Waterford bits - anyone got any experience with them?
- Thread starter Jo_1280
- Start date
They're not really gentle at all. Their design is engineered to stop horses leaning on the bit or just setting themselves and tanking off. It's fluid movement means some horses who like a mobile mouthpiece sometimes go very well in them but they can also often make horses back off the bit *because* it's so fluid.
I've used them for remedial cases (usually the Neck Of Iron types who just run through the bit and ignore you) but would personally always aim to come out of it once that problem is solved. Gelfy wore on for a few months til he learnt he couldn't just charge off and is now in a happy mouth straight bar - proof they can and do work.
I've seen some people saw on a waterford and that is hideous. You're basically dragging chain across the very sensitive bars of the mouth.
So, I guess in summary I'd say they can be very useful, but not a bit I'd want to use for and great length of time (especially when they can cause so many horses to back off or drop behind the bit).
I've used them for remedial cases (usually the Neck Of Iron types who just run through the bit and ignore you) but would personally always aim to come out of it once that problem is solved. Gelfy wore on for a few months til he learnt he couldn't just charge off and is now in a happy mouth straight bar - proof they can and do work.
I've seen some people saw on a waterford and that is hideous. You're basically dragging chain across the very sensitive bars of the mouth.
So, I guess in summary I'd say they can be very useful, but not a bit I'd want to use for and great length of time (especially when they can cause so many horses to back off or drop behind the bit).
My ex used to use a waterford on his baby (4yo) who had been overworked in draw reins in his previous home and learnt to lean on the bit (leading to a very strange head position). It did work wonders on him, but I would have preferred it if he had switched to a milder bit after he had learnt to work properly but hey ho 
I have a Waterford hanging cheek - a lovely bit - its a Dewsbury Kangaroo metal - & I bought it years ago & it cost a bomb!! Dewsbury used to advertise it in the endurance mag of the time as "a bit of magic"!! its beautifully made & horses go well in it! Beware of the cheaper Waterfords - they are often not as fluid in movement due to not very well manufactured links...! I put a pair of rubber rings on mine so it couldn't be pulled through the mouth.
I used one for a while. Ziz always used to lean on the bit and tank off whenever she could out hacking. It really worked well, she really liked it, was relaxed and went really well. I didn't want to keep using it permanently, so went back to a loose ring french link snaffle after a few months.
The day I swopped the bits a friend took me out hacking across fields and I had my first canter outside the school on Ziz in about 3 years. No problems at all.
The day I swopped the bits a friend took me out hacking across fields and I had my first canter outside the school on Ziz in about 3 years. No problems at all.
Some horses ignore it and still lean and as already mentioned it then becomes like a chain across the bars of the mouth. Rosie didn't get on with hers 
That said, there's a girl on the yard that has one and it's transformed her horse *shrug*
That said, there's a girl on the yard that has one and it's transformed her horse *shrug*
My big fella goes in one, the neck of iron type bit made me smile cos that just describes my horse 
He still leans on it but his old owner used the waterford and draw reins so I think that has caused the problem to be worse. I have it in a gag but use the snaffle ring for general work and 1st gag ring for faster work or jumping. Never on bottom ring though.
Am trying him in a myler combination at the mo though, he goes lighter on the hands in this but I have a brakes issue, i.e having to stand up in stirrups and brace my whole body against him to stop kind of issue
so think we are back in the waterford at the weekend
Some horses like them, some find them too much, just be careful if you try one for the first time cos if they find them too much they can be prone to rearing to get away from it. So if you try one, remember, incredibly light feather hands to start off with. They are quite a severe bit although they kinda look quite nice.
He still leans on it but his old owner used the waterford and draw reins so I think that has caused the problem to be worse. I have it in a gag but use the snaffle ring for general work and 1st gag ring for faster work or jumping. Never on bottom ring though.Am trying him in a myler combination at the mo though, he goes lighter on the hands in this but I have a brakes issue, i.e having to stand up in stirrups and brace my whole body against him to stop kind of issue
so think we are back in the waterford at the weekend Some horses like them, some find them too much, just be careful if you try one for the first time cos if they find them too much they can be prone to rearing to get away from it. So if you try one, remember, incredibly light feather hands to start off with. They are quite a severe bit although they kinda look quite nice.
lilythepink - why do you think they are a severe bit?
I think as long as you don't saw on the bit and pull it through your horses mouth then it's quite gentle, no nutcracker action like a single jointed snaffle and with no rein pressure it will just lay in the horses mouth following the contours of the tongue and palate because it's so flexible.
