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Dressage Snaffles
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In order to have a really good result Bitting a variety of Horses you have to have a good range of Dressage legal bits to choose from
To fit horses of different
ages
sensitivities
conformation
levels of training
and then to consider the riders
hands on the end of the reins
abilities
fitness and training
With the right bit it is possible to encourage the horse to go to the correct place in the bridle by creating comfort, release and reward, making it quite clear where the most comfortable place in the bridle is.
A well made well balanced bit should aid the horse and rider, not hinder and make the Horse uncomfortable and less responsive
A well made and designed bit should be engineered to have release and reward built into the design so the riders hand can maintain a light rein contact and not have to constantly give away too much contact to compensate for the mouthpiece shape
Informed Designs has 10 different Snaffle mouthpieces in 4 diameters on 8 cheeks
Which gives a lot of potential when trying to strive for perfection in your Bitting Choices
The Hand Test to see what is feels like for your Horse
This say this at all my Bitting Days and Clinics but its worth reminding people of a simple check to see if the bit you have is a comfortable as you think
When you are assessing the comfort of the bit your horse is wearing despite the advertising and the claims that some companies make just try this simple test
​Face a friend and hold your hand up knuckles facing them Get them to place your horses bit around your hand and get them to pull the bit closed
​Your hand represents your Horses lower jaw and your friends hands represent your hands on the end of the reins
If the bit you are using on your horse pinches your hand with finger pressure imagine how it feels to your horse when you are applying more pressure with upper body weight applied to your signal
​Now decide whether the bit you have on your Horse is fair, comfortable and fits your horses mouth conformation well and therefore gives him or her the right signals and reward or whether it is restrictive and pinches.
Also look at your bit critically is it symmetrical and even all through the mouthpiece a Horse will not go evenly forward into your hands if the mouthpiece of its bit is uneven and asymmetrical.​
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THINK MOUTHPIECE FIRST AND THEN CHEEK PIECE
When you are considering re Bitting your Horse all elements of the bit are important firstly the mouthpiece because that is inside the Horses mouth either sitting comfortably allowing the Horse to close its mouth properly and swallow freely and giving understandable signals that the Horse can readily respond to and very importantly feel a reward from when the frame or the tempo or pace is achieved
Or not sitting well and not following the conformation of the inside of the mouth and making the Horse unable to settle and be comfortable with the mouthpiece
And then the next consideration is the cheek which cheek do you choose to complement the mouthpiece to give you the right signals and the best control
​Not all the mouthpieces come on all cheeks sometimes because its hard to have every combination and sometimes on purpose as some mouthpieces simply do not work with some cheek pieces
Harmony Eggbutt
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The Harmony mouthpiece creates a smooth even curve around the Horses tongue and the roof of the mouth it actively encourages a horse to take the rein forward but as the curve it shallow it sets a parameter for the frame.
As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece wraps around the tongue and lower jaw, evenly taking in the whole of the tongue, the sides of the bars and the sides of the lips in a perfect hoop. As the Round Lozenge is the correct length and the joints are neat and non-invasive the Horse should move forward into the contact. Both branches of the bit are curved forward to accommodate the shape of the Horse’s mouth conformation.
Very useful for Horses or Ponies that are uncomfortable with
A large joint or joints·
Large long plates or lozenges
That block on one side as you flex or turn
Or are busy in the mouth
Or have been pinched with a mouthpiece that has a severe close to the action
Eggbutt Snaffles
Liberty Eggbutt
The Liberty mouthpiece has the most generous forward curve of all my snaffles and was new to the range for 2019 I have researched how much or how little curve you need to help different Horses to be able to respond well and after prototyping this bit I put it into my range to add to the variety of mouthpieces I need to bit a multitude of Horses and I am so pleased with the results
It has really soft curve forward and feels very even into the riders hands It has a small neat lozenge and neat non-invasive joints to make sure it is very comfortable and follows the conformation inside the mouth
Very useful for Horses that have been
Poorly bitted in the past and are frightened of their mouths
Horses that have been started on head pressures and are now being introduced to a bit
Young Horses bitted for the first time
Any Horse that is not strong and needs to be bitted very comfortably and forward
Any Horse who worries about its tongue or lifts its tongue up and away from the pressure
Precision Eggbutt
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The Precision mouthpiece is a combination of a generous forward curve to the branches of the mouthpiece, small non-invasive turned joints and an Oval Lozenge that is rounded on the roof of the mouth and Oval on the tongue side
The feel for the Horse and into the Riders hand is one of encouraging the Horse forward into the bit but when it gets there they should lighten up and yield and flex to the Riders signals ​
Very useful for Horses that need
To be rounder in the frame
Can be a bit inflexible when they reach the end of the Rein
Need clear signals from the bit without any restriction or Pinch ​​​
Or a young Horse that is moving forward in its training and has got a little too forward in the contact in the more forward encouraging mouthpieces
Would be your choice if you started your Horse in a Harmony and want to move forward to more powerful training
Attention Eggbutt
The Attention mouthpiece Is a curved mouthpiece with a neat Flat link in the middle so often French Link Style plates can be so long that the joints and even the plate interfere with the edge of the Horses tongue and the bars of the mouth and the really long ones can even end up with the joints in the corner of the lips
A Horse is never going to respond well to a joint scraping into an area the hurts
The Attention has a purposely small plate to keep the signals in the centre of the tongue where they are of the most use
Very useful of Horses and Ponies that need to
Be a little higher in the frame
Be lighter in the Hand
Be more responsive to the action of the bit
To consistently carry more of their own head weight
Harmony D Cheek
The Harmony mouthpiece creates a smooth even curve around the Horses tongue and the roof of the mouth it actively encourages a horse to take the rein forward but as the curve it shallow it sets a parameter for the frame.
