How Western Bits Work in a Horse's Mouth
Updated September 14, 2023
In this video with Robb Thomas of Reinsman Equestrian, he explains how different kinds of western bits are designed to work inside a horse's mouth. He describes how bits provide pressure on the horse's mouth and poll to solicit aids from the rider, as well as gives tips on bits for sensitive horses.
ROBB THOMAS: Hi, my name is Robb Thomas.
I'm with Reinsman Equestrian.
And we're going to talk a little bit about bits and bitting today.
This is really where the fun and the conversation begins. There are many mouthpieces out there. Reinsman makes several hundred different styles of bits - combinations of mouthpieces and cheeks.
We're going to start with a snaffle bit and a two-piece mouth. So you can see how this snaffle bit would sit in a horse's mouth. It's got good pressure across the tongue, even pressure across the tongue and across the bars. As the rider engages the reins, the direct pressure on the bit, you get more pressure across the bars which is going to signal the horse that an action is coming, that a reaction needs to take place.
On a three-piece mouth, for example, it lays nicely across the horse's mouth. You've got pressure across the tongue, you've got pressure across the bars. But, again on a curb bit, as the leverage takes place, we're starting to get a little bit of tongue relief, we've got pressure across the bars, we've got additional pressure from the curb strap engagement underneath the chin, and then the poll pressure from the headstall.
All of those pressures combined, that leverage on the curb bit is going to solicit an action and then a reaction within the horse, and then in the horse's mouth.
This bit actually sits inside the horse's mouth. It's got tongue pressure, it's got bar pressure. But as you engage the bit in the horse's mouth, you can start to see we're getting tongue relief, we're getting more pressure across the bars, we're starting to get pressure in the palette - the upper part of the horse's mouth. The curb chain will take effect, and then the poll pressure from the headstall.
Again, we're soliciting an action for a reaction.
In a hackamore, we have no mouthpiece. We have no feature inside the horse's mouth. Obviously the nose piece sits on the horse this way. When you engage the reins, you get pressure across the nose. You get pressure from the curb chain, curb strap coming tight, and you get pressure from the headstall.
Most two-piece mouths are usually in the 3/8 of an inch range diameter for horses. You can get some thicker, you can get some thinner. The thicker the mouthpiece, the more surface area it covers on the horse's tongue and across the horse's bars, therefore the gentler it will be to the horse. The thinner the mouthpiece, obviously would be a little bit more concentrated on its pressure, a little bit more severe.
This is an example of a two-piece twisted mouth. This has a slow twist to it. The slower the twist or the less number of ridges and valleys, we're going to be able to disperse that pressure over a wider area of the horse's tongue and bars. The more twists we put in there, the more peaks and valleys that we have, the more severe the mouthpiece will be.
The more you actually break a mouthpiece, the more surface area it's going to cover, the gentler it's going to be on the horse's mouth. So here we've got a three-piece design. We've got a little O-ring or a life saver in the middle with the two pieces that run across the bars. This is going to do a number of things. It's going to provide relief to the tongue, it's going to put pressure on the bars. It's going to solicit a different reaction. You can actually work one side of the horse's mouth versus the other side. If you're trying to get him to bend or lift a little bit more to one side or the other, this bit will help promote that type of an action, while leaving less of a direct signal to the other side of the horse's mouth.
This bit has a little bit of a gag action to it. The gag actually signals the horse that something is coming before the action takes place. As the rider pulls back on the reins, the cheek slides signaling the horse that something's coming before it stops and actually engages within the horse.
Here's an example of a chain mouth. This mouthpiece actually provides great pressure all the way across from end to end. All the way across the tongue and both bars.
For more information on bits and bitting or any other Reinsman products, please contact your SmartPak Customer Care team or visit them at www.SmartPak.com Have a great ride.