Proper Bit Fit: Tom Thumb vs. Shanked Snaffle

To continue our series on bit fit, we will talk about the shanked snaffle. The shanked snaffle is used as a transition bit from a regular snaffle to the solid curb bit. This bit is a favorite for trainers and is used in a variety of western disciplines.
The shanked snaffle's effectiveness and ease of use is directly correlated to quality of the bit. A cheap variation of this bit is called the Tom Thumb bit.

Tom Thumb Bit
Picture from prochoice.com

As you can see from this bit is extremely straight from the purchase through to the shanks.
The purchase is the part of the bit that is above the copper mouth piece that attaches to the bridle. The shanks refers to the part of the bit that is below the copper mouth piece to end of the bit that attaches to the reins. The Tom Thumb bit often does not have a curved mouth piece that offers the horse tongue relief; because of this, the bit tends to sit awkwardly in the horse's mouth, often rendering the horse more pain or causing the bit not to be as effective. Due to its design with the broken mouth piece, this bit has a nutcracker effect on the mouth which is multiplied by the chin strap.

Now we will examine a higher quality form of the shanked snaffle.

View one

View two

What we notice about this bit that differs from the Tom Thumb is the mouth piece is slightly curved allowing for it to sit more naturally in the horse's mouth. The shanks of this bit are also slightly curved also to allow the bit to sit naturally while being more effective to cue the stop. This bit also has a better differentiation from the mouth piece to the shank. Being two separate pieces helps when the rider needs to go to two handed to help the horse learn neck reining. The TomThumb is one solid piece, which hurts the bit in its effectiveness. Because this bit is a transition bit from the snaffle, which is primarily used with two hands to a curb, that is used for neck reining, it is important that a trainer can switch between the two. You can see with this bit above that the mouth piece can slide up and down. This allows this bit to have a "gag" effect that signals to the horse that the chin strap is about to engage. The Tom Thumb does not have this feature.

Horses are taught by pressure and release. The higher quality the bit, the quicker the release of pressure should be. The bit in the second set of pictures slows the engagement of the chin strap allowing the horse to be signaled to stop before pressure is applied. This bit also allows for the quicker release of pressure rewarding the horse for the stop and for listening. Tom Thumb bits do not allow for a pre-signal nor do they allow for a quick release of pressure which deaden the horse's mouth to pressure.

Tom Thumb in a horse's mouth

In this picture you can see that although the reins are loose and relaxed the chin strap is still engaged causing pressure in the horse's mouth.

Better bit in horse's mouth. Relaxed

Chin Strap view. In relaxed position, chin strap is not engaged. 

With the higher quality bit, when sitting relaxed in the horse's mouth, the chin strap is not engaged, allowing the bit to sit comfortably in the horse's mouth. You want the purchase to align with the line of the horse's mouth and be a seamless transition from mouth, to bit, to bridle. As you can see with the higher quality bit. Look back up to the TomThumb, the bit is almost sitting perpendicular to the line of the bridle and mouth, this causes the chin strap to be engaged.

The quality of your bits are very important to the happiness and ease of training that horse encounters. Skipping out with a cheap bit can cause your horse pain leading to a variety of problems such as but not limited to: head tossing, holding head up to evade pressure, running through the bit, rearing, bucking, chewing the bit, putting tongue over bit, refusing to be bridled, and a variety of other problems. Cheap bits can lead to pinching of the lips of the horse, and/or rubbing the side of the mouth. By buying bits made with better materials or better design can change the way your horse rides or even how well they can be trained. It is important to transition to more severe bits slowly and when your horse is proficient with milder bits. Your training and transitioning bits are the most important bits to a training program, no matter the discipline. More important than quality of the bit is the fit. By remembering that two fingers between the headstall and cheeks, with one wrinkle in the corner of the mouth is the general rule for bridle fit. You should always be able to get two fingers between the chin strap and chin. Too tight and the more pressure the horse feels in the mouth. Too loose, the more you have to pull before chin strap is engaged. Remember to always check your tack for dry rotted parts or parts that has come loose. Nothing ruins a ride like your horse running away without a bit or way to stop them!

Happy Trails.






Written by: C 

Fitting the Rope Halter

In recent years, rope halters have gained popularity as natural horsemanship has come to the forefront. A favorite with trainers such as Clint Anderson, Buck Brannaman, and Pat Parelli, the rope halter is a great training tool. Rope halters can have knots tied along the nose band for quicker response. A rope halter works off the pressure points of the horse's face and head, thus making it such a popular training tool.