Some people if they haven't seen one in person think they are like a bicycle chain, but really they're not. The links are round and smooth. You can also get cherry roller type waterfords where the mouthpiece is literally a row of linked cherry rollers. If you squeeze it tight in the palm of your hand it's very smooth and forgiving.
I think as long as you don't saw on the bit and pull it through your horses mouth then it's quite gentle, no nutcracker action like a single jointed snaffle and with no rein pressure it will just lay in the horses mouth following the contours of the tongue and palate because it's so flexible.
Some people if they haven't seen one in person think they are like a bicycle chain, but really they're not. The links are round and smooth. You can also get cherry roller type waterfords where the mouthpiece is literally a row of linked cherry rollers. If you squeeze it tight in the palm of your hand it's very smooth and forgiving.
I used to use a gag waterford on my old boy Jack, he used to just grab hold & lean with anything else, it worked for us.
I used to have a problem with Joy leaning on the bit and not wanting to stop or wanting to go into canter rather than remain in trot. She was basically a riding school horse when I got her. She was only ever mainly used in the school and was excited to be a hacking horse and out having fun.
I went down the waterford route but used it as a remedial bit and never saw it as a long term option.
I combined this with very long hacks so she never knew how long we'd be out for and would be more inclined to pace herself.
Also if she decided to try tanking off and we were in a safe place then I'd push her on when she wanted to stop. This made her think twice. What started out being a jolly on her part was soon equated with being bloody hard work
Once I felt she'd learnt that tanking off was going to result in hard work and she stopped trying then I tried her in her old bit again and never needed to go back to the waterford.
She now doesn't lean or tank, in fact I now have her in an unjointed bit which isn't recommended for horses that lean, that should say something about the success of what I'd tried!
However I do think that it wasn't just the bit that was responsable for this. It was doing very long hacks and having the guts to push her on past the point where she wanted to stop when she'd tanked off that stopped the tanking behaviour.
I think the change of bit was great for stopping the leaning although it has been know for horses to lean into discomfort. I have since changed her mouthpiece from the original french link she came to me in to an unjointed low ported one. That bit would be a disaster for a horse that was prone to leaning.
I went down the waterford route but used it as a remedial bit and never saw it as a long term option.
I combined this with very long hacks so she never knew how long we'd be out for and would be more inclined to pace herself.
Also if she decided to try tanking off and we were in a safe place then I'd push her on when she wanted to stop. This made her think twice. What started out being a jolly on her part was soon equated with being bloody hard work
Once I felt she'd learnt that tanking off was going to result in hard work and she stopped trying then I tried her in her old bit again and never needed to go back to the waterford.
She now doesn't lean or tank, in fact I now have her in an unjointed bit which isn't recommended for horses that lean, that should say something about the success of what I'd tried!
However I do think that it wasn't just the bit that was responsable for this. It was doing very long hacks and having the guts to push her on past the point where she wanted to stop when she'd tanked off that stopped the tanking behaviour.
I think the change of bit was great for stopping the leaning although it has been know for horses to lean into discomfort. I have since changed her mouthpiece from the original french link she came to me in to an unjointed low ported one. That bit would be a disaster for a horse that was prone to leaning.
No, the low port unjointed one isn't the best idea for leaners as it gives them something fixed to lean against if that makes sense
i tried the pushing jay on idea but it never worked with him, hes a ex hunt horse so it was all just part of the job for him.
hes not in his waterford right now as i really needed a slightly bigger one, the 6 was a bit too snug, so hes in a french link dutch gag.
hes not in his waterford right now as i really needed a slightly bigger one, the 6 was a bit too snug, so hes in a french link dutch gag.
We have used a waterford for the last 6 months until today.
I had a leaner, combined with strong neck and 2/3 of a tongue. My boy loves his, if it were dressage legal I'd prob not really look for an alternative.
But it isn't, and it doesn't give him the solidness to work up into the bridle. So today we went for a NS hanging cheek.
Will let you know how we get on. But we will be orgering an NS waterford jumper or waterford beval/wilkie for jumping! As he is very happy in it
I had a leaner, combined with strong neck and 2/3 of a tongue. My boy loves his, if it were dressage legal I'd prob not really look for an alternative.
But it isn't, and it doesn't give him the solidness to work up into the bridle. So today we went for a NS hanging cheek.
Will let you know how we get on. But we will be orgering an NS waterford jumper or waterford beval/wilkie for jumping! As he is very happy in it
my boy came with one, i used it once then gave up on it, i hated it! had been reading up on what action they take etc. and i felt so mean pulling on his mouth with it. he clearly didn't appreciate it either and goes much nicer in his dutch gag, or his enormous fat snaffle if we do dressage.
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