Bit question...?

Question

I would like to know which is milder, a snaffle or a french link bit?? I am looking into getting my horse a loose ring french link because I read it is milder than the plain loose ring snaffle. Also, my guy has a tendency of slightly opening his mouth when I ride. He will behave perfectly well while doing this, so what do you think could be causing it? I tried putting a flash on him, but the instant I got it to the proper fit he did not like it and threw up his head. Any help would be appreciated!

Answer 1

First off - putting any mechanical device on a horse to keep him from communicating with you (like a flash) does not solve a problem, it only adds to it and eventually you'll find yourself in a wreck.

Next, let's discuss how a bit works and what bit resistance is:

Bit resistance is any activity other than a horse holding the bit quietly in his mouth - throwing the head, getting behind the bit, putting his tongue out, chomping at the bit, running through the bit - these are all signs of bit resistance telling us that our horse doesn't like something about the way the bit feels in his mouth - and it means he's more focused on avoiding the bit than accepting it and focusing on the message you're trying to send him with your hands.

You want a quiet mouth, that's moist and a proper headset for you to communicate with him.

I suggest to you that harshness of bit isn't waht you should be focused on as a control tool - when a horse mis-behaving, getting a harsher bit is not the answer.

Now let's talk about bit mechanics.  I would like you to place your finger on the gum of your mouth on either side - the bottom, behind your teeth - press down hard and walk around ..... how's that feel?  Hurt?  How long can you walk around like that?

Now I would like you to place your finger in the middle of your tongue as far back as you can and press down again and walk around....how's that?  Hurt? Gag ya?  How long could you walk around like that before it became uncomfortable?

This is how bit mechanics work.  A two-piece snaffle bit, when engaged by the riders hands collapses in two, forms a point where the two halves meet, pulls back in the horse's mouth and further pressure on the reins drives the bit down into the horse's tongue.  It feels just like it did to you when you just put your finger on your tongue and pressed down - it's a terrible gagging feeling.  the horse can't move it's tongue back and forth to swallow and feels quite trapped until the pressure is released - with direct reins and heavy hands, the pressure rarely releases and the horse is in constant discomfort.

A 3-piece bit cannot collapse and point down on the tongue like a two piece snaffle, therefore is a milder bit.  The horse can move it's tongue and when you pull on the bit it feels only slight pressure on the tongue.

Let's go a step further and discuss the cheek pieces - loose rings are the least harsh - it takes a lot to engage the bit because the reins can slide right up to the headstall piece - there is little leverage to drive the point of a snaffle into the tongue.   D rings or fixed rings are slightly harsher because the reins can drive that point into the horse's tongue.  A bit with a fixed rings and hooks adds more leverage to the bit (the length of the ring part from the mouthpiece to where the ring curves) which can drive the point harder and quicker into the tongue.  Add shanks to the bit and you can see where the leverage becomes more and more driving that point quicker and deeper into the horse's tongue.  Longer shanks = quicker harsher message.

With all that said, I don't want you to think the point of the bit is a bad thing.  Bits must be handled properly in the horse's mouth to obtain the correct reponse to a communicated command via use of the bit (turning, stopping, etc.)  We start horses in snaffle bits because the message the bit sends is strong - then we gradually move to less harsh bits when the horse is trained to understand the communication we try to make through use of the bit.  It's like when you're a kid - you might act up and get a spanking (harsh) or get a timeout to learn your lesson - as you get older your parents don't have to spank you or give you time outs, you learn to understand and reason and you learn not to do certain things because they simply are the wrong thing to do.  You might have written on the walls with a pen when you were a kid - you might have gotten your hand slapped - but now that you're older you've learned that it's not good to write on walls with pens - adults don't have to watch you for this and correct you - you've grown beyond that.  When you are an adult, you remember your experiences as a child and (hopefully) you've learned them well enough that you don't do childish things anymore.

This is the same thing with bits - we teach the horse how to listen to our commands, when he's listening and responding perfectly, we go to a bit with less and less tongue pressure - one that's maybe got a port that communicates by pressure or movement on the bars of the horse's mouth which then brings the proper response without having to inflict discomfort on the horse.

It sounds easy, but it's not.  Our impatience gets in the way - we think what we're telling the horse he SHOULD be able to understand, but he doesn't.

The next time you ride - stop and ask yourself about every five minutes if you know what you're horse's mouth feels like with the bit you're using and the way you are using your hands.  The goal is to create lightness - the ability to get the proper response without a bit effort at getting the message across.

It's like how Pat Parelli teaches you how to teach your horse to move away from pressure.  Start by pressing your finger or hand using two ounces of pressure (a figurative term) against the shoulder or hip you want to move, no response? increase the pressure to 4 ounces, then slightly more pressure until you get the response you desire then immediately remove the pressure (which becomes the reward).  Before long, just a light touch to a flank will move a horse over.  The same theory should be used in bits - work with the horse to use less and less pressure and hand movement to get the response you need.

