DISPATCH SIX: A BIT ABOUT BITS (Part 1 of a Series)

I like bits like some people like watches and some people love shoes. I like them a lot and I like a lot of them.

I used to not care so much. Like many people, I just used what I had, used what was given to me, used what I saw everyone else using. However, somewhere in the back of my head, there was always this thought: “I’m never going to advance until I understand bits and bridles.”

So, about six years ago, I decided to jump into the depths of understanding bits and bridles. Six years doesn’t make anyone an expert. Learning is a continual process and often includes taking a step back and learning more. Falling down a rabbit hole is one thing. Falling down a rabbit hole on a subject that has so many offshoots is like falling down THE rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland is another.

I have a decent-sized collection of bits. I’m always looking for ways to add to it. My wife is always looking for ways to keep me from adding to the inventory.

“We can’t live in a bit, Tommy.”

She’s right. We can’t live in one, but I do live for them. When you really start educating yourself on these pieces of finery, it begins as a bit of fun. Then, it gets serious. The next thing you know, it’s an obsession. Well, for some people, anyway.

We’ve all heard it: “The only bit a horse needs in its mouth is a snaffle.” These days, some folks don’t want you using a bit at all. That’s cool. Whatever works for you, and if your horse is happy, I’m happy for you.

One of the most common objections I hear from people about some of the bits hanging in my tack room is that a particular bit looks “harsh,” that it has “too much metal,” and I get asked if I would “want that hanging in your mouth.”

My responses are generally “it isn’t,” “it’s not,” and “hell no, I’m a human, not a horse.”

Honestly, I, too, once thought that certain bits were “harsh” or didn’t have a place in training.

Wait a sec. . .I still think that’s true. There are certain bits that are harsh and some that have no business near a horse’s mouth in the sense of “training.” (Because not all bits are training bits.) For example, there are bits whose purpose is to cause pain. Not “discomfort,” but the intention, no matter how educated the hand, is pain. I find them highly unnecessary. There are bits that aren’t to be used for “training,” either. Rather, those bits are meant for finished horses.

Whew. This is going to be rough.

You know, my dad always told me, “Never discuss religion or politics” in mixed company. It was good advice. Although I feel I should probably add “. . .bits and feeding programs” to that list and shut up now.

Hear me out—just because a person sees a lot of metal doesn’t necessarily mean that the bit causes pain or discomfort to the horse.

Some of my bits have a lot of metal, and to the untrained eye, it appears that they might cause pain.

For example, I have a bit with a mouthpiece that has a simple 2-inch port and a cricket in the center, and a loose cheek. It’s my horse, Pete’s “favorite” bit.

I promise - it's not a torture device!

By “favorite,” I don’t mean he likes or dislikes it in a human sense. He doesn’t nicker for it like he does over the sound of grain hitting feed bucket. What I mean is that out of all of the bits I ride him in, from a schooling snaffle to a bosal, he performs well in this particular bit. He is relaxed; he’s supple; he’s chill, “packing” the bit, occasionally rolling the cricket with his tongue. (Rolling the cricket induces a saliva response, which makes a softer and supple mouth.)  He carries the bit in a comfortable position, his jaw relaxed. Does that sound like abuse or pain to you?

With this particular bit, Pete has less to worry about when asked to perform. He knows we’re going to work. Relying more on the aids of my seat and lower leg, Pete will respond with precision to subtle cues from my hands if needed. The less Pete has to worry about when asked to perform, the better we perform in the roping pen. Even though sitting on a table or hanging in the tack room, the bit looks like it would interfere with his performance, it actually helps. He can focus on his job, I can focus on mine. I’ll stop with my seat, but I’ll slightly pick up my hand as a last cue for a stop in the roping pen. He never objects. He never throws his head. He just squats and stops.

That’s a long-winded way of saying that something that looks like a torture device is actually something that causes more stress to a human than it does my horse – which is none at all.

I honestly think that a lack of understanding of how any given bit is supposed to work can make it appear harsh.

Also, I’m not negating snaffles, either. I love snaffle bits! But keep in mind that a snaffle can be just as “harsh” as, say, a leverage bit in the wrong hands. I have witnessed more horses bleeding from the corners of their mouths from a snaffle in the hands of unbalanced, tense, or fearful riders than you could imagine. There is a difference between “connection” via the bit and “hanging on.” (Which is a subject for another day.)

Of course, this leads to the most common defense of many bits: "It’s not the bit. It’s the hands.”  While that remains true, my thought is that if you are so inclined, you can always educate your hands instead of saying, “That’s a harsh bit. I’ll never use that.”

But if you aren’t inclined, that’s ok too.

Any bit in the wrong hands can become an object of torture.

I don’t prefer one bit over another. What’s changed is my understanding of how to use them. Every bit was made for a reason, even if it isn’t for everyday use. It doesn’t matter what the bit is; it only matters that it’s used properly.  

I train my own horses in different bits and bridles because I want them to have some versatility about what goes in their mouth. My Argo will go in anything from a halter with the lead rope for reins to a simple war bridle, to an egg-butt snaffle, to a stiff port-leverage bit, and she’s content in all of them. That won’t be true for every horse, but it's true for her.

 That’s what’s fun about experimenting with bridles! All six of those horses will go in different bridles, but not one of them goes in the same group of bridles the others do. I mean, they’ll go. . .but they’re happier in some than others. 

 Lastly, I feel that there are different bits for different occasions.

As Denny Emmerson once said (and I may be paraphrasing here) “When it comes to bits, it’s all about context.”

You’re more than likely not going to use a plain snaffle as you and your horse rocket through a 4* cross-country course, where your riding demands a bit that provides control but doesn’t hinder forward momentum. You’ll use something that allows you to be heard over the noise of all that adrenaline. This same horse might scoot along just fine in a plain snaffle in a different setting, but when the flags are flying on cross-country day, a bit change is probably in order.

Or sometimes, you do use a simple snaffle. (We aren't running a course. Just jumping for fun.) Tommy & Cricket

 Once again, this is a topic that should probably be avoided in “polite company,” like politics and religion. We’re not all going to agree on every aspect of the topic of bits and that’s fine. I wasn’t always of the opinions I have now, but after taking a deep dive and working to try to educate myself on these tools, I’m happy with my choices. Most importantly, so are my horses.