Shank length on a bit?

Question

can you tell me why their are different shank lengths on a bit? My trainer said I needed to buy a correctional bit with 7 inch shank....there are so many different types out there and I am confused...any info would be great thanks....she is being used for western pleasure

Answer 1

Okay first off a 7inch shank can be severe and hurtful! I would start working you horse in a short shank snaffle. The key to training is the less severe the better! A snaffle offeres more flexion, and softness. Corrective bits have not worked for us. They just avoid the problem, but do not fix it.  Hope this helps!

Answer 2

well shank length determines how severe the bit is on the horse. the longer the shank, the more severe the bit is..

but seriously.. you have bigger problems. you need a new trainer if she/he is telling you to use a bit with a 7 inch shank. your horse will absolutely hate you for making them endure that kind of pain. they will not enjoy working for you and it will show. That kind of bit with only make him/her get a hard mouth and be less responsive to bits.. dont mess him/her up by making them get a hard mouth [meaning it takes stronger bits to get a reaction out of them]. seriously.. NEW TRAINER NOW! she/he will start picking up bad habbits to show her frusteration that will look bad and she/he will NOT be a happy horse.

Answer 3

You should follow your trainers advice.  No one here knows your horse and how far along she is.  If your trainer told you to buy a correction bit with a 7 inch shank you should do it.  Chances are if you buy something different it not only will it be the wrong choice, but your trainer will be quite peeved with you.  Your trainer knows your horse, she knows your riding level, and I would take her advice over all these people here (you don't even know who you are talking to on this thing... you could be taking advice from a complete bamboozle *i.e.  the person who said that no leverage bit is a good bit.  They just either don't understand the concept behind the finished bridle horse or they have seen it misused.  She also obviously doesn't do much showing.)

Moral of the story- if your trainer told you to do something (assuming she is a reputable and responsible trainer of course) and you trust her to know what is good for your horse then you should do it, if it doesn't work then you can work together to try something different.

Answer 4

There's direct rein ringed snaffle which the only pressure that is applied is directly to the bars and roof of the horse's mouth.

Then there are shanked, leveraged bits (Also known as CURB bits).  Now the shank can be one or two inches long (Such as a kimberwick, can vary from a snaffle (ringed), to a 1" shank, to a 2" shank.) to the VERY long shanked bits.  

There's a store named Arney Saddle Shop, in Castro Valley, CA that has a 3' shanked curb bit on their ceilling as a conversation piece.  When they showed it to me, I told them "That would put a 'WHOA' on something!" and laughed.

The shank applies pressure to not only the roof of the horse's mouth, but the bars like a snaffle, but then, it also applies pressure to the pole of the horse's head behind the ears and the pressure of the curb chain on the chin of the horse's head.  The longer the shank, the more pressure it applies.

Although a 7" shank sounds HARSH to those who ride English, actually it's standard for bits like Quick, Visalia and Garcia to have 8" shanked bits for western riding.

AND the best rule of thumb I can give you is that "A bit is only as harsh as the hands at the end of the reins."

Answer 5

Bits are like fishing lures, to lure the buyers in. A long shanked bit is for heavy mouthed horses, but if you do not use a tight curb strap, or chain, with it make no difference. We keep long shanked bit and mean bit out of the hands of new riders, they can ruin a horse mouth in a minute. Look at all the horses that work great with a regular curbed bit or snaffle.  Look abound, you do not see the riders that are using hackmore and bosal having any trouble with there horses. Maybe your horse need a little more training than a long shanked bit, and I do hate to say this but look at what other trainer are doing.  It use to be that a long shank bit like the one you may be talking about, was called a Walking Horse Bit, You would put your horse up on the bit, and tuck his head a little when you pushed him in the his gates.

Answer 6

I would recommend NOT using Any kind of Shank bits. The Shank pinches the horse when you pull back or steer.

I use Hackamore bits alot for english and western riding.

Snaffle bits are my other choice. You can use any other bits but I would try not to use Shanks! I know that leaves rashes and blood behind of where the horse bites down. Check out this website below. I looked it up for you. Here are some good choices of bits but don't  any of the choices of shanks on this website! Good luck with your horse...

Answer 7

the longer the shank, the more leverage the bit has. leverage bits put pressure on the poll when the rider pulls on the reins, plus the tongue, cheeks, and bars of the mouth (depending on what type of mouthpeice is on the bit). leverage "correction" bits are used to control headset or in some cases stop a horse from getting their tongue over the bit, or give the rider a little more stopping power. leverage bits can be a great tool in the hands of an expert, but VERY dangerous in the wrong hands! inexperienced riders can easily pull a horse up into a rear and cause the horse to flip over with a leverage bit.

**there are only two "types" of bits.. leverage and direct pressure. leverage bits have a shank and usually a curb strap or chain to increase the pressure on the mouthpeice (reins hook to the shank)... direct pressure bits dont (rein hooks directly to the mouthpiece, by way of a ring or D) snaffle type bits are usually direct pressure, while curb types are leverage. all of the bits on the market fall into either direct pressure... or leverage. there are some new combination bits out there that can be either direct pressure or leverage based on which adjustment you hook the rein to

Answer 8

Bits vary from those with no shanks, called snaffles, to bits with shanks anywhere from less than an inch to several inches.

Even the slightest shank adds leverage and has the effect of a vice on your horse's delicate mouth tissue.  I'm not going to write a dissertation to explain my reasoning...I will only tell you that you are with the wrong trainer....any idiot can call him/herself a trainer.  No legitimate trainer would ever be telling you to purchase such a device...which means your trainer is an idiot.  Find a trainer who tells you to find the mildest bit made and you'll be on the right track.

ADD...I can't imagine why such a bit would be suggested in

           training for western pleasure.

Answer 9

The longer the shank the more pressure you can put on the bit.  The shanks act like levers.  The 7 inch correction would give you a LOT more stop and would tend to pull her head back and up a little (though in part that depends on how you ride).

One thing you need to learn is how to be soft in the hands.  When the bit is not being used to make a correction it should be loose in the horses mouth.  This includes going straight and during turns.  A turn is not a correction unless the horse is hesitating.

Every once in a while a horse that is trained to know what to do will decide to stop listening, or become sluggish in their response.  A correction bit in the right hands will correct this in a hurry.  In the wrong handds I have seen horses go over backwards because the bit bites in to hard and for no reason other than the rider does not realize they are still pulling on the reins.

You do not need to be an expert to use one but I would expect your trainer to give you proer instruction before he/she turned you loose.  

All in all I agree with the poster who said that we are just seeing a snap shot and do not really know the horse so it is your instructor's advice you need to follow unless and until he/she gives you a reason not to.

For those that think at only curbless snaffles should be used...

A shanked bit has saved me and my horses life on at least one occassion.  

I have seen more sore mouths from a snaffle than I ever have a curbed bit, since a horse will fight a snaffle and the rider too often saws the reins.

and...

The number of trail horses I know of that have been completely ruined by the snaffle because the horse learns that while a snaffle is in its mouth, the rider can do little to force the horse is remarkably high.  Many of those horses learn to buck, roll, rear, or in one of the worse cases run at full gallop to a gate, then make a right turn and deliberately throw the rider into the gate.  

Keep snaffles in the arena.