What kind of bit do I use on a beginner horse?

I wouldn't use anything stronger than your typical single joined snaffle.

I personally use a copper, double jointed snaffle. Very mild bit. My mare was started with something a bit more harsh, so when I brought her I put her in this milder snaffle bit and she's actually improved.

If you have soft hands, know when to put pressure on and when to release, and ride with more than on the horse's mouth, you should have no issue with a mild bit (or no bit).

Please do not take this offensively; but based on this question you do not sound as though you are very experienced. I hope you have a more experienced person or trainer helping you start this horse.

A French link. snaffle bits will jam into the roof of the mouth when large amounts of pressure is applied. with young horses, often times they will try a buck or bolt, during which you will be required to pick up a fairly harsh contact fro that short amount of time. during this time though, the joint of the snaffle will jam into the roof of the mouth. an unpleasant, and very unforgettable experience for a horse. often times from then on, the horse is very very reluctant to allow you to hold a healthy contact. The horse will evade the bit, and cause even more training problems. with a snaffle, The bit lies across the tongue with the joint laying flat on the tongue. The horse's head is at an angle to the rider's hands, so the bit is too. Depending on how pressure is applied, the joint can come up and hit the roof of the mouth. It can also dig into the tongue.

If you lead a horse by taking the reins over his head on a single jointed bit, you are almost guaranteed to clout the roof of his mouth with the joint - which is why some horses are so reluctant to lead in a bridle, throwing their head to avoid contact.

It's actually more likely to happen with an eggbutt than with a loose ring snaffle, since the bit rings don't revolve inside the mouthpiece as they do with a loose ring - so if a rider's hands are lower than the horse's mouth, you will immediately find the centre of the mouthpiece lifts in the mouth. It happens less with loose ring snaffles because of the extra play.

A French link instead of a single joint usually eliminates this to a large extent. If you apply extreme pressure in any unforeseen extreme circumstances with a French link, alot less physical pain and mental damage will be done to the horse.

Some sort of snaffle. Loose ring or D-ring are the best for training, although if you get a loose ring get bit guards as well to keep her cheeks from getting pinched. It should have either one or two breaks and me smooth, NO twisted wire. Ask her dentist if she has a low pallet, if she does a French link snaffle or a Myler comfort snaffle would be better. A bosal would also work, but switch off between bit and bosal so she learns to accept nose pressure and bit pressure.

I'd use a plain D-ring snaffle, and a lot of understanding of what it means to have "good hands." If you think you already have good hands, then you do not.

Unless you are in Australia, avoid any bit called "Tom Thumb."

Learn to ride from the seat and you will have better hands, eventually.

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Perhaps I should recommend you find "Schooling Young Horses" by Werner Storl. It cannot teach you everything, and I'm afraid you'll ignore it because it's based in dressage, and some Western riders think dressage is too English. I guarantee, though, that if you read it, it'll help.

if you're not going to show, then just use a Dr Cook Bitless bridle.

it's a complete bridle that works great on horses like yours.

why use a bit?

if you're showing, it's not legal to use a bitless. that's all.

there is zero pain in the bitless. I know, I use it on a lot of restarted horses. they prefer it over the bit.

you can find one in great shape used on ebay. I have found them there for $50.

all you need is to get a pair of reins and you're set.

otherwise, get a full cheek snaffle or a d ring snaffle that has an extra piece in the middle so it doesn't nutcracker if you happen to pull back on both reins (which you should never do).

look on ebay or craigslist for used but still good tack.

(you can also just use a halter with reins attacked to the bottom. that's a hackamore. they can be cheap too)

French link or double jointed snaffle is the way to go. A regular snaffle can put too much pressure on the bars or top of the mouth. Don't use anything with leverage for sure.

Snaffle!

Either a D ring or O ring snaffle to start wit until she gets a firm grasp of the basics. If you choose to compete the. She will need to graduate to a curb bit. This one is nice and mild http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=923...