What you need to know about the Anatomy of Horse Bits
Part 1 in our 3 part series on Horse Bits
Have you heard of horse bits but are confused about what they are and how they work?
If you’re going to be riding your horse, chances are you’ll need a horse bit of some sort! Horse bits are made up of 2 or 3 components depending on the type of bit.
They have a mouthpiece and, with the exception of loose ring bits, a cheek piece at each end of the mouthpiece.
Snaffles, pelhams, and gags also have bit rings. Curbs don’t. In addition, pelhams and curbs have curb chains or straps.
Sound confusing? Read on and we explain everything you need to know about horse bits.
Horse Bits Mouthpieces
The mouthpiece of the horse bit is the part that goes inside the horse’s mouth and provides the contact with the rider’s hands. It can be made of different materials, including stainless steel, iron, copper, rubber, or plastic.
The mouthpiece comes in various shapes, such as a straight bar, jointed or double-jointed, and sometimes with twists or rollers. The choice of mouthpiece depends on the individual horse’s temperament, training level, and mouth anatomy.
There are 2 main types of horse bit mouthpieces…
Solid Bar Mouthpiece
A solid bar mouthpiece is a single solid bar of metal, plastic, or rubber that creates direct even pressure on the tongue and bars of the horse’s mouth. They are commonly used for horses with a sensitive mouth or those in the early stages of training. Solid bar mouthpieces can be straight, curved (Mullen mouth) or ported.
Jointed Mouthpiece
A jointed mouthpiece consists of two parts that join in the middle. The different types of joins create the range of jointed mouthpieces available (single, double, ball link, Waterford etc). Jointed mouthpieces form a ‘V’ or ‘U’ shape in the horse’s mouth and create pressure on the lips. Depending on the cheek pieces and bridle attachment placements, they may also exert pressure on the palate (roof of the mouth), tongue, and bars of the mouth.
Horse bits cheek pieces
The cheek pieces of horse bits are located on each end of the mouthpiece. They perform several roles…
- Prevent the mouthpiece from sliding through the horse’s mouth
- Provide lateral control, and
- In the case of shanks, produce leverage.
Common types of cheek pieces include…
- Simple fixed cheeks that are built into the bit rings (D-Ring and Eggbutt)
- Fixed full and part cheeks that are separate to the bit rings (FM), and
- Shanked cheeks with loops built in for the bridle cheek straps and reins (curbs and pelhams).
D-Ring and Eggbutt Cheeks horse bits
D-Ring and Eggbutt cheeks are a combination of cheek piece and bit ring because they have a fixed cheek piece integrated into the ring on one side. It is connected via a swivel joint that allows the ring section to move laterally. These cheek pieces provide a stable contact with the horse’s mouth, and prevent the bit from sliding through the horse’s mouth.
Straight Cheeks horse bits
Horse bits with straight cheeks, like the full cheek or FM, provide direct pressure and a consistent signal to the horse. These may be…
Fixed Full Cheek
Full cheek pieces extend (usually equally) above and below the mouthpiece. The top of the cheek piece often needs to be hooked into keepers on the bridle to prevent it from getting snagged. For this reason, many riders prefer D-Rings or Eggbutts, which provide similar lateral guiding action without the ever-present danger of the long cheek pieces getting caught.
Fixed Half Cheek
The half-cheek piece extends from the bottom of the mouthpiece.
Hanging Cheeks horse bits
Horse bits like the Baucher, Kimblewick, and pelhams, have a ring or slot for the bridle’s cheek straps located at the top of the cheek piece just above the mouthpiece. This is called a hanging cheek because the bit ‘hangs’ from the cheek straps. When combined with leverage points below the mouthpiece (slotted ring Kimblewick, pelham) they create poll pressure that encourages the horse to lower its head and soften its neck.
Shanked Cheeks horse bits
Shanked bits, like the curb bit, have longer cheeks that extend downward. They amplify rein pressure and provide leverage, making them more severe than snaffles. Shanked bits are typically used on well-trained horses with light responses to rein cues.
Shanked cheeks typically have a hanging cheek arrangement at the top for the bridle’s cheek straps, and a longer shank below the mouthpiece with a loop, or loops, for the reins. They are designed to produce leverage and put pressure on the poll and mouth.
Shanked cheek pieces can be attached to the mouthpiece via holes or sleeves in the ends of the mouthpiece and will pivot laterally in those holes. Other types are fixed to the mouthpiece and have loose rings attached via swivel lugs along the shank for the reins.
Horse Bit Rings
Bit rings provide an attachment point for the bridle’s cheek straps and the reins. In direct pressure bits like snaffle bits, the straps and reins are attached to the bit ring and apply pressure directly to the mouthpiece.
In leverage bits with bit rings (pelhams, gags, Kimblewicks), only the reins attach to the bit rings; they have a hanging cheek arrangement at the top for the cheek straps. Gags and Kimblewicks may also have slots in the bit rings below the mouthpiece for reins (see below for pelhams) or the reins may loop through the bit rings themselves like a snaffle.
These types of bits apply ‘leverage’ or pressure to both the poll and the mouth. How much depends on the placement of the reins – the lower down the bit rings they are (and the larger the rings), the more leverage they apply.
Curb vs Pelham horse bits
Curb horse bits don’t have bit rings and are designed for a single set of reins. The cheek straps attach to a loop on the bit cheek piece just above the mouthpiece and the reins attach to a loop at the bottom of the cheek piece.
Pelhams do have bit rings and are designed for 2 sets of reins. Like the curb, the cheek straps attach to loops in the top of the cheek pieces. However, one set of reins attaches to the bit rings and works like a snaffle. The 2nd set attaches to the loops in the bottom of the shank and provides leverage, like a curb.
Curb Chains
Curb bits and pelhams also have curb chains or straps that provide added leverage to the mouth and chin. They also prevent the mouthpiece from rotating too far forward in the horse’s mouth.
