More Than a "Bit" Better

I have never had a bit issue before. Yes, I've changed out a horse's bit in the hopes of getting better quality work, or in the case of my best endurance mare, getting brakes. But with Izzy, he was becoming unrideable in this snaffle.

Why would this be so unpleasant?

The thing with training horses is that when they do the "wrong" thing, it can be hard to know why. Are they expressing an opinion? Do they not understand? Are they in pain? And when they make the wrong choice rather suddenly, after having agreed with you for many months, their choice becomes even more of a mystery.

I've been using that same snaffle since day one - about a year and a half. A month or so ago, maybe six weeks, Izzy started to be a bit of a stinker about taking the bit when bridling. Gradually, it got to the point where he flat out refused to open his mouth at all.

That should have been a huge red flag for me, but he had taken that bit eagerly for so long that I assumed he was just trying to get the upper hand in a power struggle. I was wrong.

Slurps it right up.

For the first few days that I used the new bit, he was still reluctant to open his mouth, but over the course of a week, he gradually relaxed his jaw and allowed me to slip it in. Now he slurps it up all by himself.

I still haven't made the switch to the double bridle. There's a problem with the bradoon hanger which is a long story and completely my fault. Either way, I can't show with either bit set up. The correction bit is definitely not show legal, and I can't show below Third Level with the double. I'm going to need to find a snaffle that works if we are to get back in the show ring this spring.  

When I compared the two bits, the first thing I noticed was that the correction bit allows tongue relief while the snaffle does not. It restricts the tongue and collapses on the bars of his mouth. The center lozenge puts concentrated pressure on the tongue. Is that what bothered him with the lozenge snaffle, the lack of tongue relief?

​According to the 2016 USEF rule book, a double jointed bit or snaffle with rotating mouthpiece may be shaped to allow tongue relief. The maximum height of the deviation is 30mm from the lower part of tongue side to the highest part of the deviation. The widest part of the deviation must be where the mouthpiece contacts the tongue and must have a minimum width of 30 mm. 

Like this ...

I love the Myler bitting system because their bits address so many issues. When I studied the bits in their book A Whole Bit Better, I came up with a few options. The best choice seems to be the low ported barrel which offers tongue relief and releases when the horse relaxes at the poll (MB43LP). The height of the port satisfies the rule just fine at 1 inch/25.4 mm. While the measurement of the width of the tongue relief isn't listed, I know it's at least an inch wide. I have several other Myler bits, including the correction bit, and they all satisfy the width requirement.

This particular bit comes with "hooks," an opening in the cheekpiece to attach the bridle and or reins to make them stationary. Those are definitely not legal, but I don't have to use them. I am going to keep looking for this bit without hooks, but this bit might be acceptable to Izzy.

​If you have one for sale, let me know!