A polite bit for a Beginning English horse?
I usually ride my 18 yr old standardbred mare western but i have ridden english on other horses and just this minute bought an english saddle and bridle. She was raced as a trotter so i think she has have some sort of an "english bit" (Dee ring, Egg butt snaffle etc.) used on her at one point, but i was wondering what a good starter bit would be. She has used a Copper Mouth Tom Thumb Bit since she retired from race around the age of 5. im not looking to spend a ton of $ so an economical bit for her and me would be good. I would also like websites or pics of the bit and possibly why you think it would be a devout bit. Thanks!
My suggestion would be a snaffle of some sort (D-ring, eggbutt, anything not too extravagant) with the same sympathetic of metal her western bit is made out of. I'd keep the mouthpiece completely plain--no twisted, triple jointed, etc. That'll make the bit much more similar to a tom thumb. You can find a plain snaffle like that surrounded by pretty much any catalog or tack shop for really cheap (try statelinetack.com or any other tack website), so you can start there and then if you presume you need a little more leverage or something you can change short wasting your money (plus, a plain snaffle can usually be used again because it suits so many horses!).
I've had abundantly of luck using plain snaffles on horses that go in tom thumbs for western.
I would recommend impossible to tell apart mouthpiece on a full cheek snaffle bit. the full cheek can be used with bit keepers, which I also recommend, since she has be used to the harshness of a Tom Thumb, and the added slight poll leverage will be helpful. You can Google it and easily find pics. The full cheeks confer good lateral control and keep the bit in position. Be aware that minus the leverage of the Tom Thumb, you are going to a much much milder bit, and should work in an arena until your horse adapts to the difference.
Answers: If she has not used a english bit in a while, and is sensative surrounded by the mouth, depends on her, a rubber snaffle, D-ring or eggbutt, would be good.
ADDED
Depends what you want in her mouth really and what she is like, you could acquire cooper,stainless steel, and other assorted metals, also if she does not like the bit, we can purchase bits that are flavored with apple, beside have a piece of rubber/plastic around the bit part and it is then flavored, i believe you can achieve apple,cinnamon (i have no idea why), carrots, and horse cookie flavor depends what she love to get through. The flavored bits works well but it does tend to cause a lot of saliva at the start of the use, after a while horse get used to the taste while working and then stops drooling, over all great bit.
Here are some great sites near lots of bits for sale and other equine items:
http://www.shop4bits.com/
http://www.horse-bits.co.uk/
http://www.bitsandbridles.com/
http://www.bitnspurtack.com/
my favourites:
http://www.kellystackshop.com/category.c...
and
http://www.sstack.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&...
Hope that helps, thanks
I'd say to go for an eggbutt, or rubber snaffle.
http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp...
http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp...
They are typically easier on the mouth than others, and are great for a formation English horse. Hope this helps, best of luck,
If she is sensitive to bits, I would use a happy mouth D ring or Egg-butt
both of these bits are what most horses start out near and if she responds well to a light bit, next a happy mouth would be good because it isn't too force full my horse uses a happy mouth d-ring and it works freshly fine. you can find happy mouths on Dover.com and most horse sites
