Race Horse Bits
I have done quite extensive work with Racehorses in Training and a variety of Ex Racehorses in the period of re training to move onto other careers and then some fine tuning when they are beginning to excel in a new event
I have done quite extensive work with Racehorses in Training and a variety of Ex Racehorses in the period of re training to move onto other careers and then some fine tuning when they are beginning to excel in a new event
Snaffles
It is important to remember that nearly everything about the tack of a Racehorse is completely different from a Riding Horse He or she will most likely have been ridden in a thick Hollow Mouth Loose ring Snaffle and have never been asked to take up a contact in walk and trot but have in effect galloped in to a strong contact in all fast work So all he knows is a soon as you shorten the reins that is the signal to go
I did once go to a yard where they only had five Nosebandless bridles and they got used on every set of Horses going out to work with the same German Hollow mout snaffle on every one
His saddle will have placed the riders weight forward just behind the shoulder blades and he will never have experienced sustained sitting trot or sitting canter
With these few things alone before we think about feeding exercise routine it is a very alien world to start them off in a new career
The choice of a snaffle I think should be kept as simple as possible unless you have a control problem the ones featured below although not a large selection are the ones I have been successful with over the years keeping comfort and good signals and reward to the fore
I did once go to a yard where they only had five Nosebandless bridles and they got used on every set of Horses going out to work with the same German Hollow mout snaffle on every one
His saddle will have placed the riders weight forward just behind the shoulder blades and he will never have experienced sustained sitting trot or sitting canter
With these few things alone before we think about feeding exercise routine it is a very alien world to start them off in a new career
The choice of a snaffle I think should be kept as simple as possible unless you have a control problem the ones featured below although not a large selection are the ones I have been successful with over the years keeping comfort and good signals and reward to the fore
Harmony D Cheek Snaffle
The Harmony mouthpiece actively encourages a horse to move towards and push his tongue forward to the contact .As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece wraps around the tongue and lower jaw, taking in the whole of the tongue the sides of the lips and the sides of the bars and the sides of the lips in a perfect hoop. As the Round Lozenge is the correct length and the joints are neat and non invasive the Horse should move forward into the contact. Both branches of the bit are curved forward to go with the shape of the Horses tongue and roof of the mouth a. Good young Horse starter Bit.
Very useful for Racehorses that have been bitted in a thick uncomfortable snaffle
· It has small neat joints
· no Large long plates or lozenges
· Gives you good flexing and turning signals
· Good for Horses that are very busy in the mouth
· Good for Horses that do not draw the contact forward
The D Cheek
is a really supportive cheek it has a flat feel against the horses face very useful in the training of young Horses as you are teaching them the basics of steering it allows the riders rein signal the be backed up with some additional but comfortable face pressure. Also very useful if your horse does several different disciplines such as Dressage and Jumping in the same snaffle bit it is a supportive cheek for balance and jumping turns and gives you a much more versatile range of signals for a combination of jobs.
The Harmony mouthpiece actively encourages a horse to move towards and push his tongue forward to the contact .As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece wraps around the tongue and lower jaw, taking in the whole of the tongue the sides of the lips and the sides of the bars and the sides of the lips in a perfect hoop. As the Round Lozenge is the correct length and the joints are neat and non invasive the Horse should move forward into the contact. Both branches of the bit are curved forward to go with the shape of the Horses tongue and roof of the mouth a. Good young Horse starter Bit.
Very useful for Racehorses that have been bitted in a thick uncomfortable snaffle
· It has small neat joints
· no Large long plates or lozenges
· Gives you good flexing and turning signals
· Good for Horses that are very busy in the mouth
· Good for Horses that do not draw the contact forward
The D Cheek
is a really supportive cheek it has a flat feel against the horses face very useful in the training of young Horses as you are teaching them the basics of steering it allows the riders rein signal the be backed up with some additional but comfortable face pressure. Also very useful if your horse does several different disciplines such as Dressage and Jumping in the same snaffle bit it is a supportive cheek for balance and jumping turns and gives you a much more versatile range of signals for a combination of jobs.
