What bit(s) do you use?

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What bit(s) do you use?

Postby Addicted2Chestnuts » Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:56 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#AS it says above, what bit do use on ur horse(s) for schooling or showing??? Do u change bits often or always use the same?? Also why is the bit u use effective for your horse?#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby amadeo » Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:57 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#French link. I hate using anything harsher, and since none of the horses that I work with now have ever been worked by anybody else, they have no reason to have a tougher bit than that. For the most part, we use a bitless, but since it's allowed for showing, we school back and forth between the french link and the bitless (not to be confused with a hackamore!)#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby Embiem3 » Sun Apr 03, 2005 10:02 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#My horse just goes in a 'D' Ring, nothing fancy. for hacks he either goes in the Mikmar or the Kimberwick just in case he gets strong. Showing usually just the 'D' ring as well#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby Lix » Mon Apr 04, 2005 6:57 am

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I use a big, fat,&nbsp;no-pinch loose ring.&nbsp;&nbsp; Not my favorite style (the rings look so big) but it was the only thing that was big enough for my mare at the store.&nbsp; It works fine on her though and I have no need to change it, specially not on the account of just 'looks'.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#If I had had the choice though, I would have chosen a D-ring as they have always worked well for me in the past.&nbsp; #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby PerfectAngel » Mon Apr 04, 2005 9:45 am

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I am a french link fan too, but I also like the copper rollers bits....Embiem, how do you find the Mikmar bits? They are so odd looking, but I've heard they're good.....#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby Azalee » Mon Apr 04, 2005 10:32 am

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I use a simple D ring from arena to hacking.&nbsp; I just like to keep it simple and never had a reason to "bit up" etc, although once I considered a French link when my horse was leaning on the bit.&nbsp; Worked through the problem before I got around to trying/buying one.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby stephanie1 » Mon Apr 04, 2005 11:12 am

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I use a loose ring on my guy when flating and lunging my greenie cause the ring allows a softer pull on there mouth as does the fatness of the bit its self.&nbsp; When riding the greenie I use a fat Fullcheck still soft in its self but the long pieces on the outside allow for better turning (something he is learning how to do. )LOL#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#No one has told why they use the bit they use.&nbsp; Do you all even know&nbsp;what the bit you use does and the purpose of it or do you use it cause you had it or someone told you to..&nbsp; Each bit pulls or pushes on a different part of the mouth and the ring on the outside does something as well so lets hear it.&nbsp; What does your bit do in your horses mouth and&nbsp;how does it work.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#As for bitting up just in case, I would never do that why put something in your horses mouth that is not needed could cause more harm than good.&nbsp; Ecpecially going from something soft to&nbsp; something so harsh.&nbsp; If it was to like a full check then ok.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby weehaw » Mon Apr 04, 2005 11:29 am

i use an eggbutt hollow mouth snaffle on my mare because its basic and it works. i used to have a full cheek on her but it seemed like too much on her mouth she would shake her head and fidget a lot. she still chews her new bit but listens soo much better. thankfully she doesn't have a hard mouth and she listens so i don't have to use a harsh bit on her.
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Postby PerfectAngel » Mon Apr 04, 2005 11:29 am

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Well, as for why I use the bits that I do, I use the french link on my filly because she's not quite 2 (I don't ride her, just lead her, etc. w a bridle) and she ahs a low palate, so if I use a bit with a link in the middle, it hits her on the roof of her mouth. I use teh copper rollers bit on my pony because (a) it fits her&nbsp;(b) she had a bit of a hard mouth when I got her and I find she softens up with the copper. I may change her later, but so far she likes this one. &nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby Mystic » Mon Apr 04, 2005 1:15 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I use a long shank straight bar pelham with double reins&nbsp;on my girl. Her owner rides her in a fat loose ring snaffle but then I'm doing a lot more than just simply hacking. I know the bit seems harsh but believe it or not my girl actually chose this bit over a bunch of others. I tried 3 or 4 different bits on her and this is the one she seemed the happiest with. I know what you're all probably thinking but the horse truly does like this bit. I have tried riding her in a snaffle and draw reins but that only worked the first ride. After that we had no brakes at all and that's what I need. Brakes. And the pelham gives me that. My girl is part Clyde so when she gets going it can be hard to stop her and that's the last thing I need in the jumper ring.&nbsp; The pelham actually lets me ride with a much lighter hand than I would in the snaffle and the curb rein is not usually used much except to remind her where her head should be and also to reinforce my stopping aids.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby xena_n_joss » Mon Apr 04, 2005 1:18 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I use a french link on xena for dressage. I use it because I used to use a reg snaffle on her but I just did not have enough control, so I switched to the french link which is more comfortable for her.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#For jumping or cross-country I will most likely need to move up to an elevator depending on how wicked she starts going. Shes quite a large horse and already gets excited when jumping. Im going to see about it though... it all depends. My coach might suggest something else anyways. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#But I would rather have a stronger bit then need to be hauling on my horses mouth.&nbsp;And any bit can be harsh if not used properly. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby stephanie1 » Mon Apr 04, 2005 1:31 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I agree with you Xena that any bit can be harsh if not used properly and harsh bit can be harsher and can break a horses mouth then you end up having to use it all the time.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Mystic if that bit is good for your horse more power to ya if you know how to use it I say go for it.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I used to have to ride a mare that I leased in a gag.&nbsp; It was my instructors horse and she was a crazy jumper very good just very fast and got into towing modes, so with the gag we sometimes just let her fight her self&nbsp; until she decided to stop.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby Mystic » Mon Apr 04, 2005 1:40 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Stephanie, my coach and I have actually had to school my girl in a gag once simply because she was refusing to stop and I was tired of having to run her into the walls. That was a one time occurance though and she's happy in the pelham. Originally we had her in a short shank pelham but my hand aids were getting lost because the curb rein was too close to the snaffle rein so we put her in the long shank and that cleared up a lot of problems.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I agree that any bit can be harsh if used in the wrong hands. Along with my horse's owner there is another lady that rides her but I'm the only one that uses the pelham as what I am asking of the horse is so much more complex than either of the other two. The pelham helps me not only stop but aides in getting the tighter turns needed in the jumper ring.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby stephanie1 » Mon Apr 04, 2005 2:13 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Mystic the mare that I use to ride I had to run into the wall as well but its kinda hard to do that when your outdoor ring has no fence around it. LOL#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I was once in the show ring and could hear my instructor yelling to me to run the mare into the fence after every line I did I didnt have the gag in her mouth at the time.&nbsp; LOL It was pretty funny to see all the spectators run out of the way.&nbsp; I guess they thought we were going over.LOL&nbsp; You gotta do what you gotta do even if its not pretty at times.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby Embiem3 » Mon Apr 04, 2005 2:47 pm

