How to Choose a Bit

Picking out a bit for a horse depends on the animal's experience and training, as certain bits are designed for younger, less obedient horses while others are designed for seasoned show horses. Find the right bit for a horse with help from the owner of an English tack store in this video on horse supplies.

Hi! I'm Tori Johnson with The Leading Rein and we're going to talk a little bit on how to choose a bit. Egan here has what you call a full cheek snaffle that's a happy mouth. A full cheek snaffle has the pieces that go all the way down like this, and it helps you to stir the horse a little bit better. This is a full mouthpiece and it's called a happy mouth because it taste like apple, and it's a really soft rubber. You would choose this bit for a horse that's young or one that doesn't have any problems with getting too quick, or anything like that. It's just a very nice bit that they say makes the horse pretty happy. This is what we call a loose ring snaffle. It's called loose ring because the rings can move so when it's in the horse's mouth and they chew on it, it moves and it helps them become a little bit softer in the mouth so they're not pulling on you. 'Cause if you have a bit that doesn't move, sometimes they can pull on the bit. You would use this for dressage mostly, and a horse that knows a little bit more than you would normally put one, say in a happy mouth bit. And Franchesca has a D-Ring. A lot of hunter jumper people use the D-Ring because this looks like a D, and it's legal to show in. It has a French link in the middle and it's made of sweet iron or copper, and the horse really likes the way it taste. And a lot of people like the link in the middle because it helps their horse to play within in their mouth, and just sort of move their mouth around a little bit more. So it doesn't get so stiff in the mouth.