Horse Problems: Bitting Issues

Try “less-is-more” before going to “harsher-is-better”

There are many possible reasons to change bits:

1. Your horse is ready to graduate to a bit that teaches him another skill. When your horse has mastered the skill you were teaching with his first bit, he should be rewarded by a bit that gives him more freedom from the pressures he no longer needs, and you can introduce another pressure. ie: When he no longer needs the single-joint snaffle tongue depression to rate and collect, he can move to a three-piece mouthpiece that drops the direct tongue pressure. The three-piece mouth will use more targeted bar pressure and introduce him to lifting one shoulder or the other depending on which rein is lifted. And so it goes up the ladder of maneuvers. Relax the part of the bit that is mastered, and add a new part that induces a new incentive to perform a new maneuver. (New pressure is different than more intense pressure.)

2. Your horse has a problem with his current bit – bit fatigue or poorly fitted bit: When a horse has a perpetually uncomfortable bit that offers minimal relief, he finds various ways to get out of performing the maneuver you want and still avoid the pressure. In fact, he may not even understand what you want if the bit is not working properly due to anatomical or temperament differences in your horse vs. how the bit was intended to fit and what the bit was intended to do.

First, check his dental health. You may find the answer there. If he has sore spots, calluses or poor teeth, you can either have the veterinarian fix the problem, or (if that is not possible) find a bit that will avoid those contentious areas of his mouth.

If he still exhibits poor behavior or poor conformation and carriage, look to a change of bits. ie: When a horse thrusts his nose out and high, leaning on his single-joint snaffle to get away from the tongue depression or he gets his tongue over the bit, he has learned that if he changes his head position far out of the normal riding position he can change the trajectory of the snaffle-down depression.

3. Your horse is used in competition, which requires certain bits, but he needs more sophisticated bits for training: Most competition classes require certain bits and forbid others. However, many times your horse will respond better to a different bit while in training. Many trainers use the most effective bits to polish maneuvers while at the stable and use the competition bit when in the ring.

4. Your horse needs some reminders about how to behave or some motivation to respond more quickly to cues he already knows. This follows the “polishing” mentioned above. Everyone gets lax and stale when they have learned and practiced an exercise over and over. Horses sometimes begin to “lay down on the job”. When you find that your horse is not responding as quickly as you like, you may need to go to a bit whose function is to remind him quickly and decisively what his job is when the cues are given (“sensitize” him).
ie: You may change from a smooth snaffle to a wire snaffle to add more bite to the bit with less rein pressure. He will soon learn (surprised) that his bit still has authority, and he needs to quicken his response before he is handled by the reins. The reminder will keep him fresh when he goes back to his regular smooth mouthpiece. (Wire snaffle is not recommended as an every day bit. Just a polishing bit. And a bit to be used by an experienced trainer.)

5. Your horse gives you problems when you try to put the bridle on:
Avoiding the headstall and bit altogether may indicate that a horse is either experiencing too much pain when the bit is put into his mouth (as when a it slapped in and hits his teeth coming and going) or that the bit is giving too much pain during his riding sessions. If he anticipates an uncomfortable experience every time he is bridled, he may become difficult to manage during tacking. Change the tacking procedure. Have his teeth checked. And/Or try changing the bit to a milder one.

6. It is amazing how many “bit” problems are actually “training” problems. Back up and analyze each tiny step in the maneuver you want him to perform and how he might have been conditioned to avoid it by repeated “incorrect” reactions from his training routine. When relief from pressure is delayed a horse cannot figure out what causes comfort to return. A horse who performs a maneuver correctly but feels pressure from his bit AFTER the performance instead of getting the instant release of pressure the moment he complies will become confused or recalcitrant. It’s not the bit. It’s the trainer.

