Need Info On This Bit! Is it good.. Please Reply! (PIC)

[¤KIWI¤]

Does anyone know anything about this bit? I have seen it is books, and it said it is good for horses with really soft mouths. What are all the different rings for, and how do they work differently? If the reins were on the biggest ring, second from the top, would this bit be any different from say an eggbutt snaffle or a full check? Is this bit really soft?

http://www.bcsaddlery.com/tbitm.img/5000.jpg

*thats the address to the bit*

[Wally]

Firstly there is no such thing as a good or bad bit. They are all as bad as the hands they are in.

I don't like this particular sort of bit much, I've never found a horse that likes it. It has huge leverage, the lower you put the reins the harsher it becomes. Some horses may go well in it, but I have seen them become a "fashion" item, folk use them without really needing them.

If your horse has a soft mouth then you shouldn't need a bit like that!

This bit is not a "kind" bit, it can have a very severe effect.

As a rule of thumb, a one ringed snaffle is not a severe bit, things with longer cheeks and joints tend to be more severe. (I'm not counting twisted snaffles and harsh cheese graters in the snaffles) However if the horse is uncomfy in a snaffle or has the wrong shaped mouth for a snaffle it is not a kind bit!

[ros]

It's a Three-Ring (or continental) snaffle. It's one of those bits that became fashionable not so long ago, but it isn't a mild bit and it's one you have to understand and be very careful with.

If the reins are on the top (largest) ring, the action is that of an ordinary snaffle. If you drop the reins down to the second or third ring you have leverage. The trouble is, you have leverage working in opposite directions - on the one hand it gives you poll pressure, but on the other hand it levers the mouthpiece of the bit upwards (like a gag) so you're giving the horse conflicting signals.

Some people say it works, but a lot of others (me included) wouldn't touch it with a barge-pole.

For a horse with a very soft mouth you need very sympathetic hands. If you're worried, just try a plain mullen-mouth snaffle - you can get a soft rubber version which is VERY mild.

[EventPony]

I am pretty sure its an elavator....my friend uses it on her horse

[Abi_2k]

I have my pony in a Dutch gag which is kind of the same thing and i find it fantastic, he is a very strong pony but i have found that he listens to this bit so after asking him to steady up once he doesnt need asking again thus allowing me to keep a very light contact on his mouth where as before i had to constantly have a strong contact on his mouth to stop his bolting off with me! This i think must be better for his mouth. I only use it on the snaffle, or the first ring if I'm going through fields or on busy roads, but never the bottom ring.

[taffy]

i once rode a pony who had that bit with a chain underneath and wen he galloped off i couldnt stop him, so i wouldnt recommend it on horses that bomb off.

[RingLass]

I once used a bit similar to the one you have provided a picture for and my horses did not respond to it well ... for simple schooling I would recommend a light eggbutt snaffle, if the horse has a tendancy to pull or lean into the bridle I would recommend a small twisted wire snaffle.

[fizz21]

Abi 2k


What is a Dutch Gag

[Wally]

Click on the link at the top by KIWI and you wil see a Dutch gag.

[fizz21]

Wally

[cvb]

In another thread I mentioned a booklet I had (freebie from Your Horse some time back) called A Bit of Magic which I found very useful in explaining bit action. The author is not very complimentary about this bit. The extra ring at the top means that it is not just a plain snaffle action if you have a rein on the big rein. There is some lever action. But because the mouth part is on a loose ring (not eggbutt), the poll action varies as you take up the contact - which could be very confusing for the horse.

Without the loose ring confusion, if you took off the bottom rings she proposes it would be similar (I think) to a Baucher style bit. So why not just use a Baucher instead ...

Then you add the botton rings and get even more confusing action going on...

However, I have used this bit and my pony really want well in it.

95% of the time he was fine in a loose ring snaffle. But when he wanted to go, he had no brakes. So I used the bit with 2 reins, and only used the bottom rein if I absolutely had to.

The only problem I ever had was one sponsored ride we went to by ourselves. He just wanted to catch up with the next horse the whole time so pulled continually. Then the action of the bit meant he just curled up behind it and I had absolutely no control. We never went on a ride by ourselves after that - at his advanced age (20's) he could do without the stress.

These days he's back in a loose ring french snaffle - now he's 29.

[Kiwismum]

This is a dutch gag, and is not a good bit for someone with uneducated hands.
It can be used as a stopping aid on a strong horse or in situations where you need to ensure full control in case of an emergency stop i.e.out hunting if the horse in front falls and you have to sop in a hurry.

Please note that no bit should replace correct riding, and the aids of the leg and seat will provide the control you need with the bit being just the insurance.

If you are looking for s gentle bit look more to the rubber snaffles, even a double jointed would be good.

[ilovebacara]

I use this bit on my horse! It is a dutch gag and the strengths really vary! If it is on the biggest ring then the strength is just a little bit stronger that a snaffle, the next one down is that same strength as a pellham and the bottom ring id the strength of a full blown gag! you only really need this bit if your horse has different moods! I use it in my horse cos she is a very higly srung mare and one day she will be chomping on the bit and trying to gallop off at any opporunity but the next day she would be as quiet as a mouse!! my horse dentist advised me to use this bit because her muscles have developed differently and this bit pulls down alot on the poll! Its complicated but if you are thinking about using it then check it out with your dentist first!! :)

[Dizzy]

Hi ilovebacara, can I ask what you mean by her muscles have developed differently?

Lesley

[ilovebacara]

well the dentist told me that because i was just using a jointed snaffle and she was a strong horse it meant that she was just invading any pressure that i put on her mouth. And because her teeth were uneven and sharp it meant that no matter how i tried to stop her she would just put her head down and run basically! This meant that because she needed to be able to pull her head down and just ignore the bit different muscles had developed in her mouth and her jaw. That is what he said anyway!!