Symmetry Eggbutt Cheek Snaffle
this is the only one of my mouthpieces that does two completely different things if a horse is very busy in the mouth and is too light and needs to draw the rein forward this mouthpieces actively encourages a horse to move towards and push his tongue forward to the contact .As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece curves around the tongue the tongue evenly pressing the tongue down into the lower jaw. This mouth will be too exacting on this cheek if the Horse has a tendency to put the tongue over the bit. At the other end of the scale if a Horse is very heavy and solid on the bit the Symmetry often lightens them up as long as again there is not tendency to put the tongue over the bit
Very useful for Horses or Ponies that are uncomfortable with
· any sort of joint or joints
· any pinch or collapse to the mouthpiece
· or are very busy in the mouth
· or do not draw the contact forward
The Eggbutt cheek
means that the mouthpiece is solidly attached to the cheek piece which has the advantage of firstly making sure that the corners of the lips of the Horse are always comfortable as there is no gap between the cheek and the mouthpiece. Also because of this solid fixing the action is well defined as you apply rein pressure the signal to the Horse is quicker and therefore very clear.
this is the only one of my mouthpieces that does two completely different things if a horse is very busy in the mouth and is too light and needs to draw the rein forward this mouthpieces actively encourages a horse to move towards and push his tongue forward to the contact .As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece curves around the tongue the tongue evenly pressing the tongue down into the lower jaw. This mouth will be too exacting on this cheek if the Horse has a tendency to put the tongue over the bit. At the other end of the scale if a Horse is very heavy and solid on the bit the Symmetry often lightens them up as long as again there is not tendency to put the tongue over the bit
Very useful for Horses or Ponies that are uncomfortable with
· any sort of joint or joints
· any pinch or collapse to the mouthpiece
· or are very busy in the mouth
· or do not draw the contact forward
The Eggbutt cheek
means that the mouthpiece is solidly attached to the cheek piece which has the advantage of firstly making sure that the corners of the lips of the Horse are always comfortable as there is no gap between the cheek and the mouthpiece. Also because of this solid fixing the action is well defined as you apply rein pressure the signal to the Horse is quicker and therefore very clear.
Harmony Eggbutt Cheek Snaffle
The Harmony mouthpiece actively encourages a horse to move towards and push his tongue forward to the contact .As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece wraps around the tongue and lower jaw, taking in the whole of the tongue the sides of the lips and the sides of the bars and the sides of the lips in a perfect hoop. As the Round Lozenge is the correct length and the joints are neat and non invasive the Horse should move forward into the contact. Both branches of the bit are curved forward to go with the shape of the Horses tongue and roof of the mouth a. Good young Horse starter Bit.
Very useful for Racehorses that have been bitted in a thick uncomfortable snaffle
· It has small neat joints
· no Large long plates or lozenges
· Gives you good flexing and turning signals
· Good for Horses that are very busy in the mouth
· Good for Horses that do not draw the contact forward
The Eggbutt cheek
means that the mouthpiece is solidly attached to the cheek piece which has the advantage of firstly making sure that the corners of the lips of the Horse are always comfortable as there is no gap between the cheek and the mouthpiece. Also because of this solid fixing the action is well defined as you apply rein pressure the signal to the Horse is quicker and therefore very clear.
The Harmony mouthpiece actively encourages a horse to move towards and push his tongue forward to the contact .As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece wraps around the tongue and lower jaw, taking in the whole of the tongue the sides of the lips and the sides of the bars and the sides of the lips in a perfect hoop. As the Round Lozenge is the correct length and the joints are neat and non invasive the Horse should move forward into the contact. Both branches of the bit are curved forward to go with the shape of the Horses tongue and roof of the mouth a. Good young Horse starter Bit.
Very useful for Racehorses that have been bitted in a thick uncomfortable snaffle
· It has small neat joints
· no Large long plates or lozenges
· Gives you good flexing and turning signals
· Good for Horses that are very busy in the mouth
· Good for Horses that do not draw the contact forward
The Eggbutt cheek
means that the mouthpiece is solidly attached to the cheek piece which has the advantage of firstly making sure that the corners of the lips of the Horse are always comfortable as there is no gap between the cheek and the mouthpiece. Also because of this solid fixing the action is well defined as you apply rein pressure the signal to the Horse is quicker and therefore very clear.
Double Bridle sets for Racehorse moving into showing
Again I think keeping it simple is a good idea especially when introducing two bits when a Horse has not nessesarily been happy with one is sometimes very stressful
If you want the Horse to go foward and take the rein and be comfortble and sill the mouth choose the Harmony Bradoon on a Loose ring Cheek if it is super busy then the Harmony Bradoon on an eggbutt Cheek
If is has a stiller mouth and is a little heavy or strong in the hands pick the Response Bradoon but choose the Loose Ring Cheek
If you want the Horse to go foward and take the rein and be comfortble and sill the mouth choose the Harmony Bradoon on a Loose ring Cheek if it is super busy then the Harmony Bradoon on an eggbutt Cheek
If is has a stiller mouth and is a little heavy or strong in the hands pick the Response Bradoon but choose the Loose Ring Cheek
Harmony Loose Ring Bradoon
Response Loose Ring Bradoon
The Accent Weymouth has a definte feel to the under side of the port and allows the Horse a little more tongue room in the centre of the bit and the forward curve to the bar of the mouthpiece allows for jaw and tongue room behind the bit. As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece is pulled down onto the tongue pressing the tongue down into the lower jaw until it reaches the bars of the mouth, the tongue has plenty of room to move up and fill the space created by the port and the forward curve of the mouthpiece.
