The Most Comfortable Horse Bit May Be The Only One You'll Ever Need
If you want your horse to go where you want to go when you are riding him, then you will need to use one essential piece of horse tack - the bit. The bit is basically a metal bar that sits in the horse’s mouth and hooks to the two sidepieces of a bridle. There’s all kinds of bits out there to choose from. But for the average horse owner, this bit is the most comfortable for your horse. And it may well be the only one you’ll ever need.
The standard English snaffle bit is simply two bars of metal linked together to form a bit long enough to fit comfortably in the mouth of your horse, with about a quarter of an inch extending from each side, like so…
Whether you ride English, Western, or you just have a buddy horse you like to ride trails with, the snaffle bit is the gentlest bit you can buy.
If you’ve only owned horses a short time and are just getting used to riding, the snaffle bit is an excellent choice. If you momentarily lose your balance and tug too hard on the reins, you won’t hurt your horse’s mouth as much as you would if you were using, say, a long-shanked curb bit (not shown).
Remember, the bit is there for the purpose of helping you communicate with your horse. You can give very subtle commands that your horse will pick up on. We’ll talk more about how to give subtle commands to your horse in coming issues, so keep your feed reader tuned right here, at Horse IQ.
Yours For Better Horse Care,
Sierra Lynch
horse horse bit horse tack snaffle bitTags: Horse Tack