Horses have pressure points on either side of the bridge of the nose as well very sensitive pressure point behind the ears. When pressure from the halter is placed on these sensitive areas, the horse moves away from the pressure creating the release.

Rope halters are often double stranded and made of a stiff but soft rope. The stiffness allows for the halter to hold shape but are soft enough not to cause damage to the face. The better quality rope, the better the halter. Rope halters can come with or without knots that lay on either side of the nose. Rope halters with knots are primarily seen on horses in training and caution should be taken with these halters as they can do serious damage to the nerves if mishandled. 

Rope halters are great for training a horse to flex and lighten in the face. Often a young horse's first ride is in a rope halter before they are introduced to a bosal or a snaffle as the pressure from the halter is something that already familiar to a young horse.

Most people do not know how to properly fit a rope halter or tie one, thus they shy away from using them. A rope halter should be fitted to the horse's head just as you would fit a nylon or leather halter. 

I think pink looks amazing on Belle!

Tying the rope halter:

Once you slip the nose band on the nose and flip the long piece that goes across the poll to the left side you are are ready to tie. 

The Eyelet should be on the left side of the horse's face and the loops in which the lead rope attaches should be under the jaw. 

The eyelet 

Once the halter is positioned for tying, take the long piece and thread through the eyelet as shown:

Placing the poll strap through the eyelet

Once you put the poll strap through the eyelet, pull the strap to desired tightness. This should pull up the halter and the halter should fit the horse snug but still loose enough for the horse to open its mouth. Now loop the poll strap behind itself as shown:

Poll strap placed behind itself

Once you have done this, thread the poll strap through the loop you have just created.

Placing the poll strap through the loop

Pull the strap to tighten the knot. Congratulations! You have tied a rope halter!

A correctly tied rope halter

Often time it is beneficial to place the poll strap behind the throatlatch of the halter to keep the excess from swinging about and potentially slapping your horse in the face. 

Excess placed behind throatlatch. (I did not edit this photo to show you how bright this halter is!)

Rope halters should fit a horse just as a nylon or leather halter should. The nose band should not be drooping and hanging on the nostrils, it should lay midway up the face the cheek strap below the start of the cheek. The throatlatch should fit behind the jowls. The poll strap should be directly behind the ears. A loose halter will be easier for the horse to hurt himself or get loose. Always check to make sure your halter is properly tied and fitted before used to tie a horse to something like a hitching post. 

Caution:
Rope halters should never under any circumstances be left on a horse in turnout. This halter is designed to not give or break, thus your horse will be injured if he gets the halter caught in something. 

Do not tie a horse with a rope halter unless the horse has been properly trained to tie an give to pressure. These halters are made specifically not to break or give. The more a horse pulls on the halter the more pressure on the poll and the tighter the knot gets. Do not tie a horse without supervision or use to break a horse to tie using this halter without guidance from a trusted trainer.

Proper Bit Fit: Snaffle/Hack Combo

Today will be discussing the snaffle/hackamore combo bit.  This bit is a favorite with riders that do speed events such as barrel racing, pole bending, or cowboy mounted shooting. This bit provides rate and lift for the horse as well as a little more stop. We have to remember any bit can be harsh in  the hands that it is in, but this bit should be used by an experienced rider that has quiet hands.

Combo bit front view

Combo bit side view

The bit that I am using for an example is a bit that features a twisted wire sweet iron snaffle with a gag action as well as a rope nose. The blue is vet wrap that has been wrapped around the nose band to provide protection to the nose of the horse. This bit is good for a horse that has a tendency to drop their shoulders and/or  does not possess a lot of natural rate. The snaffle and gag action is the first to engage, allowing the horse to think about slowing down before the hack engages pressure on the nose. The chain chin strap thus engages putting pressure on the bars of the mouth from the snaffle and the action of the hack that is common in most mechanical hackamores. It may be helpful before you introduce this bit to your horse is to introduce your horse to the action of a gag bit and then to the action of a regular mechanical hackamore such as the "Little S" hack so that the horse is not frightened by this bit.

To properly fit a bridle with this bit it is common to use a smaller headstall than one that you would use with a snaffle or curb or at least a very good adjustable headstall. Remember the first part of fitting this bridle is that the cheek piece should fit against the cheek of the horse with two fingers width between. 

Proper width between the cheek and cheek piece-Two fingers width.

Bit properly fitted to the horse. 

When the bridle is fitted correctly, the bit should sit in the horse's mouth like a regular snaffle should. Most of the attention should be placed on the hack component of the bridle because this is where most of the stopping power is contained. 

