English bit question, which snaffle bit is harsher a dee ring or eggbutt?

Question

what is the pro/con of a dee ring? what is the pro/con off a eggbutt? what's the difference?

Answer 1

Hmm so far the answers have been all over the place and not very clear. And they have all missed some key elements to this question.

A snaffle bit is what is called a direct pressure bit. That means for every one pound of pressure the horse feels 1 pound of pressure. Unlike a leverage bit which multiplies this pressure.

Now there are still other things that determine how harsh a bit is.

The thickness of the bars (mouth piece) for one. If it has thin bars then it is harsher because this applys more concentrated pressure. If it is thicker it is milder because it applys pressure in a wider place.

But then with eggbutts you can get what is called a hollow mouth. The mouth piece is hollow, which is suppost to be nicer except it is so light the horses don't hold onto it like they should and it clanks into their teeth and does not perform what it should.

Then you have the cheek pieces. The actual D-ring or Eggbutt.

A D-ring has to purposes.

1. To turn the horse. Because of its flat sides it puts pressure on the horses face to turn them. Like a Full cheek.

2. Purpose two is it gives you a bit of leverage. When riding the rein sits on the bottom of the bit and acts like a kimberwick when pulled on applying poll pressure-this is why it is used by performance people-to get horses heads down and racers (it is also called a racing D) to encourage the horses head down so he can run faster.

An Eggbutt

Is one of the typlacly milder bits and was really popular until the 3 peice german silver snaffles came along-which are more milder.

Not all three peice snaffles are mild tho. Just the ones with peanut shapes as the middle peice.

I would suggest a thicker eggbutt but not a hollow mouth. It is mild and works well on most horses.

I how ever have retired mine for the mildest bit there is a loose ring KK. It works wonders on all horses.

I use it on all mine and have watched other put it on their runaway heavy mouthed horses and really like the change. I use it for dressage, cross country and gaming. It is a great bit and you should look into it if thinking about doing english riding- for it is a much nicer bit then the eggbutt or D ring.

Hope that helps

Answer 2

The dee because you can get an egg butt in really wide widths which are less severe than the typical dee ring.

Answer 3

Come on you guys, the D bit is commonly used for horse racing. It is designed so it can not easily pull through the horses mouth in a race. It has straight bars on the side of the mouth so it cant pull through the mouth and is a D shape so it can not get caught up on anything at the start of the race etc etc. Its a bit like a tom thumb that it puts pressure on the side of the mouth and cant pull through, but, the D ring cant get hooked up on anything because of its ring shape. Sorry if I sound repetetive.

The eggbut is almost the same. It has egg shaped rings, which you can also buy in a flat ring so it does not cause so much pressure. If it is an eggbut snaffle with big rings it should not pull through the mouth. Eggbuts come in many types, thin and thick mouthpieces.

If you have a horse that can be a bit stubburn, try a D ring bit as it can push on the side of the mouth to tell the horse to turn and should not pull through.

If your horse is pretty good, eggbutts are the way to go. Dont get a mouthpiece that is too thick otherwise it is uncomfortable for the horse. You imagion having something so big in your mouth. Thin mouthpeices are only good in light hands. Get a small to medium mouthpeice eggbutt snaffle with flat rings.

That my opinion, cheers, Jane

Answer 4

They are pretty much the same.  Try both and see what you like.

The D allows somewhat less range of motion with the reins.  Eggbut allows the reins to slide further as it is more of an Oval-shape.  By "allowing the reins to slide," I basically mean it will allow for more curvature in the horses neck, more bend at the poll.  For instance, some who ride dressage use eggbutts but never D's.  D's are used more in jumping/hunters.

For jumping, either D or egg.  For dressage, I prefer loose-ring, but egg is ok.

Answer 5

i dont know but i ride english with a dee

Answer 6

Eggbutt is harsher

Answer 7

i dont know what your asking but pro means good con is bad

Answer 8

I depends on the control issue with your horse.  By Harsher do you mean more effective control?  The Eggbutt is the better of the two but is a good Idea to look in to the problems that you may be possiably having then decied what bit will work best.  It may very well be someting diffrent such as a twisted snaffle or even a dogbone snaffle.