How To Select The Best Bit For A Young Pony
When beginning to work with a young pony, (or when riding any horse in fact) the two most influential pieces of tack are the saddle and the bit. The saddle is important for definite reasons, but the bit regularly seems to be overlooked as being an equally crucial piece of hardware. The bit is one of the primary methods of communication with your horse in his early years. Since horses are nervous creatures, there’ll frequently be times when the bit will play an important role in controlling the horse. (Visit Cielo Cinches to learn about related cinches and girths.)
The selection of the horse’s first bits can form the horse’s full riding career, and a bad experience at the beginning may set up a lifetime of struggles. Some horses are more delicate than others. While one horse might be ridden using the wrong bit and endure it with no negative consequences, with a more sensitive equine it may take more time to resolve issues due to a poorly fitting bit. The very first bit you put in your horse’s mouth ought to be inoffensive and warm. It also should usually not have big rings, nor should it be of a cheek style that could easily catch or hurt the horse. If the bit is uncomfortable, the horse’s initial instinct may be to try to rub his mouth on anything he can in order to remove the offending article! A suitable bit would be a nylon loose ring snaffle. It is cheap to buy, it has a nylon mullen mouth so it is not cold and snug, and it has no moving parts to nip or shock the horse. The rings are also tiny and neat so there is minimal chance of getting ensnared.
The next step is choosing the correct bit for use when training the horse how to back up and ride away. The nylon snaffle is not acceptable for this use, as the mouthpiece isn’t reinforced and the little rings may drag through the horse’s mouth when you ask for a turn. I might always recommend the usage of a double jointed bit, which doesn’t have the pinching action of a single joint. You’ll want to avoid anything that can pinch the lips or hit the palette, since those are obviously not nice things for a pony to experience! A double joint will lay neatly in the horse’s mouth and allow space for the horse’s tongue, giving the horse a feeling of liberty instead of limitation. This mouthpiece should not be too thick – a thick bit is not as gentle as you’d think. Any benefit of a large bit is outweighed by not permitting enough space for the tongue, and large bits can frequently be responsible for causing lip splitting – especially in young tender lips. Plastic mouthpieces also have a confirmed habit of causing friction burns if the pony snatches or the bit is pulled thru the horse’s mouth quickly – a distinct likelihood with a mouthy pony. The mouthpiece should usually be made of a pleasing tasting metal, e.g. copper or sweet iron, as this will spur the horse to slacken his jaw and “make a mouth”. In other words, this will provide saliva to keep his mouth supple, comfortable, and responsive.
Finally, cheek selection is not so obvious, as it is in some measure reliant on the ability of the rider. A loose ring is good as it gives lots of sensitivity and movement. A loose ring allows for good communication, but this can work against you if you are unskilled and have less stable hands. The horse in this case will feel each little vibration thru the rein and might become perturbed rather than relaxed. A full cheek is a sensible choice for a beginner rider/novice horse. A full cheek ring helps spur the pony to turn by putting pressure on the cheek if the horse doesn’t turn with gentle force on the rein, and the solid style of the cheek ring is not as attuned to rider movement. For an experienced rider, a fulmer may be used, since you have the advantage of the loose ring for finer communication if steering is still a problem.
It must be kept in mind that any bit is only as good as the hands that are using it. Choosing the proper bit for your pony can make a tremendous difference when it comes to what amount of his true potential he will some day fulfill.
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