The hackamore component of this bridle has the power to break or seriously damage the soft cartilage and nerves of the nose. So proper placement is a must. When fitting the rope nose, first you need to find where the cartilage of the nose ends and the bone begins. To find this, use your thumb and forefinger to feel down the bridge of the nose. At the end of the bone, you will feel it narrow as you get farther down towards the nostrils. Find where the bone starts to narrow and place your fingers there.

Finding where the bone begins in the nose. 

Once you find where the bone begins, the rope nose should lay at least two fingers width above where you have marked with your fingers. 

Two fingers width between the end of the bone of the nose to the rope nose. 

Often horses with smaller muzzles, it is difficult to keep the hack in the proper position. It can be useful to tie a piece of leather from the rope nose to the headstall between the ears.

The chin strap should also be properly fitted to ensure that the bit functions as intended. As with all chin straps, two fingers should be easily inserted between the chin and in this case, the chain.

Two Fingers width between the chin and chain.

This can be a great bit for both training and competition in the right hands. I caution that this bit is a severe bit and should only be used on horses that are aged and finished. This bit can be great to use in training to make the horse a little more sensitive and reactive to aids and then compete in a regular gag or mechanical hack.  In competition, this bit helps the rider use minimal force to cue the horse which is great for the quick speed needed for speed events.

The snaffle/hack combo bit properly fitted. 

Proper Bit Fit: Snaffle Bits

One major component of communicating with your horse on a ride is the bridle. The bridle includes the headstall, bit, chin strap, and reins. In order for the bridle to be a complete and effective unit of communication, it is important to ensure that the bridle properly fitted to the horse.

Snaffles are direct pressure bits. When the pressure from the reins reaches the bit, the horse can feel the pressure on the bars of the mouth of that side. Not only this, but it is reinforced by pressure to the opposite side of the mouth. Snaffles are often the first bit that a horse comes into contact with. It is a great training tool as it provides the amount of pressure that the rider puts on the reins. The pressure is quickly alleviated when the rider releases the pressure. This is why it is such a great training tool.

Proper fit of bridles and bits are important for a successful and safe ride. Often times I see people riding with their horse's bridle too loose making the bit hang low in the horse's mouth. This does not allow the bit to properly function in the horse's mouth reducing your ability to effectively communicate with the horse through the bit. Another problem is when the bridle is too tight causing the bit to be hiked up too high in the horse's mouth causing it to hit the horse's molars. This also does not allow the bit to function correctly and causing pain to the horse when the bit makes contact with their teeth.

The first bit we will discuss is the snaffle. The most common snaffle bits in western riding are the O-ring and D-ring. Most popular in English riding are the Eggbutt and D-Ring. The "rings" just refer to the shape of the part of the bit that attaches to the bridle. The mouth pieces all have the similar mouth piece.

O-Ring Snaffle 

         (Please ignore the dirtiness of the bit, just finished riding when I took this picture.)



Often when people are bridling their horses, they think that the proper bit fit is when there are wrinkles in the corners of the horse's mouth. This is not entirely true. The bridle is most effective when you can fit two fingers between the cheek piece and the cheek.

Demonstration of Two Fingers fitting between the cheek and the cheek piece. 

If you have space wider than your two fingers between the cheek piece and the horse's cheek, this allows the bit to hang too low in the horses mouth. When the bit is too low in the horse's mouth, it takes longer for the transfer of pressure from the reins to the bit when cueing for a turn or stop. Not only do you run the risk of the bridle to be more easily pulled off, but quicker response time can mean the difference getting to that cow at a sorting or slowing that horse after a killer plastic bag floats across the trail. (Although, when I start a horse in the snaffle, I allow them to wear the bridle a little looser to teach them to hold the bit in their mouth themselves. When I ride, I want the bridle to fit perfectly.)

Too much space between the cheek piece and cheek.

Here, the horse is having to hold the bit in his mouth because his bit is too loose. 

When the bridle is too tight in the horses mouth, the pressure on the corners of the mouth is never alleviated. This can cause the horse to start ignoring the pressure in the corners of the mouth, and needing to apply more pressure to cue the horse.

Bridle too tight causing excessive wrinkles and displeasure in the mouth. When pressure is applied, this could cause
the bit to hit the molars causing pain. 

When the bridle is properly fitted to the horse's head with the appropriate two finger's width, the bit with lay in the horse's mouth on the bars where the bit is supposed to be. Here the bit is most effective.

Two fingers width between the cheek and cheek piece.

Proper bit fit. Just enough wrinkle but not causing displeasure in the mouth. 

A proper fitting bridle makes for a happy rider and a happy horse.

My lovely model for the evening, Yella. 

Next time: Proper Bit Fit: The Snaffle/Hack Combo bit