Fitting Bits to Horses

One size does not fit all when it comes to bits. A prevailing notion is that the thicker the bit the better. While a bit with a larger diameter mouth piece may be less "cutting" in the same manner that a piece of hose is less likely to cut you than a piece of wire, this does not mean all horses should have a bit with a large diameter mouth piece.

One breed that this may especially be true for is the Thoroughbred. I discovered back in the 1960's when I was raising TB's that a significant number of them seemed to have problems with the thick rubber snaffle I used as a first bit. I didn't take the problem seriously because, after all, this was the first time these youngsters were wearing a bit.

It took a horse off the track, OTT, to show me the error in my thinking. He really was unhappy with the rubber bit and caused me a great deal of trouble with it. He was fine in the Dee bit that came with him. A Dee bit is a snaffle with the cheek pieces shaped like a capital D that is commonly used for race horses.

I examined the horse's mouth to make certain he didn't have any injuries. This is when I noticed that he had an unusually thick tongue. As I checked further I realized he also had a very shallow mouth. The rubber bit fit him like a gag fits a human. No wonder the poor horse was so upset by the "gentle" bit.

I took the time to examine all the rest of my horses and discovered that over half of them had that same thick tongue, shallow mouth combination that made the large diameter bits more of a torture device rather than a gentle bit.

I began experimenting with various bits and finally discovered that, for these horses, the Dee bit with its fairly narrow mouth piece was the bit of choice. Once I'd trained them to the stage where they were ready to go into full-bridle I had to be careful to find bits that had narrow mouthpieces here also.

When you get a bit for a horse it is important to check its mouth and find a bit that will allow the horse to comfortably keep its mouth closed when just wearing the bit. Some horses will do best in the thick diameter bits, but there are horses that will need a narrower bit to be comfortable.