Bits and Beyond: Question and Answer with a Professional Horse Bit Maker

Understanding the fundamentals of horse bits is essential for any rider. A horse bit is a simple piece of equipment that comes with a lot of complicated questions! Each horse and rider form a partnership with their own dynamics.

In a recent episode of The Farm House Tack’s podcast, Bit By Bit, Michelle Drum, E-Commerce and Marketing Manager, talks with Adam Rittenberg, owner of AJR Sport to answer a few common bit questions from amateur riders gathered with assistance from The Plaid Horse. Here are a few!

Amanda Rabidue Bozack asks:

My big OTTB who loves a Tom Thumb bit without a curb chain can’t show in it. We show in a Pelham (sometimes without the chain). I assume he prefers the poll pressure to mouth pressure. Are there other bit options for hunters that do something similar and what insights can he share about keeping horses like mine happy?

Adam

So it’s really difficult now with the hunter rules. What I do know is that very often you will see the hunter go in a Pelham and there’s nothing wrong with that. If I was judging and I saw this horse with this absolutely stunning jump and it went in a Pelham, I wouldn’t even be looking at the bit. Because the objective is to have a beautiful trip. We want a smooth round and we want it all to flow. And if that horse needs a little bit of poll pressure to make that work, that’s perfectly acceptable.

Rene Lefave asks: 

Why make bits as harsh as double twisted wires, chains, etc. And how does that affect horse mechanics of the body and of the mouth alone?

Adam

The thing with those is kind of bits is typically you shouldn’t have an amateur using them. The second part of the answer to that question would be, that if you use a double twisted wire or something strong or harsh for a horse with a soft mouth, you’re going to make them offended. You’re going to be stuck behind the motion. That will overall affect the jump because it’s not going to follow through with its body. You’re going to lose shape and time. The two-legged human has failed in a lot of ways. We’ve failed because we wanted shortcuts. We’ve wanted instant gratification.

One thing I want to add to that, there are horses that when you put something stronger in their mouth that actually get a nicer result throughout their body. They could just be abrasive and just rude in their mouth. It could be from lack of training, hard mouth, or poor anatomy. 

Michelle

The flip side, I think is that sometimes I see  people flatting in a snaffle and their horse is perfectly quiet. But then, when the lights go on and the crowd shows up and the jumps get big and the atmosphere, there are horses that might need a little something to help them slow down or we’re going to crash through it. 

Adam

That’s true. Typically though, Grand Prix riders want to keep a feel with the horse’s mouth. When I was riding, I would use just a snaffle [during training] because I wanted to feel the horse’s mouth without taking away from the actual feel.

Natalie Orr asks: 

Do you have any advice on fitting the tricky anatomy ones? Big lips, thick tongues, low palate, etc.

Adam

There are so many different probabilities, let’s call it. But if we break it down and we say a horse that has big lips, we would use a smooth mouthpiece because we’re going to avoid pinching. For a horse with a thick tongue, we only have so much room in our mouth and the tongue is taking up a large portion, so we would use a thinner mouthpiece. 

Michelle

What do you think about some tongue relief? Not really a port, but something with some arch to allow for some extra room.  

Adam

I think that there’s definitely an application for that as well. You just have to be careful that if you’re going to use a tongue relief bit that your horse doesn’t have a low palate because now you’re contradicting what you’re doing.

For horses with a low palate, there needs to be some flexibility in the mouth. I think something straight is really difficult for a horse with a low palate.

I actually helped a wonderful customer of yours who had a horse that she was struggling with. I watched the video and said, “I think I have the solution for you.” And she was like “Sure, ok dude, whatever.” But I set her up with the right bridle setup and a Rubber Block Morph bit, the one that the horse will hold a certain way and it will stay that way. I love that one for a parrot mouth horse, which this horse was. 

Anyway, the horse went in the class and she jumped a clear and it was absolutely gorgeous to watch. It was one of my favorite highlights in consulting that I’ve done. I was there to watch the horse go in the ring and to see the joy that the girl had.

Taylor Elizabeth asks: 

If you had to pick only 2 bits to have for all the horses in any given barn what would they be, and why?

Adam

If I had to pick a cheek piece, I’d probably go for a Pelham just because I think you have to have something with poll pressure. You’ve go to have something with leverage and you can put a converter to kind of soften it. I love a Pelham in general.

And my second choice would probably be a Waterford, like a copper roller Waterford loose ring. You have to have a loose ring and I think a Waterford is a great tool. They are stronger than people think but I think that there are a lot of horses that are heavy and this sort of breaks up the ability for them to fix and lean.

Michelle

Why a loose ring?

Adam

I think a loose ring is super useful in generally because it is really basic and it allows for movement. I think most horses go well in a loose ring. If it pinches, put the tapered bit guard on it.

If you speak with other riders and see what they’re doing and what works, you may be able to take parts of what people say and make it your own.

Michelle

We all have something to learn from everyone. My favorite thing is to  hang out at the school and listen to what other trainers are telling other students and what they’re dealing with. It’s so helpful for questions like this.

Thank you to all of the riders who wrote in with questions! The Farm House publishes weekly podcasts on YouTube and Spotify with more information on bitting. If you have any questions for The Farm House or for AJR Sport, email farmhousetack@gmail.com or leave a comment below.