Wonder bit: mild, severe, just right?

[Unbridled]

Ever since I got Sugar I've been riding her in a Wonder Bit on the advice of my instructor, who loves them. For those of you who don't know, this is what a Wonder Bit looks like: Wonder Bit (http://www.countrysupply.com/products/sku-WBE28.html)

I know that this bit is a "gag" bit but my instructor keeps saying that it's actually a very mild bit because it gives the horse a "warning" before coming in full contact with its mouth. Therefore, with soft hands and a responsive horse, you should actually be able to ride with very light contact. Sugar seems to go fairly well in it, although I have noticed that sometimes she will raise her head with even light contact as though she is trying to evade the bit (this usually happens when she is being told to go somewhere she doesn't want to go, ect.). I've mentioned this to the instructor and he says it's because she's stubborn and that he isn't concerned about the bit.

One of the ladies at my barn rides Dressage (I ride western) and she noticed my bit on day while we were hacking out and expressed surprise that I would want to ride in a bit so harsh. She said that Sugar raising her head is a sign the bit is uncomfortable to her and that she doesn't like it. She suggested getting an Eggbutt snaffle as it is a "kinder" bit.

Would it be worth it to try an Eggbutt snaffle on her? I don't really have the money to be throwing it around on bits that she might not like, but the idea that this bit is harsh bothers me. She can run through this bit (like all horses can run through any bit) but the one time she did I got her under control, so I'm not worried about having less control with a milder bit. I just don't want to change bits until it's necessary. What do you guys think? Is the head-raising evasion from discomfort or just stubborness? I've also seen her open her mouth on occasion, usually when I back her up, but this is only occasionally so I'm not sure if it's because of the bit or not. Please, everyone with an opinion reply! :)

P.S. Her teeth were floated 3 weeks ago and the vet said they look great, overall, so I'm pretty sure this isn't a dental issue.

[sidesaddlelady1]

Gags aren't harsh if you use them on two reins and only use the gag rein when you need a bit of extra control. Having said that ALL bits are severe in bad hands. The "English" or "Cheltenham" gag on two reins is more popular with many horses than a "dutch" gag.

Don't like the sound of the "wonder bit". So-called sweet iron that oxidises (ie corrodes) and supposedly tastes nice, like copper mouth-pieces, actually tastes so vile it's no wonder that the horse froths at the mouth. Also if the iron is corroding it's probably becoming rough to the touch which could make it uncomfortable for the horse. Incidentally, copper is poisonous which is why copper saucepans have to be lined with another non-corrosive metal.

Personally, I prefer loose ring snaffles to egg-buts as there is a more precise connection with the horse. Schools tend to use egg-butts because they are less precise than loose ring ones and beginners don't confuse the horse so much and because they are gentler on the lips in "hammy" hands. Make sure a loose ring snaffle is not so tight a fit that the joint between the mouth piece and the ring pinches the horses lips.

Does your local tack shop have a bit trying service? Many small tack shops do and the proprietor may be able to advise you.

[sidesaddlelady1]

By the way, don't be tempted to use a flash or any similar noseband to tie her mouth closed. They are the invention of the devil and I have never, in 52 years of riding, met a horse or pony that actually needed one.

Unfortunately, it becomes increasingly difficult to buy bridles with simple cavesson nose bands due to the fashion for flash nosebands but I would rather remove the noseband completely from a bridle than allow a flash anywhere near a horse I was riding.

[Janette]

A bit is only as harsh as the hands that hold the reins - or so the saying goes. :rolleyes:

[galadriel]

I strongly dislike the "Wonder Bit." The action can be very confusing to the horse, which makes it more harsh than the rider intends. Any pressure on the reins at all engages this bit; you don't have a warning before you use the bit, you have contant pressure on the horse's mouth and poll, unless you have *absolutely* loose reins.

PErhaps the dressage lady would be willing to loan you a few bits to try. A snaffle bit is used very differently from a gag type bit, and your horse may prefer it. However, a snaffle mouthpiece (single joint) is unpleasant for some horses, so you might be better off with a bit with a solid mouthpiece or with two joints. It would be worth experimenting before buying a new bit.

Here's a good article which talks about contact on a snaffle, and how the snaffle can be made to give a "warning" before you engage the bit:
http://www.horse-sense.org/archives/200104201932.phtml

[Unbridled]

Thank you for the replies. :)

Sidesaddlelady: Don't worry, I would never put a flash noseband on my horse. Aside from the fact I ride western (without a noseband at all) I also like to use as few artificial aids as possible. This was something taught to me by my NH instructor, which is why I'm confused by his insistance that this bit is "the only way to go." As for the Dressage rider, I think the reason she suggested an Eggbutt is because this is what she likes to ride in. I'm going to ask her if I can borrow hers to see if Sugar likes it. Our tack store has a strict "You try it, you buy it" policy. I had to drive an hour to another store when I bought my new saddle because the local shop doesn't even let you return saddles if they don't fit. :eek:

