HOPE'S BIT BLOG - All about horse bits! Hope's Bit Blog - Issue 3

The  Real  Deal  About  
Bitting Your  Horse
STICK OUT YOUR TONGUE…I WANT TO USE A
NUTCRACKER ON IT!
HOPE  BIRSH  – MARYLAND  SADDLERY

WHY ARE YOU USING THE
BIT YOU USE?
Many of us use whatever bit is in
the barn or what ever bit the horse
we purchased came with. Most
horses are in a snaffle. Like a badge
of honor we say, “He is so easy to
ride he goes in a snaffle.” But what
is the truth about a snaffle?
Let me ask you one a basic question:
Would you rather me put a pencil in your mouth or a nutcracker?
A Snaffle works exactly like a nutcracker on a horses tongue.
Every time the rider take up the reins, adjust their length, turn
or make a transition they unintentionally nutcracker their
horses tongue. Over and over again as riders makes 1000
adjustments during every ride a horse’s tongue gets pinched.
The pain in a snaffle is at its worst when a horse’s head is down
and correctly placed in the bridle.
Broken or jointed snaffles:
Ø Pinch horse’s tongues
Ø Squeeze their cheeks into their upper molars
Ø Take away the use of their tongue
Ø Make it difficult to swallow
Ø Injure their tongue over time
Ø Cause a horse to find a more comfortable way to hold their
head by “evading the bit”

marylandsaddlery.com