What is your bit of choice?

I choose bits to suit the horse. I do not have one favourite. I make sure that it fits the horse, width wise, the thickness of the tongue and lips, and the teeth etc. I go for the mildest bit I can manage - sometimes a snaffle for flat work, and then if necessary something stronger for say cross country and showjumping.

No special noseband. Again, cavesson if possible, dropped noseband with the snaffle or flash if necessary, but never with the stronger bits.

I try to use snaffles at home though if I am about to go to a show I will ride for a couple of days in the "show" bit so that I can iron out any problems.

What bit do you use with your horse?-- A SS Sherry Cervi Diamond Lifter bit

What made you try that bit? We were trying different bits and it was in the pile...

Why do you think it works for your horse? Because it is a light bit and he is a very light mouthed horse that doesn't need alot.

How long did it take you to find the "right" bit for your horse? Not very long as we have SO many bits.

Do you have a special noseband, too? If you do, why? No

Do you use a different bit for shows than you do at home? Yes I use the Cervi when im running and when I am at home I use a 3-piece Easy Five or a slow twist loose ring snaffle. And sometimes at races if he is feeling like running strong I will put on the Sharon Camarillo Drop Nose correction bit to remind him that i'm still the jockey lol.

What bit do you use with your horse? A full cheek snaffle.

What made you try that bit? I know it is a nice mild bit and it is what his former owners rode him in.

Why do you think it works for your horse? He is responsive and listens, he doesn't need a harsh bit.

How long did it take you to find the "right" bit for your horse? I already had this bit and bridle for my lease, I just cleaned it off and put it on him and it works.

Do you have a special noseband, too? If you do, why? Just a regular cavesson noseband.

Do you use a different bit for shows than you do at home? I'm going to start showing this year, and I don't think we will need a different bit, but we'll see how the first few shows go.

What bit do you use with your horse?

A loose ring, rubber mullen mouth or an eggbutt french link. I'm looking at a sweet iron snaffle, or maybe a copper d-ring, for training purposes...haven't made up my mind yet.

What made you try that bit?

I can't remember why I got the french link to be honest, I like it but I just don't use it that often. The rubber bit I love, it's flexible, light, pretty thick (which I don't like) but it's gentle and the horses don't argue with it.

Why do you think it works for your horse?

I'm not sure why it works for Elaine, but she is very cooperative with a bit and I wanted to go with something really soft. She has a lot of scars, which I'm assuming are abuse related, as they appear to be scars caused from improper use of a hackamore, so I was a little leery about using a bit with her. She took it really well and almost seemed to like it, if I had to guess.

How long did it take you to find the "right" bit for your horse?

There's a lot of other options out there I'd love to try for the sake of trying (and I don't mean omg awful harsh bits, I want to try a lot of the mild, gentle bits for the sake of trying them and seeing which horse acts to what bit better), and I'd like to keep buying and trying. In my opinion a horse could go in any bit with the right training, so it's not necessarily the right bit I've found, but the way in which the horse is taught.

Do you have a special noseband, too? If you do, why?

Nope.

Do you use a different bit for shows than you do at home?

I don't show.

What bit do you use with your horse? Loose ring French link snaffle, French link 3 ring gag (2nd ring) and double bridle (curb with sliding mouthpiece and a loose ring bradoon)

What made you try that bit? First one - what he was in when we bought him (he was gaping and not listening as the mouthpiece was a little too thick for his liking, so got him one with a thinner mouthpiece.)

3 ring gag - my mum wanted to be sure I could stop jumping - he can get a little excited and he has quite a chunky neck, so when he sets his neck against you and his head disappears between his front legs, you've got nothing if he's in the snaffle! I also use the 3 ring if I want an outline without putting the double in and without having an argument in the snaffle (he thinks he knows best, but he doesn't and if you try and tell him to do what you want he can get stroppy, lean on you with his head in the air, wont move and will even stop and stamp his feet like a toddler!)

Double bridle - when we first started showing, we were told to put him in a double or a pelham - he didn't like the pelham and it is less precise than a double. The double enables us to keep an outline and keep the energy contained (he needs a lot of leg - in the snaffle, he'll run through the hand and eventually become unbalanced) and if he gets excited cantering around with everyone, you have some brakes there if you need them.

Why do you think it works for your horse? I don't know. He's quite responsive, but has a chunky neck and the gag gives a little extra brakes if he gets excited jumping. Snaffle works well as long as you're not cantering in a field with lots of naughty little ponies (he thinks he has to race) or if you are jumping decent sized fences and he has not jumped for a while. The double works well - don't need to worry about the front end, just need to worry about power from the back end and extra brakes there if he does get a little excited (usually first show of the season on grass.) The double also helps me get him in a truer outline - in the snaffle and gag he sometimes likes to cheat by just putting his head down slightly and tucking the nose in for a few strides so you think you've got him where you want him and then the head slowly creeps up and he's following his nose again.

How long did it take you to find the "right" bit for your horse? Not long - he was in the snaffle when we bought him. When I started jumping again after a bad fall 2 years previously, my mum wanted something a little stronger in his mouth, just in case so we got him the 3 ring gag.

