RIDING BITS

As riding Heavy Horses has become a key part of the uses of Heavy Horse breeds for pleasure & showing in ridden classes
in modern times, bringing them into the view of the overall horse riding world, I am proud to be able to offer a full comprehensive
range of riding & driving bits in the sizes heavy horses require for best fit and comfort.

The Bits I can supply are made in the U.K to the highest standard. All bits are made using stainless steel with the best fit and comfort for the horse at the forefront.

Available as standard stock & to order for the more specialist bits are Loose Ring Snaffles, Pelham's & Rugby Pelham's
 for double Bridle & rein use for dressage, Bevel's, Swivel Ring Bits, Gags, Eggbutt's , Full Cheek's and Hanging Cheeks.  
 I can order Kimblewicks & Dressage Eggbutts to be used with any type of curb bit for double bitting.

 LOOSE RING SNAFFLE'S 

Snaffles are available in a standard jointed mouth or a Loose Ring Snaffle with a French Link, available in thick or
thin mouth centre's, both available with a French Link. The French links are popular as they allow room for the tongue
which is essential for the Heavy Horse, they do not have the nutcracker action on the cheeks and squeezing the tongue
that a standard snaffle has.
Other types of Loose Ring Bits available are Copper Mouthed Standard Jointed Bit and with a French Link, again,
allowing more tongue room over a solid bar centre.

  PELHAM'S 

Various types of Pelham's in 6", 6.5" and 7" are available from a standard weight Jointed Pelham through to mullen mouth & waterford centres.
Please enquire for the availability of 7.5"bits.

Pelhams with a French link or lozenge are available with a copper centre.
Again, as Heavy Horses have fatter tongues, the french link supplies more room with less pinch thus giving your horse a
more comfortable time whilst being ridden. Bearing in mind a Standard Jointed Pelham is a harsher bit than a solid centre,
as it gives a nutcracker action as a Snaffle thus combining Snaffle action but with less curb action giving some riders the
tendency to pull harder on the rein's to get the poll action to get the head down when you need it. It is horse's for
course's as to which bit suits your ride. These are guidelines to help you make the right choice for you & more importantly
your horse. A mistake some people make is to choose a bit for themselves as much as their horse which often causes
a problem with a horse thus the horse working against you.
If you have a strong forward going ridden Heavy Horse that's well schooled to carry themselves, then a jointed pelham will
be fine as you need to be light on the reins with these.

Mullen Mouth Pelhams are available, these are useful for a horse with a larger and more sensitive tongue as it moves away
from too much pressure on the bars and palate. A horse can have a sensitive tongue, some find the Loose Snaffles and French Links for
want of a better term, ticklish and annoying, imagine you have really ticklish feet and they are being tickled to the point of
getting annoyed and wanting to get away from it, this can be the case with some horses, headshaking & nodding & not  
being responsive could be a symptom of a heavy bit on the tongue, it is down to you to ascertain it is not the bit causing a
problem in the mouth & as we know, the dentist is an important part of relieving problems in the mouth as well as correct
bitting.

Rugby Pelham's can only be used in a Double Bridle for use with double rein's. These are available in 6", 6.5" and 7", again with a standard jointed centre, French Link or lozenge.
Also with a Mullen Mouth & Port Mouth. For 7.5"  Rugby Pelham's, please make enquiries via  the contact me page.
The Mullen Mouth & Port Mouth are excellent for giving the Heavy Horse more tongue room as they tend to be quite large.
These solid centre's in a Pelham will give more curb action which will act more on the poll with a lot less effort from the rider as it takes some doing
to be in dialogue with a ton of Heavy Horse.

For the horse that has a tendency to lean heavy on the bit, the Waterford Centre is available in a range of bit type's in
Heavy Horse sizes along with the Cherry Roller centre's. A solid centre pelham will tend to pull the horse down further if
they lean on the bit if they have not been schooled to carry themselves, leaving you to carry them via the reins, not good
for you or your horse. The term pulling your arms out is not neccessairly the horses fault.A Waterford centre helps to
overcome the tendency to lean on the bit giving you a more comfortable ride whilst remaining in full control. It is always
best to try different bits that are new to your horse in safe enclosed environments especially when you are on board a ton
of powerful Heavy Horse. The more joins a bit has, the less likely a horse will lean into a bit as the bit becomes more mobile
in the mouth the more they try and lean or grab hold of the bit. These can help for riders who tend to see saw the reins as they
help ease the feeling to the horses mouth of the see saw effect.

Kimblewicks are available on request. These are good for everyday hacks to ease a strong puller. They have a gentle curb
action as there is no cheek stalks to these bits. The benefit being that you can have some curb action when you need it without
having the  cheek stalks getting caught up if your riding through woodland or close by hedgerows & going through tight
gates that can be overgrown.

Bevel Bits have proved useful if a horse has low head carriage, especially with a Heavy Horse as they are heavy going with
a low head carriage. These bits do not overly exert pressure to help lift their head up.  I have been informed this bit can help with
strengthening the muscles in the neck and the back by encouraging them to gain a sensible head carriage position so you dont
feel like your having to stop yourself tipping off over their head.

Eggbutt's are useful for the horse who is unsure of a bit in their mouth as the Eggbutt is quite stable in the mouth and encourages
them to go into the bit & they are a gentle introduction & an aid to change away from a bit they could not get on with.
Eggbutt's are not suitable for the horse that leans into or has a tendency to grab hold of the bit.

For any enquiries or questions you may have, please feel free to message me via the contact me page.