How to Choose a Bit

To conclude our Bitting Blog Feature which saw us feature a three part series of Questions and Answers regarding bitting we present our latest blog explaining how to measure your horse for a bit. Use a piece of smooth round wood, e.g. a wooden spoon handle or piece of doweling, and two rein stops (rubber bands can be used but are slightly less accurate.) Put the wooden rod into your horses mouth, so that it just lifts the corners of his lips into no more than 2 wrinkles, and push the rein stops up to touch his lips on either side. Remove the wood, and measure the gap from the outside of the rein stops to give the correct bit size including the right amount of clearance for the bit. If you are between sizes (e.g. 5 1/4"), it is normally better to choose the smaller of the two sizes (e.g. 5") unless opting for a loose ring bit when it can be advantageous to go slightly large to prevent pinching. So which bit should you buy for you horse? It can be a challenge to find the right bit for your horse however there are some conformational pointers you can look for that help to suggest what type of bit may suit your horse and narrow the search. Certain breeds of horse can be prone to certain mouth shapes for example cob types often have large tongues which leave little room for a thick bit to sit comfortably in. Thin bits are often considered to be severe, but if a horse has a thick tongue a thinner bit will allow the horse to relax and swallow where a thicker ‘kind’ bit would not, presuming the rider is competent enough not to need the reins for support the thin bit is actually far kinder to the horse! When examining your horses mouth, have a look carefully at the shape and anything that is different or unusual as even little things can potentially make a big difference to the way a horse will react in a bit. These can be such as; parrot mouth, a low palette, the presence of wolf teeth to name but a few! To receive one-to-one bitting advice for your horse contact The Saddlery Shop online and with our huge range of bits available there is sure to be something to suit every horse and rider combination.