7. Overactive Mouth – Mouth open or excessive salivation
A horse does not naturally walk around with his mouth open. Any horse who travels that way in his bridle is telling you something. The bit is causing such discomfort to the tongue that he cannot swallow properly. Lack of swallow causes excessive salivation. Nose bands are made to “strap” a horse’s mouth shut. Instead, the answer frequently lies in changing to a bit with less tongue pressure – ie: a double-jointed snaffle that distributes the tongue pressure more evenly across the tongue.

There is also a difference between the mouth-open, excessive salivating horse and a nervous horse that can benefit from a “cricket” or playful middle joint of his bit that gives him a “toy” for his tongue.

There is also a difference between an uncomfortable bit that causes excessive salivation and a nice, moist mouth. Read about salivation, copper and sweet iron bits etc.

Bits and Head Carriage:

A horse who is relaxed in the poll with his head on the vertical is in the ideal position for supple, balanced work. The position of your horse’s head is a sure indication of his bit fit. He will ALWAYS seek the sweet spot where the bit is most comfortable. His bit, if properly fitted and balanced, will be most comfortable for him when his head is in the correct position. If his head carriage is not on the vertical with him relaxed at the poll, the bit is poorly chosen, poorly balanced, or poorly fitted (or all three).

Some horses carry their heads too high with nose over the vertical. Some horses may carry the head with the nose tipped too far toward their chest (behind the bit).
Most of the horses I see are wearing a single-joint snaffle, so in most instances we will discuss the alternatives to that bit .

If your horse carries his face high (inverted: above the bit) he stiffens his poll and everything behind it, which destroys his suppleness and balance. When a horse thrusts his nose out and high, leaning on his single-joint snaffle, he can change the physics of the bit to avoid the tongue depression at the joint. Or he gets his tongue over the bit to alleviate the discomfort. Many begin to flip their head back, snatching the reins from you and getting relief for that instant that he has the reins. A horse who has learned how to grab the reins is really difficult to train and ride. He builds up resistance. It can become a habit unrelated to the bit if he finds that you can’t stop it.

You are left with a horse who is both hard to handle and uncomfortable to ride. Therefore, it is important to find the problem and alleviate it as quickly as possible.

If you are convinced that he understands the body and verbal cues, try moving to a bit that gives him MORE freedom from the tongue depression than his current bit does. “Bit fatigue” or “bit resistance” frequently disappears when you take away the offending pressure. His performance is immediately enhanced and you are both happier.

If he carries his face behind the bit he is breaking at the poll but he has his head tucked too far into his chest. He is tight and inflexible in the front, throwing his center of gravity forward onto his forehand and weakening his rear. This is usually caused by a bit with too much contact, too much strength or leverage. Try lessening the tongue pressure by moving to a double-joint snaffle that puts less pressure into the center of the tongue and allows you to lift his shoulder on each side independently to keep him from tucking so tightly. If he is in a shanked bit, shorten the shanks or get rid of them altogether. Try the less-is-more approach before going to harsher-is-better.

Refusal to stop: A horse who has built up resistance to his bit (frequently follows bit inversion above) can be a really intractable or even dangerous animal. Instead of coming back into you (relaxing his poll and bringing his head down) he pushes into his bit. This behavior varies from just “pushing into the bit” and subtly increasing his speed on the “whoa” to really grabbing the bit with his jaw locked and taking off hell bent for leather.

If you have a horse exhibiting these symptoms, before resorting to correction mouthpieces, go back to the basics in your arena (or round pen) with a softer bit. See if you can re-establish the foundation of rating back without anxiety or pain. Give this some serious time and patience. It takes time to undo the damage of poor bitting and painful stops. If his bit has been the problem, he has to get over his fear of pain every time he is asked to stop. Anticipating pain makes him anxious. Anxiety produces adrenaline. Adrenaline is the antithesis of “reasoning” and listening to your cues. If pain at the stop is alleviated, he can relax into a stop and enjoy the rest.
(It goes without saying that you should start at slower gaits with clear cues and instant releases.)

