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The mouthpiece is the part of a horse's bit that goes into the mouth of a horse, resting on the bars of the mouth in the sensitive interdental space where there are no teeth. The mouthpiece is possibly the most important determinant in the severity and action of the bit. Some mouthpieces are not allowed in dressage competition.
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.
Most curb bit mouthpieces are solid without joints, ranging from a straight bar with a slight arch, called a "mullen" mouthpiece, through a "ported" bit that is slightly arched in the middle to provide tongue relief, to the full spade bit of the Vaquero style of western riding which combines both a straight bar and a very high "spoon" or "spade ...
The snaffle bit works on several parts of the horse's mouth; the mouthpiece of the bit acts on the tongue and bars, the lips of the horse also feel pressure from both the mouthpiece and the rings. The rings also serve to act on the side of the mouth, and, depending on design, the sides of the jawbone. [1]: 52–54
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.
Pelham bit, jointed mouthpiece, used here with a bit converter and single rein A solid medium-port mouthpiece with ring for a snaffle rein, allowing it to be used as a "cowboy pelham", though shown here with only a single curb rein. A pelham works on several parts of a horse's head, depending on which rein is applied.
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The sliding makes it more difficult for the horse to tighten against it, promoting relaxation and chewing from the horse. The loose ring therefore keeps the bit more mobile than any other ring type. The ring will also rotate slightly before the bit mouthpiece adds pressure to the mouth, thus allowing it to give more signal than a more fixed bit.