PerfectAngel wrote:#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I am a french link fan too, but I also like the copper rollers bits....Embiem, how do you find the Mikmar bits? They are so odd looking, but I've heard they're good.....#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;I love the mikmar on some horses, and HATE it on others. My guy absolutely loves it because it has the big copper( I think its copper) roller right in the middle. Hes a very oral horse so he plays with that bit like crazy. The bit is supposed to reduce pulling, but in some horses it actually makes them pull more. I should probably mention that the Mikmar I use is the 'D' ring one with the roller. Never used the mikmar with the nose rope tho, so I cant comment on that. I really only use it on my horse for hacks because it is really soft on his mouth( but keep in mind, it can be harsh in the wrong hands) and just because he likes to play with it.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby Mystic » Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:26 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Stephanie, I&nbsp; know what you mean although with my mare she actually would jump out of the ring as she will jump anything that is put in front of her and can easily clear a 4' vertical.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby *Giddy Up* » Mon Apr 04, 2005 9:53 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Zippy is ridden in a fat loose ring snaffle.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#She used to be in a copper roller D, but one day when some of the barn people were at a show and took my bridle, I had to use someone elses and used the loose ring. She responded much better to it- didn't fight it as much as the copper. So my coach suggest we make the switch to it. She's good and quiet in it, and doesn't fight so much when we're jumping and such like she used to when I would ask her to slow down, or bend. I like the fact that it's a very mild basic bit. Not too shabby for a TB eh? #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby amadeo » Mon Apr 04, 2005 10:06 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I use french links (d or loose ring, though we've got a couple eggbutts, too) because I, personally, believe they're a lot less harsh than even just snaffles-- but that's all up to personal view. (my view is that the way the snaffle folds causes more pain digging into the horse's mouth-- the french link gives the horse something to play with and logically wouldn't hurt as much when pressure is applied). #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I'd still rather use a bitless bridle, but with greenies, you sometimes just can't do that.. even though if a horse REALLY wanted to go, a little piece of metal wouldn't stop them, no matter how "harsh" it is.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby stephanie1 » Mon Apr 04, 2005 10:06 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#All the TB I have ever owned have gone in a loose ring.&nbsp; Not to shabby eh!!!!!!!!#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Postby Embiem3 » Mon Apr 04, 2005 10:36 pm

amadeo wrote:#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I use french links (d or loose ring, though we've got a couple eggbutts, too) because I, personally, believe they're a lot less harsh than even just snaffles-- but that's all up to personal view. (my view is that the way the snaffle folds causes more pain digging into the horse's mouth-- the french link gives the horse something to play with and logically wouldn't hurt as much when pressure is applied). #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I'd still rather use a bitless bridle, but with greenies, you sometimes just can't do that.. even though if a horse REALLY wanted to go, a little piece of metal wouldn't stop them, no matter how "harsh" it is.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;Your post just made me think about how much control we ( or most of us anyways) have over our horses. Like, I am amazed that more horses dont just take off and keep going. I mean, when you weigh 1200 pounds, 120 pound rider on your back, cant really do much to stop you.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#&nbsp;I feel the same way about french links and have used them on most horses. For some reason the horse I have now would rather go in a plain snaffle.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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