Young Horse Bits
From the start of a young Horses working life it is vital to get the bit right from the very first time you put a bit in
if you can achieve this and remember to review and change bits as a Horse progresses through its training you save a lot of time and frustration on the riders behalf and a lot of miscommunication and discomfort on the horses behalf
I think its a little old fashioned to now think that you should use breaking bits with Keys or large think rubber bits to start young Horses in they simply do not fit the conformation inside the Horses mouth and encourage the Horse to constantly move its mouth to escape the shape Which is not a trait you want to promote in a future Riding Horse
I think that from the start you should choose comfortable slim bits that fit the conformation inside the mouth so that the horse feels immediately at ease and does not feel the need to constantly move its mouth the rearrange a bit that simply does not fit well and gives poor uncomfortable signals
​This is just my opinion but I think its better from the start to put them in a bit that fits the conformation of the inside of the mouth really well and a bit that you can do all your initial training in and that you can ride away in for the foreseeable future
If you use a bit that does not fit that causes the Horse to continuously move its mouth
This is not "mouthing" it is the Horse being uncomfortable and constantly having to rearrange the inside of its mouth to try to move the bit into a more comfortable position which if the bit does not fit the Horse will never achieve
What we want to promote is after the Horse has got used to standing around in the new feel of a bit in its mouth that the mouth is still
And as we start to train it we should be on face pressure alone with the bit in the mouth and no bit pressure and then as we progress we should apply some bit and some face pressure together and then more bit pressure until we have easily moved the horse from face pressure to bit pressure in easy stages
​We want the horses mouth to be completely relaxed and still around the mouthpiece and accepting of signals suitable to this level of training.
Only Time Patience and Repetition is ever going to train a young Horse that has a lasting effect and a progressive way forward
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
Harmony Eggbutt
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
Liberty Eggbutt
The Liberty has the most generous forward curve of all my mouthpieces and was new to the range for 2019 I have extensively researched how much or how little curve you need to help different Horses to be able to respond well and move forward and after prototyping the Liberty I am so pleased with the results
It has really soft curve forward and feels very even into the riders hands
Very useful for
Young Horses bitted for the first time
Started badly and are frightened of their mouths
Horses that have been started on head pressures and are now being introduced to a bit
Any Horse that is not strong and needs to be bitted very comfortably and forward
Any Horse that worries about tongue pressure and puts its tongue over the bit