Horse Bits Explained

Since man first domesticated the horse around 6,000 years ago, he has sought ways to control an animal that is several times larger, heavier and stronger than himself. The earliest means included using a rope or leather hackamore that was slipped over the horse's head to put pressure on its sensitive nasal passages. When a bit was added and inserted in the horse's mouth it quickly became standard, and the hackamore evolved into the bridle.

  1. Types of Bits

    • There are two types of bits in common use: the snaffle and the curb. Each has dozens of sub-varieties. Both types have a bar of some sort that rests in the horse's mouth at a natural gap between its teeth, just where the lips join. The bits attach to the bridle by means of a ring or shank at the outer end of each bar, to which the headstall is buckled. The reins attach to the rear side of the ring or to the shank.

    Snaffle Bits

    • A snaffle bit is recognized by its segmented construction. Its two slightly curved metal bars (cannons) are joined in the middle. They cause a "nutcracker" action: When the reins are pulled, the joint collapses upward and presses on the roof of the horse's mouth. Well-handled, only a slight pressure on the tongue is required to get the horse's attention. Snaffles are a major component of English riding and are often used with a curb bit in a double bridle, as shown in the picture above.

    Curb Bits

    • A curb bit is a solid shaft through the horse's mouth that presses downward on the tongue and the bars (the gaps between the teeth) when the reins are pulled. Various types of "ports"---the curved or raised section in the middle of the bar---apply pressure on the roof of the mouth. Instead of rings, the curb bit attaches to solid shanks at either side of the horse's mouth. These pull down on the cheek pieces of the bridle, putting pressure on the poll (the top of the horse's head). A chin strap of leather or chain applies pressure under the horse's jaw for additional stopping power. Curb bits are most often used in Western-style riding.

    Early Bits

    • The earliest archaeological evidence of bits comes from the Botai culture in Kazakhstan around 3,500-3,800 B.C. Before the invention of metal bits, around 1,300 B.C., they were made of rope, wood, bone or horn. Snaffles were in use across the Middle East by at least 1,500 BC. By the time of the noted Greek horseman Xenophon, around 400 B.C., curb bits with elaborate spikes and disks on the bar had appeared. They were known as "echini" (hedgehog), which produced severe pain and were meant, like modern severe curb bits, to be used on a loose rein.

    Bits Reinvented

    • Through the Middle Ages to the birth of classical horsemanship during the Renaissance, bits were used strictly for control, and pain was believed to be the most effective control mechanism. Newer horsemen, however, were concerned with performance, not control, a melding of horse and rider. Modern bits are of "kind" construction--metals designed to induce salivation--which softens the mouth and encourages quick response to minimal cues.