Is there a difference between what is considered a Tom Thumb bit in the US and the UK?

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O.K. I worked for a saddler here in the U.K. for over 10 years. For us we always considered a Tom Thumb to be a short shanked curb bit used in a double bridle. If ordering a double bridle bit for a customer we would always order the Tom Thumb as it was a little chunkier and kinder for the horse. Often if not stressed, it would be sold as part of a double bridle set with a small eggbutt snaffle rather than the loose ring that had the thinner longer shanked curb bit. The Tom Thumb double sets are often used when showing ponies. Also here in the U.K. we don't ride in curb bits alone, only as part of the double bridle (when the two bits are used together) because we ride our horses on a contact, using the double bridle you would take up far more contact on the snaffle rein and only use the curb bit when you required more collection. Of course the Pelham is a type of curb, but it is designed in a totally different way and has a different action than a regular curb bit. A pelham is commonly used with roundings as opposed to two reins....Show more

Grew up using Tom Thumbs after the horse had been trained in a ring snaffle; it helped teach a to horse neck rein rather than direct rein.

My dad was old school and used a curb bit for everything. We argued with him for years that colts learn best in a snaffle, and move up to a Tom Thumb, then a curb. I have always thought that Tom Thumbs were less severe than a curb bit.

Hadn't heard the negative slant on them (nutcracker effect, hitting the roof of the mouth, etc.) until I read it on this forum. I knew a worn out or cheap Tom Thumb could pinch the corners of the horse's mouth, but we were always careful to use the good ones that don't pinch.

Not sure about what they're called in the UK....Show more

There are actually several different designs of bit that are Tom Thumb bits so it's a little confusing especially as they can be a curb bit or a hanging snaffle now a days.

Originally a Tom Thumb was a type of Pelham for a Double Bridle but with short cheeks above the mouth piece. The shorter cheek meant less leverage so this design was thought to be less severe but could also said to be less effective.

The leverage also depends on how tight the curb chain is adjusted so even with shorter cheeks the action could be harsh if the curb was overly tight....Show more

I've never seen one in the UK ( except a friend had a miniature one on a keychain !) But there again I'd never heard anything bad about snaffles till I joined Y/A then I was like - Oh, okay.
We were brought up to believe that the snaffle was the mildest and it was the bit everyone wanted to say they used, to say that your horse had a snaffle-mouth was a selling point in your favour. Now suddenly it's all change.
I used to be horrified by the long shanks and potential leverage on the American bits but now I know how they're used it makes sense. That bit looks nicer than a pelham to tell the truth....Show more

This looks like the Tom Thumb as I've always known it to look like. I've never seen any other bit called a Tom Thumb....Show more