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Bit Severity & Bit Fitting

Eggbut Snaffle Bits – These are the simplest and most common type of bit available, and a great place to start for all horses. It is generally s good approach to start with simple bits like this and move to something more complex if you need to. The basic structure of the snaffle bit will cause relatively little or no pain in the horse’s mouth, making it a good mix for those concerned. It's by far the most comprehensive discussion of bit severity I've ever seen. It should allow one to compare/contrast bits and pick the mildest bit from those that work for your horse. She also mentions(but doesn't discuss much) other factors which effect a bits action/severity. Those factors include: 1. The rider especially her/his hands; 2.

From: jd@slugbt.zso.dec.com (John D'Addamio) Subject: Bit severity and bit fitting (1 thru 4) Date: 10 May 1994 23:15:27 GMT Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

Due to renewed interest in the topic, I'm going to repost some articles on bitting. Specifically, the topics are bit fitting and evaluating bit severity. The first is an intro to the severity scale I mentioned in some recent notes. Then, a questionnaire to evaluate snaffles. That will be followed by a questionnaire to evaluate curbs. By snaffles, I mean non-leverage bits. By curbs, I mean all leverage bits reagardless of what kind of mouth it has or what you call it. On leverage bits, the reins attach *lower* than the mouthpiece.

The final installment will be about evaluating the horse's mouth and bits which work better for certain types of mouth conformation.

In the July 1993 EQUUS, there was an excellent article by Dr Deb Bennett on evaluating a bit in terms of severity. The basic principles/rating system she describes apply to all types of bits(Walker, show horse, trail, western dressage, etc).

The scoring scale described rates a bit with a total score of 1-5 as mild, 6-19 as moderate and 20 or more as severe. It evaluates the shape of the mouthpiece, the rings and how they attach to the mouthpiece, the thickness of the bit, length of the shanks for leverage bits, where the curb chain/strap attaches to the shanks, etc. It's by far the most comprehensive discussion of bit severity I've ever seen. It should allow one to compare/contrast bits and pick the mildest bit from those that work for your horse.

She also mentions(but doesn't discuss much) other factors which effect a bits action/severity. Those factors include:

1. The rider especially her/his hands

2. The horse especially the structure of its mouth parts..For example, a thick bit is generally regarded as milder than a thin version of the same bit. However, X-ray studies showed that a horse with a certain kinds of mouth would be caused PAIN by the thicker bit. For example, horses with shallow mouths and/or thick tongues would be uncomfortable with a thicker bit.

3. Correct fitting of the bit

Because there are so many variables, you can't generalize too much from the examples she gave. For example, one that she used was a Pelham which she scored at 15. A different Pelham with longer/shorter shanks or different mouthpiece to shank attachments would get a stronger/milder rating. So, you can't say 'All Pelhams are the same severity.'

Interestingly enough, she rated an eggbutt snaffle w/ mouthpiece of 1/2' or more thickness as the mildest bit. It scored a 1. A smiliar thickness French-link snaffle would score a 2. Many horseman would say that a French-link snaffle is milder than an ordinary snaffle because the third piece in the center reduces/eliminates the possible nutcarcker effect. Dr Deb considers 1,2 or 3 pieces in the mouth as essentially the same in severity. The eggbutt snaffle was scored as milder because of the difference in how the rings attach to the mouthpiece. The French-link usually has loose rings and the eggbutt allows less movement.

The Western snaffle bit she used as an example got a 23 because of the broken mouth and the shank length. The walker bit with 7' shanks and a thin mouth w/ high port got a 29. The single twisted wire snaffle with a thin copper mouth: 15. Double twisted wire snaffle: 25..etc

I rated the bits in my dressage double bridle using her article. Even though I use a thickish loose ring bradoon(3/8'), it rated a 4. Still mild but near the high end of the range. The curb (2.5' shanks, wide low port, thick mouthpiece, solid attchment of shanks to mouthpiece) rated a 7. My wife uses a bradoon that is 1/2' and has an eggbutt attachment. It rates a 1.

To make a long story short, snaffles aren't always the mildest bit. Many of them are stronger than curbs(e.g. a twisted wire snaffle is stronger than my curb bit). Severity depends on LOTS of things.

Rating snaffles for harshness

A couple months ago, someone asked about the relative severity of a full-cheek, copper-mouthed french snaffle with a slow twist on each of the cannons. They were surprised at how much stronger the bit seemed compared to the way her horses responded to a regular eggbutt snaffle.

I told her about the EQUUS article and it's rating scheme. Here's the method so you can apply it yourself, if you need to.

The article is long and complicated because it considered both curbs and snaffles in the same rating scheme. For snaffle(i.e. non leverage) bits, it can be simplified. To decide whether to use the snaffle or curb rating questions, answer this question: 'Do the reins attach below the level of the mouthpiece of the bit?' If the answer is 'No', use the snaffle rating scheme. If the answer is 'Yes,' the bit has leverage and you should use the curb rating scheme.

Answer the questions and write down the point value indicated. After you have answered all the questions, use the following formula to rate the snaffle:

where Q1 = value from question 1, etc. In case, your algebra is rusty.. the (Q3 x Q4) means 'multiply the answer to question 3 by the answer to question 4 and *then* add the total to the other numbers.

Answers of 5 or less are mild; 6 to 19 moderate; 20 & up severe. At the end of the questions, I rated her bit as an example.

Question 1: How many pieces are there in the horse's mouth? A. 1 to 3 pieces 1 point B. More than 3 pieces 5 points

Question 2: What kind of texture or shape does the mouthpiece have? A. Sharp(e.g. triangular or edged) 10 points B. Prickly 10 points C. Rough(e.g. twisted wire or chain) 10 points D. Twisted metal 5 points E. Wrapped with smooth wire 3 points F. Smooth 1 point

Question 3: What is the ring shape? A. Round(i.e. rings are circles) 1 point B. Other shapes(e.g. egg, figure 8, D) 2 points

Question 4: How thick are the canons? A. 1/2' or more 1 point B. 3/8' but less than 1/2' 3 points C. Less than 3/8' 10 points

Question 5: Is it a gag/elevator bit? A. Yes 8 points B. No 0 points

Question 6: How are the rings attached to the canons? A. Through holes in the canons(i.e. all loose ring snaffles except Fulmer aka Australian loose ring) 1 point B. All others including Fulmer 3 points

Question 7: Are there players, keys or a cricket on the bit? A. Yes 3 points B. No 0 points

Question 8: Is the mouthpiece copper, sweet iron, or a flavored material? A. Yes 3 points B. No 0 points

As an example, her full-cheek, copper-mouthed french snaffle with a slow twist on each of the 1/2' canons(the part in the mouth) and non-round rings would rate as follows:

That's pretty mild. An eggbutt snaffle with 1/2' canons

Horse Bit Severity Chart