Many people will tell you that he needs a shanked bit with more leverage on his face and/or a mouthpiece with more pressure such as a correction bit with palate pressure as well as bar and tongue pressure. I don’t want to preach. Some horses have had such poor treatment that it takes months or years to de-sensitize them. But pain instead of patience is rarely the answer. (Harsher bits are not for inexperienced riders or trainers, so get help from a professional before you just slap a harsher bit on him.)

Dropping his shoulder – working off his front This is more subtle and harder to notice. It is particularly prevalent in sports where turns are important (such a barrel racing), but is evident to a good rider in many situations. It might be described as “leaning” in the direction of his turn or even turning too soon. You must be using a bit with independent lift on either side. More on this later. Or someone send us comments. It’s a very complicated issue with many possible solutions, and I don’t want to pretend to be an expert.

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5 thoughts on “Horse Problems: Bitting Issues

  1. Thank you!!! I’ve had horses most of my life and am an “OK+” backyard trainer. I have a 5 yr old gelding who was started late and most recently was schooled in a slow twist snaffle with a trainer. I know next to nothing about that bit. I’ve shown him Class A (Jr. Horse-bosal) and plan to go full bridle next year so, yeah, soft with no direct mouth contact and responsiveness is critical. I have 3 rides on him with an egg butt bit and the walk has been the biggest challenge. I get that now. Getting him to commit and keep it, and not hang on to the bit has been a “bit” of a challenge. I rarely get frustrated as I’m patient, have consistent soft hands, seat and legs and correct and release immediately when I get a response but I was about to hit my head against the arena rail today and decided I’d better buy a slow twist. Thank God I somehow knew better and looked here and didn’t have to read between the lines much cuz you covered what I was experiencing to a “T”. I think I’ll pull out my thin twisted wire tomorrow and start with the very basics; light pressure til he gives. . . more. . .and not use it for long. Next? We’ll see. I may be back!!! Thank you and, I welcome any and all suggestions!!!

  2. My personal go-to is a loose-ring three-piece snaffle. Best are those with a losenge in the middle, although there is a place for the french snaffle where the rider needs a bit of help, as with a small child on a fairly stubborn pony. The loose ring allows the bit to stay in precisely the same angle in the horse’s mouth irrespective of what the rider’s hands are doing, and most horses find this very reassuring.
    Many horses wear bits that are too thick for their mouths, too. The old injunction that a thick bit is a kind bit is not always correct, as a too-thick bit can bruise. If your horse’s mouth is fleshy, use a thinner bit. So long as you’re using it correctly, the horse will be far better off.
    But “so long as you’re using it correctly” is the kicker, isn’t it? How many horses are ridden from the hind legs into a steady, yielding hand? If you use the bit backwards, no bit is the “right” bit because they’re all going to hurt. So will a “bitless” bridle. Gain an independent seat, learn how to follow your horse’s mouth with your hand, and it almost doesn’t matter what model of bit you have in there. So long as it doesn’t actively create pain just by being in the horse’s mouth, so long as it isn’t too small, or dig in to the roof of the mouth, so long as there isn’t any pathology, there is rarely any such thing as the “wrong” bit. Just the wrong rider.

    1. Hi Annie:

      This is perhaps the BEST description of “bitting theory” I have ever read! I would like to place your comments on the “Snaffle bit basics” page as well. Thank you so much for taking the time to educate us.

    1. That would be very hard to say, as each training situation and horse is unique. If I wanted a place to start, it would probably be an egg butt, D-ring, three-piece (double-jointed) snaffle bit. It is mild enough on the bars because it is fat. It is mild on the tongue because it is broken in the middle to give some tongue relief. A novice rider can usually ride with it without damaging a horse’s mouth. A green horse can use it without severe consequences. If it has a drawback, it is that some horses find it to be too much metal in their mouth because of the fat bars. But it is a good place to start.

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