Why the correct bit fit is so important

Many older riders will probably remember the days when all the ponies in their riding school went in a single-jointed Eggbutt snaffle, bar maybe the one ‘whizzy’ pony in a pelham or gag. But we’re now living in a very different era with (thankfully) a much greater understanding of how our horses think and behave, and the impact of bits on their mouths. That means there are hundreds of combinations of mouthpiece, cheekpiece and materials to choose from when you’re searching for a new bit. It also means we can figure out which of those bits should suit a horse or pony based on its stage of training, mouth and tongue confirmation and sensitivity, and keep them comfortable when we’re riding. A huge part of making sure a horse is happy in their bit is ensuring that it fits them perfectly. In this blog we’re taking a closer look at why correct bit fit is so important and how to fit bits properly.

Why it’s important to get bit fit right

When we ask a horse to accept a contact on the bit, we’re asking them to accept slight pressure on their mouth, via the bit, for as long as we want to maintain that contact. That means it’s critically important that the bit that enables the communication between a horse and its rider is as comfortable as possible. In our view, every horse deserves to be comfortable when it’s ridden. Every horse also has its own unique mouth and tongue confirmation and it’s important that you know what that looks like. That’s because mouth confirmation will impact the type of mouthpiece that fits them best - more on that in a moment!

How do horses react to a badly fitted bit?

An incorrectly fitted bit can pinch, rub and even poke the tongue, bars or roof of your horse’s mouth and quickly become painful. The way your horse reacts to that pain is totally individual, but they might go numb to your rein aids, resist the action of the bit or just shut down. Of course no one wants their horse to be in pain, and in time they may start to resist being tacked up if they are trying to evade the action of the bit because it’s uncomfortable, you’re never going to achieve consistent, stable contact.

Our top bit and bridle fitting tips

We go into this subject in a lot more detail in this blog, but we’ll do a summary now which is ideal if you’re in a hurry:

● The best place to start off the process of bit fitting is to look at lots of different horse’s mouths and compare them to your horse! That way you can judge if your horse has a small mouth, low palate or big mouth and how big their tongue is. That information can help you select the style of mouthpiece that will suit them - a low or no port for a low palate, a bit with a small to medium diameter if they have a big tongue and so on.
● Then measure to find the bit width they will need. You can use existing bits to gauge the right width for them, or download and print the Neue Schule bit measuring tool here. Remember that a fixed cheek bit, such as a pelham, can be fitted snugly - around ¼ of an inch smaller than a loose-ring to stop it sliding back and forth. Loose ring cheekpieces need to be fitted wider to leave room between the cheeks and mouthpiece so that the lips don’t get pinched.
● When you’ve selected your bit and fitted it, make sure it’s sitting comfortably on the bars of the mouth. Ask someone to take a ‘contact’ on the reins to see if the bit shortens up and touches the teeth either side of the bars.

And please don't stop there - it’s so important that you make sure that the bridle fits perfectly too. Start with the headpiece, ensuring it isn’t pressing on the back of your horse’s ears or exerting too much pressure on the poll. Ensure you can stack four fingers under the throatlash when it’s done up (any tighter and it can interfere with their breathing when they work correctly) and check the noseband height and fit. Obviously, both of those depend on the style of noseband you’re using but remember that a noseband fitted too low can put pressure on the nostrils and impact their breathing, and too high can put pressure on facial nerves. It goes without saying that a noseband should never, ever be fitted tightly. Then, make sure the buckles on the headpiece and noseband, when they are fitted at the correct height, aren’t sitting near the eye, the cheekbones or the TMJ (temporomandibular joint).