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*Training  of all breeds Specializing in Gaited Horses.
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*Short story about Bucky, the miracle mini.
Visit HorseSense HorseManship website. Located in Central Alberta.  www.horsesensedk.com
*Training  of all breeds Specializing in Gaited Horses.
*Experienced teaching horsemanship lessons for people of all abilities.
*Experienced horse hauling.
*Available to travel to your home.
*Workbook for young people
*Training manuals including Gaited Horses and Saddle Fit.
*Short story about Bucky, the miracle mini.
Visit HorseSense HorseManship website. Located in Central Alberta.  www.horsesensedk.com

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The Snaffle Bit. Simple but effective.

By HorseSense, on May 22nd, 2010

Horse bits are a very important ingredient in the success of the horse and rider’s relationship .  Literally dozens if not hundreds of different types of horse bit can be purchasedso understanding how they work and how they can address your problems is critical to your relationship with your horse .

Horse bit types are broken down into different categories based on the features they have and how they control the horse. Within such categories are sub-categories where the action of the bit is adapted or added to by extra attributes such as the material the bit is made from .

At the top level of our horse bits categories typically we see Snaffles and Curb bits.  The term Snaffle covers quite a broad category of horse bits exhibiting a single common principle in that they allow control of the horse via direct force from the rider by the pulling of one or both reigns.

Physically all Snaffle bits are formed from a straight bar or mouthpiece with rings connected with different degrees of freedom to move at each end. The bit sits in the horse’s mouthresting on the gums not the teeth, in the space behind the front incisors and the molars behind sometimes refered to as the “bars”.

These two main features of the Snaffle are key to the way the bit behaves .  The mouthpiece can be in one solid piece or it may be “broken” or jointed in the middle . Solid mouthpieces often come made in moulded rubber or vulcanite which is kinder to the horse and often used for young horses whilst they are being introduced to the bit . The jointed bit results in the mouthpiece breaking when the reins are pulled inducing a “nutcracker” effect on the horses tongue which provides the control.  The joint can be a single break or it can be two breaks resulting in the mouthpiece forming a “U” shaped instead of a “V” shape. This modification can give the horse’s tongue more room and can also be kinder on the roof of the mouth.  

The severity of the action of the mouthpiece may be increased by changing the mouth piece from being a smooth material such as stainless steel to using twisted pieces. The effect on the horse can be drastic and as a responsible owner always be very mindful of the welfare of your horse and seek expert advice ensuring the problem you are trying to solve is in fact addressed by such a bit . 

Remember there is a balance between being too soft on the horse and not firm enough. Choosing a “soft” solution can lead to bad habbits that are then more difficult to address later on and being too harsh can cause the horse pain and discomfort and is just bad in every way.

The rings positioned at each end of the mouthpiece of the Snaffle are how the mouthpiece connects to the reins . Whilst simple in concept they still come in different forms giving you many different options and provide varying types of control to your horse.  To introduce you this variety we will introduce some of the more common ring features seen on snaffle type horse bits.

Loose Ring Snaffles are where the rings connected to the mouthpiece are allowedto rotate and move back and forth and as such tend to prevent the horse from fighting against the bit and encourages the horse to chew and eventually relax .  One downside to loose rings is that they can pinch the horse’s mouth and get pulled through the mouth.  That brings us to Fixed Ring Snaffles which are not free to rotate but can move back and forth.  The Eggbutt and the D-ring Snaffle are popular examples.  They have “D” shaped rings rather than “O” shaped and the straight part of the “D” functions to help prevent the bit being pulled through the mouth, ie. if forms a brace against the side of the mouth in both directions.  The Eggbutt has a slightly softer edge to it’s “D” and is therefore kinder to the horse’s mouth.

The fixed ring effects can be further enforced by using a Full Cheek Snaffle Bit where there is a vertical piece of metal on each end of the mouthpiece as well as the ring. This piece provides a larger surface area in contact with the mouth sides compared to the D-Ring and EggButt and often to help it stay in the vertical position “keepers” are used to hold it in place. Not only do full cheeks bit pull through they can provide a mild leverage effect and also encourage the horse to move in the direction required.

This is just a brief introduction to the features of Snaffle Bits.  As you can see by careful understanding of your horse’s behaviour and how to control him you may find a snaffle  to suit your needs.

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