I hope this helps - there is a great tool out there provided by Myler Bits - a book and video on how bits work piece by piece.  The book is hard to follow - it's best to buy the book/video combo, watch the video then use the book for reference - it runs about $20 at your local tack store that sells Myler Bits.   Additionally some stores have a rental program where you can rent different bits to see which one works best for you and your horse.  Mylers aren't cheap - they have the best engineering and are made of the best stuff for the horses and they offer the greatest selection.  I would suggest this video to anyone wanting to learn about bits - although they are geared to make you buy Myler, they are very good at teaching bit mechanics - and you can then make inferences about all types of bits you see - you start to immediately feel on your tongue and gums what you think your horse would feel if he had a certain bit in his mouth.

If possible, I'd suggest Buck Brannamans' books the Faraway Horses and Believe - he's got some great stories in there and a few of them about bits - he's a horse man that controls his horses with very mild bits in the harshest of disciplines - like polo and WOWs the best Polo players with his little cowpony and simple bit without flashes or nose pieces.  Sorry so long - I wish every one thought about what they put in their horses' mouths and understood waht the horse feels from it.

Answer 2

i use an O ring snaffle or a hackamore

Answer 3

the mildest bit i can think of (at all, ever, in the world) would be a french link eggbutt  because loose rings can tend to pinch the "smiles" round a horses mouth.

what bit are you riding in at the moment? is it a loose ring because if it is then that may be the cause of the mouth opening.

try a grackle, they are better than flashes because they allow the horse to breathe through its nose instead of having to open its mouth which is almost impossible to do in a flash anyway so flashes are quite crule really.

thats all i can suggest really.

good luck.

Answer 4

its not necessilary milder but its just safer for your horse...the single jiont of a snaffle can bend upward and hit the soft pallate of the horses mouth and basically the purpose of a french link is to prevent that.A bit that does not have a proper fit or a snaffle that is hitting the soft pallate can cause him to open his mouth in attempts to aviod the pain...i would not suggest a flash or any of the like as it is pointless if the proper and safe fitting bit is in place...so just go with with the avg. non restrictive bridle.

Answer 5

id get a snaffle, but a twisted snaffle.

its more for pleasure riding so its easy on the horses

Answer 6

In my opinion, the french link is milder. My field is heavily involved with studying dentition, oral cavities, hard palates, etc. (as well as a number of other things) in humans not horses, mind you. I've found through testing it out while in my horse's mouth and feeling around carefully as you activate the french link, there is minimal action on any one area of the mouth and the action that occurs is evenly distributed. Whereas a jointed snaffle, also very mild, acts more aggressively on the bars and less on the tongue, though still fairly evenly. If the jointed snaffle is for whatever reason activated in a quick fashion, it breaks at the joint abruptly and bops the bars and if the horse has a shallow palate can bang up against the bone. Again, speaking in 'mild' terms overall . I also learned that the french links because they have the three pieces and are mild for the horse may/can promote a horse to start leaning on the bit, especially if the horse is in any way prone to do so. Fwiw.

Some horses do not like broken mouth pieces. I know a horse right now that tosses her head in a broken mouth piece and doesn't in a three piece bit. Opening the mouth and head bobbing are both considered evaisions that can arise from discomfort or unhappiness.

ADD: Twisted snaffles are not mild bits

galloppal ~ the cherry rollers on the new bit I just got don't (not that I've experienced so far anyway), but I have a sprenger full cheek (my preference as well!) french link and two different professionals told me the french link absolutely does. Horses just love to lean on it. Explains a bit about my experience looking back...

ADD: Yes, full cheek with cherry rollers is the new bit. Very interesting when you hold it in your hand and check it in his mouth. It's not conducive to him grabbing a hold of it because it has movement (kind of like a life of its own, molding to his oral movements), so it's not as rigid as a traditional french link. On the other hand, it isn't completely collapsible like you'd find on a waterford, say, or anywhere in the realm of harsh like a wf. Interesting bit really.

Answer 7

A french link is a type of snaffle bit, and the french link is thought to be milder by some since it won't hit the roof of the mouth.  Others think it is harsher due to the additional joints.  Either way, a snaffle with only one joint, or with a french link are both fine.  I personally prefer a full cheek snaffle for it's stability (can't slide through mouth) and it assists in turning the horse.  Either mouthpiece you describe can be purchased with a full cheek.  If you get a copper mouth bit the horse will salivate more, and I'd lose the flash and work on training him to accept the bit.  Be sure his teeth don't need work....that could be a cause for head tossing.

Freedom Rider....Really?  The rollers Promote leaning?  that's good to know!

ADD....is the new bit a full cheek with cherry rollers???  Also, I had read somewhere that they encouraged leaning, but I usually have to hear it from more than one source before I believe it....I'd forgotten all about it until now....so now I believe it, proving that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!!!!

Answer 8

Instead of switching bits you might try putting a little corona ointment on the corners of his mouth to soften them up. This has worked great for me in the past.