Do you have a special noseband, too? If you do, why? Just flash noseband - he can get gobby and just opens his mouth and says "I'm not listening lalalalala!!!", especially in the snaffle. On the double bridle, he has a flat cavesson noseband

Do you use a different bit for shows than you do at home? Yeah - I show in the double bridle. If I do dressage or working hunter, we use the snaffle and if in the rare event I go out and do a little showjumping (or just pop round a clear round) then we'll pop the gag in)

At home, he is mainly ridden in the 3 ring gag (I mentioned above that it enables us to have a correct outline and contain the energy without an argument as we would have in the snaffle and without shoving the double in his mouth all the time, making him stuffy and hollow to ride.)

If he is being lunged, we are practising a dressage test or I'm in the mood and have the time to really challenge us both and really ask him to work. We often hack in that if he's going by himself (unless the weather has been a bit funny or there's been a lot of scary cyclists around.

I only use the double in flat lessons or a day or two before a show - it's only used at shows other than that (unless someone borrows it (my friend sometimes borrows it as she only has one double bridle and a pelham and that double is quite big, whereas my pony has a diddy head compared to some)

EDIT

Can't believe I left a question blank - better fill it in so I don't look like a fool.

Also, the 3 ring gag has a thick mouthpiece with a French link. When I ride in it on the flat, I just have to give a squeeze every now and again to remind him that I'm still there and other than that, I just leave it alone. For jumping, he can get a little excited, so he has that in just in case and for my mum's piece of mind.

What bit do you use with your horse? I use a D-ring copper snaffle bit for my mare.

What made you try that bit? Well I knew that D-ring snaffle bits are not harsh and they are good bits.

Why do you think it works for your horse? I know it works for my horse, she listens well with it, she doesn't play with it and she is just easy to control with it.

How long did it take you to find the "right" bit for your horse? It didn't take me much time at all. Her previous owners used a D-ring slow twist snaffle bit so I knew I could get the D-ring snaffle. the previous owners say that she listens better with the D-ring slow twist snaffle because it sends a better message to her.

Do you have a special noseband, too? If you do, why? I do not have a special noseband, but I will be getting one sometime.

Do you use a different bit for shows than you do at home? I don't compete in shows but I will go to one in a month or so. I will be competing at the jumping show, I will probably use the D-ring slow twist snaffle bit so she listens better, controls easier and connects with you and the bit.

What bit do you use with your horse? a copper egg butt snaffle

What made you try that bit? well i had it when i bought her and so far it works out great.

Why do you think it works for your horse? well i haven't ran into any problems that concern the bit. she is responsive and works well

How long did it take you to find the "right" bit for your horse? no time at all

Do you have a special noseband, too? If you do, why? no

Do you use a different bit for shows than you do at home? yes. copper is salivating but i use a non salivating bit for shows because it gets ugly when spit flys everywhere.

A loose-ring French-link snaffle is my bit of choice. I originally had my mare in a D-Ring snaffle but I didn't feel she was going as well as she could, and she didn't seem to like it all that much, so I tried the French-link. She loves it, it works perfectly for her, and it took me two rides to figure out that was exactly what she needed.

For my first horse I also used the French-link for dressage and flatwork. For conditioning and jumping I needed to use a Waterford bit, as she liked to lean on the bit or take it and run, and I needed just a bit more power than an ordinary snaffle. Some people think Waterfords look harsh but they are actually surprisingly gentle. My new mare though, she's very quiet while jumping and probably won't require an upgrade any time soon.

Bleh, tell me about it. I'm trapped in my house due to snow and I'm sitting here like DAMNIT someone ask a question already!

What bit do you use with your horse?

-When schooling, she's in a plain dee ring. But we have been adding in the double bridle as well.

What made you try that bit?

-Broke her into it, been in it since.

Why do you think it works for your horse?

-Its simple. That's really the main reason. She likes simplicity. I've tried a french link, twisted, etc etc and she just never took to them. The bridle I just bought is a little tricky since its a double, but she's doing very well.

How long did it take you to find the "right" bit for your horse?

-Not long. We just trained her into it and she took to it very well.

Do you have a special noseband, too? If you do, why?

- A crank and a flash. She likes to mouth the bit a lot, chomping and what not. Its annoying and the flash helps.

Do you use a different bit for shows than you do at home?

- If we show FEI level, we will be using this new bridle I bought:

http://www.equestriancollections.com/product.asp?g...

Expensive little thing, but very worth it. Its a good quality bridle.

Edit- I just noticed that in my picture, she is in a bradoon. We had been using it for a while, but I felt I get a little better response with the dee ring. Plus the bradoon shined a little better that day, so I took the picture with it.

western:

What bit do you use with your horse? tom thumb copper roller

What made you try that bit? it came with him when i bought him

Why do you think it works for your horse? i need a shank for him to stop

How long did it take you to find the "right" bit for your horse? i have tried switching him out of it in the past, but he doesnt really respond to much else.

Do you have a special noseband, too? If you do, why? nope.

Do you use a different bit for shows than you do at home? ive only been to two fun shows . so no . haha .

english:

What bit do you use with your horse? a regular Kimberwick

What made you try that bit? i had bought like 5 other bits and none seemed to work with him, and so my trainer recommended it to me, and im in love with it .

Why do you think it works for your horse? i dont know , it just does . haha .

How long did it take you to find the "right" bit for your horse? to find this one it took me about 6 or 7 months

Do you have a special noseband, too? If you do, why? nothing special but yes . just for looks.