Most commonly seen on young or green horses still learning to bend and flex, as the long cheek of the bit puts pressure on the whole side of the face when pressure is applied to the rein. These horse bits also have the advantage of not allowing the bit to be dragged through the horses mouth if the horse opens their mouth wide or yaws a lot in resistance to the riders aids. These horse bits should be used with fulmer keepers which help to keep the bit safely in place against the cheek piece, and also have the added advantage of allowing the bit to exert a little poll pressure to encourage a rounder outline when pressure is applied.
The full cheek is the eggbutt version of this type of cheek, again more suitable for novice riders as less unintentional vibration will be felt by the horse. More experienced riders and more highly schooled horses often prefer the fulmer cheek, which has a loose ring (no chance of pinching as it is well away from the horses lips) so enables clearer communication between horse and rider.
Again, I feel it is important to look at these bits as a stepping stone or temporary measure wherever possible in order to make sure the horse and rider do not become dependent on the effect of the full cheek to make a turn. Once the horse has a good understanding of the seat and leg aids involved in making a turn, the horse should be schooled in an eggbutt or loose ring bit instead.
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