Proper Bit Placement
Proper Bit Placement A properly fitted bit and bridle are essential to good schooling. If you have to make a choice between too narrow and too wide, take both sizes and try them. You can make slight corrections in a narrow bit by lowering the cheek pieces. In too wide a bit, you can take up the cheek pieces or add bit guards. However, a word of caution: The overall effect of the height of the bit is most important. If you’re forced to compromise the fit in the width, choose the option that doesn’t change the height. In other words, if you drop or raise the cheek piece to create room or
take up slack in the bit, choose whichever one affects only the width, not the one that actually raises or lowers the bit. Of utmost importance is that you don’t allow the bit to hang too low in the mouth. Not only does this mean you need more rein pressure to influence the bit, you also run the risk of the horse’s teeth interfering with the function of the bit. If in doubt, you will do less harm riding with the bit on the high side. If it’s much too high, the horse will undoubtedly chew the bit uncomfortably while standing. Nice placement: These pictures show proper bit placement in terms of both height and width in the mouth. Note the one-totwo comfortable wrinkles created by the bit and that there’s enough width to allow the bit to protrude slightly beyond the corners of the mouth without allowing extra play that might cause the bit to slide across the tongue or through the mouth.
Correct Placement Too low, too wide: This bit is too wide for this horse, and it hangs extremely low in the mouth. The left picture shows that the bit will slide through the horse’s mouth if rein contact is uneven. There is barely one wrinkle created by the bit, and the right picture shows the amount of play created in the bit and cheek piece with even slight rein pressure.
Too Low, Too Wide
Jennifer Dillon Photos
Deceptive fit: The photo on the left appears correct at first glance. You see a comfortable wrinkle at the corner of the mouth, and the bit seems to lie comfortably, although slightly low. However, notice how close the ring sits to the sides of the mouth in the right picture. This bit is too narrow. Because this bit is too narrow, the check pieces had to be lowered to “create” more room in the width.
Deceptive, But Wrong
Horse Journal, February 2004
11
take up slack in the bit, choose whichever one affects only the width, not the one that actually raises or lowers the bit. Of utmost importance is that you don’t allow the bit to hang too low in the mouth. Not only does this mean you need more rein pressure to influence the bit, you also run the risk of the horse’s teeth interfering with the function of the bit. If in doubt, you will do less harm riding with the bit on the high side. If it’s much too high, the horse will undoubtedly chew the bit uncomfortably while standing. Nice placement: These pictures show proper bit placement in terms of both height and width in the mouth. Note the one-totwo comfortable wrinkles created by the bit and that there’s enough width to allow the bit to protrude slightly beyond the corners of the mouth without allowing extra play that might cause the bit to slide across the tongue or through the mouth.
Correct Placement Too low, too wide: This bit is too wide for this horse, and it hangs extremely low in the mouth. The left picture shows that the bit will slide through the horse’s mouth if rein contact is uneven. There is barely one wrinkle created by the bit, and the right picture shows the amount of play created in the bit and cheek piece with even slight rein pressure.
Too Low, Too Wide
Jennifer Dillon Photos
Deceptive fit: The photo on the left appears correct at first glance. You see a comfortable wrinkle at the corner of the mouth, and the bit seems to lie comfortably, although slightly low. However, notice how close the ring sits to the sides of the mouth in the right picture. This bit is too narrow. Because this bit is too narrow, the check pieces had to be lowered to “create” more room in the width.
Deceptive, But Wrong
Horse Journal, February 2004
11
