• Monthly Archives: June 2011

    Dartmoor Ponies

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    Here at aBitSpecial.com as you can imagine we get a wide variety of different enquiries about custom bits for particular needs.  Sometimes the challenge is to address behavioural issues and sometimes they are physical.  This is one interesting story about one of our customers Dan.  Dan drives Dartmoor ponies in Combined Driving Events. For those of you that don't know and I am by no means an expert, Combined Driving is a carriage based event where the driver and possibly others are drawn by 1, 2 or 4 horses.  Needless to say there is a decent looking account of the sport on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_driving

    Now in Dan's case he drives with Dartmoor Ponies (see the picture he kindly sent us below).

    

    

    Dan says - "I have 3 ponies each with their own special needs and issues in each of the three phases of the events. Complicating all of this is their physical characteristics - wide shallow mouths and small heads (they are 12.1H tall)"
    

    The horse bit market is characterised by a lot of different types of bit however like cars they tend to be mass produced to fit the most common range of horse sizes and dimensions.  We hear from people who have trouble finding very large bits with good stopping power but also smaller bits where the bit mouth piece may be OK but the rest of it is just not in proportion. 
    

    As Dan then says "Most bits that are wide enough are too bulky to
look right and too thick for their mouths. Smaller bits pinch."
    

    Dan had some quite specific requirements and we worked closely with him to build some bits that worked well for him.  It seems just as we get to a point when we think we have made most bits we can think of, another requirement crosses our path.
    

    "I came to A Bit Special with a request for a Happy Mouth Mullen mouthpiece attached to a 2 slot fixed cheek pony sized liverpool bit. 2 weeks later I had it and it was perfect. Then I asked for the mouthpiece from a Dr. Bristol bit except with the link twisted (a French link lozenge is too bulky) 90 degrees and attached once again to a fixed cheek liverpool in pony size. Once again they came through. I am in the process of ordering 4 more and expect that by the end of this year every Dartmoor driver in the US will have this bit. "

    


    
	
    

    

    You can see a few more pictures of the Liverpool bit here Fixed Cheek Horizontal Lozenge bit
    

    It is not always easy to get the the right solution when horses are involved but we are always keen to give it our best shot.
    
					
    
		
		
	
    

				
					
	
    
		
    
						
    Butterfly Flips and Other Unusual Bits
    
			
						
    
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    Horse bits continue to be an important ingredient in successful horse riding for both the amateur and the professional. The majority of riders are happy with the basic snaffle bit and others may move over to a curb bit like a Pelham. However there is always a need for something a little more. Today we are going to talk about 3 of the more unusual bits and whilst we talk about them we will be covering some interesting principles that can apply to other bits.
    

    Butterfly Flip Bit
    

     
    

    The Butterfly Flip Bit is often talked about on horse riding forums due to its quite exotic appearance and people wonder how it works. The form of the butterfly flip makes it a hanging cheek type of bit resembling the top part of a Pelham Bit that has some leverage and works on the horse's poll.
    

    The rings offer three different rein positions allowing you to vary the amount of poll pressure exerted. Of course it is possible to get a variety of different mouth pieces that can add to the functionality of this bit. Jointed mouths are popular with french links or lozenge, or even Waterford mouths which with the multi-jointed aspect will follow the shape of the mouth.
    

     
    

    swales 3 in 1 The Swales bit looks like a pelham. The distinctive look of this bit is thanks to the big floating rings which revolve around the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece can also revolve which helps prevent the horse leaning on it. Again other mouth pieces are possible to fit and the action of the jointed mouth piece nutcracker effect or having rollers that stop the horse running with the bit will complement the curb effect of this bit on the bars of the mouth and the curb groove. Unlike the pelham though this bit doesn't apply poll pressure.
    

     
    

    sam Marsh Pelham
    

    Our final unusual bit is the Sam Marsh Pelham or SM Pelham. Cobs and hunters can often be heavy in the hand for some showing riders and this Pelham can lighten the load. As a Pelham the Sam Marsh applies pressure via the poll plus also the chin groove with the curb chain. It also works on the mouth, and this bit has a distinctive flat mouthpiece that exerts pressure on the tongue.
    

    The cheeks work independently of the mouth which helps stop the horse fixing against the bit. These bits give some good examples of the sorts of features and behavior that the rider must be aware of and that can be targeted in getting good riding form with your horse.
    
					
    
		
		
	
    

				

			
			                
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