Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Bits and the behavior of horses while wearing bits have made their way into popular culture outside of the horse world. Took the bit in his teeth, a phrase that describes a horse that sets its jaw against the bit and cannot be controlled (rarely does the horse actually grab the bit with its molars), is used today to refer to a person who either ...
The regular use of a bit to control a horse can create wear facets or bevels on the anterior corners of the lower second premolars. The corners of the horse's mouth normally keep the bit on the "bars" of the mouth, an interdental space where there are no teeth, forward of the premolars. The bit must be manipulated by a human or the horse must ...
A spade bit A poster illustrating the process of training a spade bit horse. The spade bit is a historic vaquero design for a type of curb bit with straight, highly decorated shanks and a mouthpiece that includes a straight bar, a narrow port with a cricket, and a "spoon," a flat, partly rounded plate affixed above the port, supported by braces on either side.
Ancient military innovations – like the bit and bridle that enabled mounted horseback riding – changed the course of history. Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin/British Museum via WikimediaCommons ...
Bit: The bit goes into the horse's mouth, resting on the sensitive interdental space between the horse's teeth known as the "bars". On a double bridle, where the horse carries two bits (a curb and small snaffle, often called a "bit and bradoon"), a second, smaller headstall, known as a 'bradoon hanger' or ‘slip head’ is used to attach the ...
A curb bit works on several parts of a horse's head and mouth. The bit mouthpiece acts on the bars, tongue and roof of the mouth. The shanks add leverage and place pressure on the poll via the crownpiece of the bridle, to the chin groove via the curb chain, and, especially with a "loose jaw" shank, may act on the sides of the mouth and jaw.
This latter method is only possible because bit keepers ensure the bit stays in a fixed position in the horse's mouth, and thus bits that do not use bit keepers (e.g., a D-ring or eggbutt) do not have this milder option. This bit can put pressure on the tongue, although it also adds pressure to the bars and lips of the mouth.
A snaffle bit is the most common type of bit used while riding horses. It consists of a mouthpiece and two rings. The mouthpieces may be jointed. A snaffle gives direct pressure on the horse's mouth and has no leveraging shank. A bridle utilizing only a snaffle bit is often called a "snaffle bridle", particularly in English riding.