How to Choose a Horse Bit

The right tack and equipment is fundamental to effectively riding your horse. Therefore it is important to know how to select a bit for your horse. Bit selection is based upon what type of riding task you want to accomplish, the conformation of the horse, its temperament and the skill of the rider, the right bit can vary greatly from horse to horse. Not all horses will necessarily require the same bit. In fact, some horses may go best in a bridle that does not have a bit at all.


Bits have a variety of ways in which they function depending on the shape of the mouthpiece, the shape of the cheek pieces, how they attach to the bridle and reins and further the type of material they are made from. Any bit serves the purpose to create a clear line of communication from the rider’s seat out through the connection of the hand to the mouth of the horse where it influences through correct use and training the flexion and suppleness of the atlas and axis joints in the horse’s poll. The poll is the area directly behind the ears at the top of the neck.

The bit should not function as a device to produce pain or discomfort in the mouth in order to generate a response. Instead, the bit acts with just enough pressure to cue a muscular response in the jaw, poll and neck of the horse, which immediately alleviates the pressure signal of the bit. The release of this pressure is a form of reinforcement so that the horse knows it has properly responded to the command. That shaping of the horse’s body via the bit allows the rider to prepare the horse for other movements and to accept other aids from the seat and legs which then obtain the desired results of bending, turning, re-balancing, and stopping.

Step 1: Check For What is Legal

Depending on the discipline you choose to ride, hunter/jumper, endurance, western pleasure, working cow horse, endurance, dressage, or something else entirely, first go to the rule book of your activity’s governing body. In many cases for riders in the United States, that is the U.S. Equestrian Federation. Their website http://www.usef.org has a printable rule book. Riders in Olympic and World Class events held at the international level will need to consult the FEI or International Equestrian Federation rulebook. http://www.horsesport.org.

This will give you a list of available options from which to choose. While it is not unheard of for riders to train at home in a bit that does not fall within the legal guidelines, this is not advisable. If the bit is considered illegal for use in competition it is most likely due to the fact that it is either quite severe to even abusive, its also possible that the bit will act in a way that does not promote a desired response for the type of training that the horse will undergo.

Although fashion should be a final consideration, in disciplines that are very subjectively judged as in rail classes, a certain look is very important. For instance hunters are very rarely seen in loose ring snaffle bits. D-rings and full cheek snaffles are considerably common. Fortunately, these are very minor modifications to the feel and effect of a bit and a horse that is particularly fond of a certain mouthpiece can usually be fitted to that mouthpiece in both a D-ring and a loose ring.

Almost all finished western horses however will go in a curb bit, one with shanks that produces a leverage effect. This effect measures 3 pounds per inch of shank. This means that a bit with a 4 inch shank will produce 12 pounds of pressure in the horse’s mouth per every one pound of pressure applied to the reins by the rider. All snaffle bits however are direct action bits that relay a pound of pressure to the mouth per pound of pressure exerted on the reins. Therefore, the type of shank and particularly its length will effect its potential legality.

Step 2: Assess the Horse’s Mouth Conformation

As a general rule, bits that are thicker distribute their pressure over a greater surface area making the effect milder. However not all horses have room enough in the mouth for a bit that is thick. It’s important to take a look at the horse’s mouth before making the preliminary bit selections. Take a look at the mouth of your horse and answer the following questions.

- Does you horse have thick or thin lips?
- Is your horse’s tongue thick or average?

- Does your horse have a low or a high palate?

- Is there a lot of space between the incisors in front and the first molar or very little space?

- How wide is the horse’s mouth? (Use a piece of string, pinching one side of it between your fingers insert the rest of the string in the horse’s mouth holding it across the tongue as it would carry a bit. Be sure to pinch your fingers at each end of the string just flush with the corners of the horse’s mouth. Carefully remove the string and then measure that distance.) There are also commercial bit sizers available for ease and convenience

When checking these things, be careful when folding back the horse’s lips that you keep your fingers in the space between the forward incisors and the first molars. If you are unsure, this is a great opportunity to have your veterinarian give you input while they also check the condition of the horses teeth looking for sharp points or hooks and other important factors of dental health. Horses routinely need dental care and a lack of it can lead to painful issues regardless of the bit you select for the horse.

If a horse has thin lips and an average tongue, a very mild 18 or 20mm bit may be wonderful, but uncomfortable for a horse with a thick tongue. Horses with a very low palate might easily be poked in the palate by the joint of a snaffle bit when pressure is applied to both reins. A mouthpiece with a double joint is often a better solution for such horses. An example of a snaffle bit with center lozenge is shown at right.

A horse that will be wearing a curb bit and has a high palate with a thick tongue will likely need a curb with a higher port (the arch in the middle of the mouthpiece).

Sometimes when measuring for the width of the mouth, a horse will be a 5 and ¼ inches. Most bits run in half-inch increments. Go with a 5.5-inch bit. For loose ring snaffles, its also advisable to go slightly larger to reduce the risk of the bit pinching the lips. If you select a bit for your horse that has a fixed cheek piece like a curb or a D-ring snaffle, it can sit more flush to the corners of the mouth without the risk of pinching.

At this point, you should have a few bits which meet the legal requirements of your discipline are of a shape and structure that tends to do well with horses conformed like yours and are sized appropriately. Now it’s time to try them out and make any further adjustments.
Step 3: Try Out the Bit

Every horse is still an individual. Some horses despise pressure on the bars of the mouth while others are extremely intolerant of pressure on the tongue. Still other horses salivate readily when ridden yet others do not. Your horse may have had a bad experience with a prior rider or you yourself may still be developing the balance in your seat. Your horse may be a less sensitive creature with a lot of desire to push through pressure and go strongly.

Given this, you may choose to try bits that are slightly thinner for more effect or thicker to be softer when you inadvertently aren’t as soft as you need to be. While your horse may have a low palate and appear to be one who would like a double-jointed snaffle, such a bit puts more pressure on the tongue that your horse might not be so fond of. The only way to know for sure is to try a few options.
Take several days. If a horse has a violent or strongly disagreeing reaction of pushing the tongue outside the mouth, tossing its head or gaping the mouth away from the bit do not continue to try it. Move on to a different one even on that same day. However, if the horse seems generally agreeable to the bit ride in it a couple of times before trying a different one. Even go back to the bit a couple of times to compare reactions.
- Does the horse feel more supple to your rein aids?
- Is your horse rounding his back more easily and coming onto the bit with less effort?
- Does he salivate easily? If not, but all other criteria are wonderful you might want to try a bit that is made of a nickel free alloy, copper or sweet iron all of which encourage salivation.
- Does the horse keep a closed mouth with a properly adjusted bridle?
- Is the horse softly chewing at the bit in contentment or champing nervously at the bit as if he can’t get it to sit quite right?

These are all clues to let you know which bit he prefers. Only the horse can tell you which bit is the best fit. Ultimately the correct bit is the one that allows you to communicate the best with the horse in a manner that causes him to react in a calm and agreeable manner. No bit should create rubs, bruises, and sores on the lips or even worse, bleeding in the mouth.

It is important to recognize also that some horses are never comfortable with any bit in their mouth and a variety of bitless bridles and hackamores are potential options. Bits themselves though are neither cruel nor harsher than bitless options. An excellent rider can make a harsher acting bit feel soft in a horse’s mouth so long as it fits while a poor rider can make the mildest bit a device of torture.

Tips:
Start with the most mild bit with the shape and size to fit your horse.

If a horse is in between sizes, go slightly larger rather than too small

Always attempt to solve riding issues with instruction to improve your riding technique before opting for a more severe bit.