BITS AND BITTING    Guidelines        Sweet Iron     Stainless Steel     Aluminum     Copper     Rubber        Snaffle bits     Curb bits     Order Bits and Bitting Video     One of the most frequently asked questions I get at our training facility is, "Which bit is the best for my horse?"   There seems to be a lot of confusion especially with new horse owners when they go to the local tack store to buy their first bit.  They find hundreds and hundreds of bits of every shape and design and instantly feel overwhelmed.  To fully discuss proper bitting, we probably need to start with the construction of the bit. Any bit that is used should fall within certain guidelines: It should be comfortable and not cause any unwarranted pain. Bits are used for communication. If your bit is pinching or doesn't fit, the communication will be blurred. A bit should be suited for the job you are trying to accomplish.  If you are trying to teach a horse something new, chances are the simpler the bit the better.  You don't necessarily gain more control with more bit. A horse's teeth must not be sharp and wolf teeth need to be removed.  Anytime soft tissue from the cheeks or tongue is being pulled into sharp teeth, there are going to be problems. Sweet Iron - Sweet iron is an old term used to describe mild steel.  It is called sweet iron because most horses acquire a taste for it.  One of the most important properties of sweet iron or mild steel is that it rusts a little.  This promotes salivation which serves as a lubricant. Stainless Steel - Stainless steel is used because of its superior strength and the fact that it retains a shiny appearance.  However, stainless steel does not promote a wet mouth.  Many bits that are made with stainless cheeks or rings have sweet iron mouthpieces to promote a wet mouth.  When a bit is hanging in the store it is difficult to tell which bits are stainless and which are mild steel.  An easy way to find out is to take a small magnet with you.  The magnet will stick to the sweet iron but not to the stainless.  If a bit has a stainless mouthpiece, I prefer it to be inlaid with strips of copper. Aluminum - Aluminum has been used off and on through the years, primarily to reduce overall weight in the bit.  It should not be used in the mouth.  Aluminum actually causes a dry mouth and a dry mouth can be a sore mouth. Copper - Copper is primarily used because it makes the horse salivate.  Some bits have mouthpieces made entirely of copper while others have just copper inlay.  Rollers are often made of copper.  Also, a copper mouthpiece that is made without any alloys to harden it usually is too soft and the horse can chew it up and make the bit too rough to use. Rubber - Rubber is used once in awhile when a horse's mouth has been damaged.  The feel of a rubber mouthpiece as opposed to a steel mouthpiece is "mushy" to a horse.  The rubber also has a bitter taste. Top of Page Snaffle bits - Snaffles consist of any bit where they pull from the reins comes directly off the side of the mouth, regardless of the shape or design of the mouthpiece.  Snaffle mouthpieces may be broken in one or more places, with the thickness of the metal varying greatly.  The smaller the diameter of the mouthpiece, the more bite.  The thicker the mouthpiece, the softer the feel.  The cheek pieces of a snaffle can vary greatly not only in size but also design.  Each difference means a great deal to the horse.  The smaller the cheek, the more it bites.  The bigger the cheek the more surface area covered and the softer it is on the horse. Because of the simple design of the snaffle bit, it is used to teach all of the basic maneuvers a horse needs to know.  Snaffles have been used for thousands of year and many horses never need to progress to anything different.  However, under certain circumstances, it is necessary to have more leverage or to simply do less as a rider.  Then is the time to move into a curb bit. Curb bits - Curb bits are characterized by the fact that a curb or chin strap comes into a leverage role.  The leverage is the difference between the shank and the mouthpiece stablized by the curb strap.  The longer the shanks, the greater the leverage.  Any bit regardless of how the mouthpiece is built, is a curb bit if it has shanks and uses a curb strap.  We see many curb bits with snaffle-type mouthpieces but they also have shanks and use curb pressure and are falsely called snaffles.  A curb strap can be used on a true snaffle bit but only to keep the bit from being pulled through the horse's mouth. Generally speaking, curb bits with a certain amount of tongue relief or a port are easier for the horse to adjust to than a straight bar mouthpiece.  Shanks can be of various lengths and shapes for different leverages.  Shanks that swivel are easier on a horse that fixed shanks.  Any port that is tall enough to touch the palate or the roof of the mouth is also a signal bit. It "signals" that something is going to happen before the leverage gets great enough to make it happen. When choosing a bit to use, remember the goal is to communicate what you want from your horse in the clearest way possible.  We expect our horse to translate our cues and we expect that to happen as quickly as possible.  The bottom line in choosing a bit is that how we use a bit is as important as the kind we use. Back to Articles Top of Page

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