Galadriel: Thanks for the article link. I'm pretty sure I can borrow the Dressage lady's bit, but my instructor also told me that if I want to try a loose-ring snaffle all I have to do is move my reins from the Wonder Bit's shanks to the O rings and it would work just the same. Is this true? My bit does look like a loose-ring, single jointed snaffle with long side shanks, and if I can adjust it to try that way I'd like to so I can see how she goes without spending money. I hate to sound like a cheapskate, but I've already spent quite a bit on tack and supplies lately and my bank account needs time to recover from the hemmhorage. :o

[Katie_85]

For the type of riding you doI would say that a WB is probably a "no". But as Galadriel saw when she and Miriam came for a visit and rode Stormy, on gaited horses who don't require the same contact, the WB is quite a useful tool.

[Dizzy]

Katie, would you explain why the bit isn't suitable for Appy, and why its sometimes useful for gaited horses.

[Katie_85]

Because we don't ride with the same type of contact or with the same goals in mind. Where an Appy that is used for Western will be encouraged to keep a level to low headset, a Walking Horse is encouraged to keep his head up and in. For the most part, you don't touch a Walking Horse's mouth. The reins look to be tight (well, tight as in not flopping about) but in reality the horse is setting his head there without the rider holing it in place. The wonder bit is so effective on pacey horses especially because as they swing in the back, they must also nod their heads in time to their footfalls. The bit tells the horse "up and in" in one bump of the riders hands. (When timed correctly with the head nod). While Walking Horses are started in regular D or O ring snaffles, as they progress up, most do much better in a shanked bit. Although they will perform their gaits reasonably well without the shank, as they move on towards being finished mounts or up in their show careers, bits like the Wonder Bit allow the rider to give much more precise signals. Of course, it would be foolish to put a WB in the hands of a novice, but in the hands of an experienced TWH rider who knows exactly when and how to ask the horse in relation to their footfall and head nod, the Wonder Bit is quite and effective tool.

Stormy that Galadriel rode was 9 when she rode and she is a Spotted Saddle Horse. Stormy uses a WB because that's what she's happy in. She is finished and knows her gaits without constant help from the rider, and since Galadriel and Miriam are both experienced riders, I had no worries about putting that bit on that horse for either one of them. It was the easiet was for both the horse and rider to communicate.

Now, just like everything else, there isn't one thing that will work for everything. Racking Horses, for instance, are probably not a good fit for this bit. True Mountain Horses are usually better in something else as well. The Wonder Bit is only one of many that work well on gaited horses. We have to use trial and error just like everyone else.

[galadriel]

my instructor also told me that if I want to try a loose-ring snaffle all I have to do is move my reins from the Wonder Bit's shanks to the O rings and it would work just the same.

Not really. Partly the weight of the shanks will interfere quite a lot with the rein aids. Partly the cheeks of the bit do not attach directly to the ring on the mouthpiece, as they would in a true snaffle.

There is a type of snaffle called a "hanging cheek" or a "baucher" that has an attachment like the top of a shanked bit. Here's an example (it's upside down):
http://www.salemsaddlery.com/Korsteel_Baucher_Bit_p/12960.htm

An o-ring or an eggbutt has the cheeks attaching directly to the ring of the bit, and it does make a difference to the action of the bit. I tend to prefer eggbutts, myself, and a horse who's anxious about the action of a bit may prefer the more stable motion of the eggbutt; an o-ring is much more mobile in the mouth.

Either way, you may wish to experiment with *mouthpieces* as well as types of cheeks--there are more than just single jointed snaffle mouthpieces, and some horses respond better to a different mouthpiece.

You can get a mouthpiece with no joint (mullen or ported) like these:
http://www.salemsaddlery.com/Korsteel_Loose_Ring_Solid_Rubber_Mouth_Bit_p/2580.htm
http://www.salemsaddlery.com/Korsteel_Mullen_Mouth_Eggbutt_Bit_p/3107.htm
http://www.salemsaddlery.com/Happy_Mouth_Shaped_Mullen_Loose_Ring_Bit_p/10756.htm

or a mouthpiece with two joints (french link, "bean") like these:
http://www.salemsaddlery.com/Korsteel_French_Mouth_Full_Cheek_Bit_p/10340.htm
http://www.salemsaddlery.com/Dee_Ring_French_Link_Bit_p/2544.htm
http://www.salemsaddlery.com/Sprenger_KK_Conrad_Ultra_Eggbutt_Bit_p/15321.htm

And you can get the various different kinds of mouthpieces on any kind of cheek, like the o-ring or eggbutt, or also d-ring or full-cheek, as other examples.

[lost]

they have to or they can not gait properly. the wonder bit works off the poll

[Katie_85]

lost- Not all WH's have to use this bit. And if they can't gait without it you have a problem. The bit shoudln't make or break the horse's gait, it should only enhance it by giving you a better way to communicate with the horse.