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