As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece wraps around the tongue and lower jaw, evenly taking in the whole of the tongue, the sides of the bars and the sides of the lips in a perfect hoop. As the Round Lozenge is the correct length and the joints are neat and non-invasive the Horse should move forward into the contact. Both branches of the bit are curved forward to accommodate the shape of the Horse’s mouth conformation.
Very useful for
Horses that are doing lots of jobs and need a comfortable forward encouraging mouthpiece with a supportive cheek
​The D cheek helps with Horses that are young or re training and need an all-round training bit to start in and then to carry on with work
Horses that are being trained from the floor and need a simple comfortable bit with support and release and reward
Precision D Cheek
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The Precision mouthpiece is a combination of a generous forward curve to the branches of the mouthpiece, small non-invasive turned joints and an Oval Lozenge that is rounded on the roof of the mouth and Oval on the tongue side
The feel for the Horse and into the Riders hand is one of encouraging the Horse forward into the bit but when it gets there they should lighten up and yield and flex to the Riders signals ​
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Very useful for
Horses that are multi tasking and doing lots of jobs and need a comfortable forward encouraging mouthpiece with a yield to the action without a pinch on a supportive cheek
​The D cheek combined with the Precision mouthpiece help with Horses that are enthusiastic or re training to yield and to frame up
Harmony Hanging Cheek
The Harmony mouthpiece creates a smooth even curve around the Horses tongue and the roof of the mouth it actively encourages a horse to take the rein forward but as the curve it shallow it sets a parameter for the frame.
As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece wraps around the tongue and lower jaw, evenly taking in the whole of the tongue, the sides of the bars and the sides of the lips in a perfect hoop. As the Round Lozenge is the correct length and the joints are neat and non-invasive the Horse should move forward into the contact. Both branches of the bit are curved forward to accommodate the shape of the Horse’s mouth conformation.
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Very useful for Horses or Ponies that are uncomfortable with
A large joint or joints
Large long plates or lozenges
That block on one side as you flex or turn
That are more confident with a supportive still cheek against the face
That work well with a jaw strap that if you need you are able to use on a Hanging cheek
That like a bit to be still and stay in the same place in the mouth
Harmony Loose Ring
The Harmony mouthpiece creates a smooth even curve around the Horses tongue and the roof of the mouth it actively encourages a horse to take the rein forward but as the curve it shallow it sets a parameter for the frame.
As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece wraps around the tongue and lower jaw, evenly taking in the whole of the tongue, the sides of the bars and the sides of the lips in a perfect hoop. As the Round Lozenge is the correct length and the joints are neat and non-invasive the Horse should move forward into the contact. Both branches of the bit are curved forward to accommodate the shape of the Horse’s mouth conformation.
Very useful for Horses or Ponies that are uncomfortable with
A large joint or joints
Large long plates or lozenges
Or are very busy in the mouth
Or do not draw the contact forward
Makes a lovely Bradoon for a Horse that has been restrictively Bitted in the past
Response Loose Ring
The Response mouthpiece was one of my first mouthpieces and still one of the most popular with Dressage Riders on Horses moving to the higher levels of training it encourages a horse to move towards the bit but because of the structure of the Oblong lozenge and the positioning of the joints it discourages the Horse from getting too strong or set on the mouthpiece. As the reins are used together the whole mouthpiece wraps around the tongue and lower jaw with a really comfortable no pinch wrap effect , the mouthpiece has a structured feel in the centre of the tongue to dissuade the horse from leaning on the bit. The Lozenge is small neat and stays in the centre of the tongue and does not interfere with the edge of the tongue or the bars of the mouth This is a Oblong lozenge and not a plate a plate would have to be flat on both sides
A suggestion
Your hands must be stable and be able to yield with this mouthpiece
Very useful for Horses or Ponies that need to
Pay more heed to the mouthpiece
Are a little strong and too forward into the bit
That block on one side as you flex or turn
That are a little heavy in the hands
Makes a good Bradoon for a Double Bridle
Precision Loose Ring
The Precision mouthpiece is a combination of a generous forward curve to the branches of the mouthpiece, small non-invasive turned joints and an Oval Lozenge that is rounded on the roof of the mouth and Oval on the tongue side
The feel for the Horse and into the Riders hand is one of encouraging the Horse forward into the bit but when it gets there they should lighten up and yield and flex to the Riders signals ​
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​Very useful for Horses that need
To go forward into the action of the Bit but yield when they get there
​Can be a bit inflexible when they reach the end of the Rein
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​Need clear signals from a mouthpiece without any restriction or Pinch
Like the slight delay of a mouthpiece that is on a Loose Ring Cheek
Contour Loose Ring
The Contour mouthpiece was an experiment in 2019 to see if I could get a different feel from another curved lozenge mouthpiece. I lengthened the lozenge a little and plumped it up in the centre and curved the mouthpiece in a slightly different place thinking it would make another starter bit or a long and low mouthpiece. But it did not turn out like that, it is a generously curved longer Oval Lozenge covering more area inside the mouth designed to encourage the Horse forward into a higher contact. It went into the range in 2020
Very good for
Horses that like the slightly thicker mouthpiece
Horses that are reluctant to take the contact forward and lower the neck to avoid Encouraging the Horse forward into a higher contact
Horses that have been in restrictive mouthpieces and have tongue issues
Horses that you want to create a more consistent contact with in a slightly higher frame
