cause this damage, jerking the lead rein and pulling on the bit may cause severe damage and pain.

Remember to lead the horse from both sides and work with light contact to get the horse to happily walk and trot beside you. When the horse turns the head away from the handler it can cause the handler to be dragged in front of the horses legs which in turn may trip them up or if the horses shoulder pushes into the handler control can be lost!

To avoid too much pressure and cause injuries to the mouth attach the lead rein to the back of the noseband and the bit coupling.

Carry a long ‘schooling whip’ for leading practice. Use the whip behind your body, (do not turn around and look to where you are tapping the horse as you need to be moving forward) by touching/ flicking the horse on the side of the body with the whip. Then be ready to move forward with the horse otherwise you will confuse the horse by it being told to go forward with the whip only then to be held back by its mouth. Looking up and ahead is also very important for leading. Make sure you are fit and agile enough to ‘run up’ your young horse and wear strong non slip soled shoes/boots.

‘Standing the horse up’ for the judge, is to have the horse with weight on all four legs, standing balanced and square, with the handler almost front on to the horse. This should give the judge a full view of the horse and it makes it possible for the judge to ask the horse to move slightly forward or back to create a balanced stance. Also encourage the horse to prick its ears as it will look GREAT for the judge! This takes practice.

SELECTING A BIT FOR EARLY TRAINING AND RIDDEN WORK

Choosing a suitable bit for early training – lungeing, long reining, early ridden work, again you need to consider the structure and shape of the horse’s mouth and the stage of teething at that time. A lightweight snaffle with a medium thickness of metal for the mouth piece is a common first choice. If the mouth piece is too thick it can prevent the horse comfortably closing the mouth, i.e a younger horse with a small gap between the lower and upper bars of the mouth. If the mouthpiece is very thin it will only have a small contact area on the bars and therefore will be more severe.

The straight bar bit that may be good for leading the young horse may not work so well when lungeing with the side reins or when being ridden. A straight, soft bit tends to make the horse lean on it and often snatch the reins through the rider’s fingers. The straight mouth piece can give problems with steering a young horse that is not used to the bit action. A jointed bit with side cheeks / shafts would help with turning and prevent the bit from being pulled through the mouth.

For a horse that is always fidgeting with the bit, you would first need to establish that it was the bit or where the bit sits in the mouth before deciding if it was the bit causing the horse discomfort resulting in fidgeting or just habit. A’ hanging cheek snaffle’ or a bit that has slots in the side sections where the bridle cheek pieces are attached will help keep the bit a little more ‘still’ in the mouth. Putting on a tight noseband will just cause resistance. The horse raises the head to avoid the bit pressure on the bars of the mouth, with the head raised the bit acts more on the corners of the lips. In effect the horse is saving the sensitive bars of the mouth and allowing the lips to be stretched.

Jointed bits that have a small joint in the centre help horses that have a rather shallow top palate. The joint in the middle of the mouth piece will enable the bit to close together on the lower jaw (called ‘nut cracker action’) the centre joint can be raised up into and hit the roof of the mouth. This often results in the horse trying to raise the head and open the mouth to prevent the pain on the sensitive roof of the mouth. A horse in pain from the bit with a raised head will have a dipped back, an unhappy horse and trainer will be the result. It is very important that the trainer can identify the problem before deciding to change the bit for something softer or thicker. A noseband that holds the horse’s mouth closed in this situation is no more than torture as the horse has to put up with the pain on the roof of the mouth and the restriction of the noseband. I am not against nosebands as long as they are fitted correctly and used for the purpose they were designed for.

Make it a golden rule to always be observant to the horse’s reaction to the bit and to always look for any discomfort or problem in the mouth before trying different bits and nosebands. To work well the horse has to be comfortable in the mouth. Keep the bit simple and the horse comfortable, some horses instantly like a new bit, others take time to get used to it.

The above guidelines are a general rule of thumb. There will always be the exception to the normal rule and successful bitting sometimes means thinking outside of the square!

The horse that hangs its tongue out of the side of its mouth often in a relaxed fashion can still work forward to the contact, but it would be a serious problem if competing in dressage competitions. Horses that twist the tongue or have the mouth slightly open with the tongue pulled between the incisors tend to go ‘behind the bit’ and shorten and curl up at the neck to avoid the contact. Early intervention is necessary to prevent these things becoming a serious habit. The shape of the mouth and bit are the first things to focus on. Sores or ulcers in the mouth could also be the cause of bitting problems. The horse needs a light contact when ridden and/or when being lunged. If the problem is worse when ridden and/or does not happen on the lunge the rider’s hands and weight on the horse’s back/spine could be a likely cause.

Contact Jeanette for some free bitting advice