Very useful for Horses that are
· Have a still and at times heavy feel on the rein
· that need tongue room but in the centre
· that have gone heavily in a very thick mouthpiece with a low port and you are changing for more room and less bit and more yield
The Weymouth Cheek designed to work on three balanced pressures as the reins are used the Horse feels downward mouth pressure poll pressure and then these two pressures are balanced out by the chain or jaw strap moving onto the jaw to stop the first two pressures from over riding each other. It is crucial that the curb chain is set well so that the shank of the Weymouth only turns to about 45% and then the chain snugly tucks onto the jaw. Too tight and the Horse gets no release or reward and too loose and the pressures are unbalanced and the Horse will have to resist to escape. The correct mouthpiece should encourage the Horse forward into the contact and the three pressures control head frame, weight transferral and are your brakes! It is really important that the cheeks are the right length if they have been constructed poorly and not in balance then the bit simply does not work
The Accent Weymouth works best with the Harmony Loose Ring or Eggbutt if lighter and possibly busy in the mouth if the Horse is stronger with the Response Loose Ring
Very useful for Horses that are
· Have a still and at times heavy feel on the rein
· that need tongue room but in the centre
· that have gone heavily in a very thick mouthpiece with a low port and you are changing for more room and less bit and more yield
The Weymouth Cheek designed to work on three balanced pressures as the reins are used the Horse feels downward mouth pressure poll pressure and then these two pressures are balanced out by the chain or jaw strap moving onto the jaw to stop the first two pressures from over riding each other. It is crucial that the curb chain is set well so that the shank of the Weymouth only turns to about 45% and then the chain snugly tucks onto the jaw. Too tight and the Horse gets no release or reward and too loose and the pressures are unbalanced and the Horse will have to resist to escape. The correct mouthpiece should encourage the Horse forward into the contact and the three pressures control head frame, weight transferral and are your brakes! It is really important that the cheeks are the right length if they have been constructed poorly and not in balance then the bit simply does not work
The Accent Weymouth works best with the Harmony Loose Ring or Eggbutt if lighter and possibly busy in the mouth if the Horse is stronger with the Response Loose Ring
The Japan Finesse: the Japan Finesse has a slightly different Shank sizing than the Finesse and a 13mm diameter mouth has an upwards sweep to the mouthpiece this is only one of two mouthpieces in the range that does not have a forward curve when static but allows a little overall tongue room when ridden at the optimum working angle. It has a very definite action and a real lift to the Horses frame
Very useful for Horses that need
· a lift to the frame
· a lift to the shoulder
· a more confident feel onto the curb bit
The Weymouth Cheek designed to work on three balanced pressures as the reins are used the Horse feels downward mouth pressure poll pressure and then these two pressures are balanced out by the chain or jaw strap moving onto the jaw to stop the first two pressures from over riding each other. It is crucial that the curb chain is set well so that the shank of the Weymouth only turns to about 45% and then the chain snugly tucks onto the jaw. Too tight and the Horse gets no release or reward and too loose and the pressures are unbalanced and the Horse will have to resist to escape. The correct mouthpiece should encourage the Horse forward into the contact and the three pressures control head frame, weight transferral and are your brakes! It is really important that the cheeks are the right length if they have been constructed poorly and not in balance then the bit simply does not work
The Japan Finesse Weymouth works best with the Harmony Loose Ring or Eggbutt if lighter and possibly busy in the mouth if the Horse is stronger with the Response Loose Ring
Very useful for Horses that need
· a lift to the frame
· a lift to the shoulder
· a more confident feel onto the curb bit
The Weymouth Cheek designed to work on three balanced pressures as the reins are used the Horse feels downward mouth pressure poll pressure and then these two pressures are balanced out by the chain or jaw strap moving onto the jaw to stop the first two pressures from over riding each other. It is crucial that the curb chain is set well so that the shank of the Weymouth only turns to about 45% and then the chain snugly tucks onto the jaw. Too tight and the Horse gets no release or reward and too loose and the pressures are unbalanced and the Horse will have to resist to escape. The correct mouthpiece should encourage the Horse forward into the contact and the three pressures control head frame, weight transferral and are your brakes! It is really important that the cheeks are the right length if they have been constructed poorly and not in balance then the bit simply does not work
The Japan Finesse Weymouth works best with the Harmony Loose Ring or Eggbutt if lighter and possibly busy in the mouth if the Horse is stronger with the Response Loose Ring