[drivingpairs] Fixed or Loose Cheek Bits



I am a little behind on my posts, but did want to
comment on bit cheeks.  

We use the loose sided cheeks for all our Multiples. 
We feel it gives more "leading" ability to the rein. 
Driven horses are actually "led around" by the side of
the mouth for doing corners, circles.

  Having ridden Western a great many years, I
discovered that neck reining only worked if the horse
responded to my leg and weight of rein against his
neck.  We all used fixed sided bits, like the COWBOYS
did!  Short or long shanked, port mouthed, they were
solid, one-piece bits.  If horse ignored me directing
his neck reining, there was not really any bend in him
or neck, when I pulled that inside rein on a fixed
sided bit.  The whole bit would twist in his mouth, or
pull crookedly because it was a one-unit piece.  No
give anyplace.  A rein-pull put the whole thing off
balance.  I could not even FORCE a bend or break in
his body line, to show him how to correctly turn using
that fixed side bit.  You can stop a horse with fixed
sides pretty well, not a whole lot else as well as
other bits we now use.

Swivel sided bits where later hailed as a HUGE step in
increasing communication with the horse.

Training a young animal then, we started with ring
snaffles to teach them to follow the rein, bend for
circles.  Getting the idea of bending into a young
horse can be frustration defined!  They like going
straight.  There was a LOT of training between the
snaffle bit and a finished horse who ACUTUALLY DID
neck rein in the fixed sided bit!  So many methods,
tricks, to develop that horse who was fluid,
responsive to the rider.  Time involved was huge to
get a responsive animal.  

Having the swivel sides, bit selection now available,
a trainer can easily communicate to the horse the idea
of bend, flex, thru the neck, throatlatch area, to get
the whole body correctly bent for circles, turns.  It
shortens training time, frustration for the trainer
and horse is much diminished because there is not that
stopping point that fixed bit created.

I am a big fan of bit guards.  These would be the
rubber rings that sit inside the bit cheeks.  They
come in colors as well as black, chestnut.  We added
the bit rings to the driving bits to prevent any lip
pinching, curb chain grabbing, from EVER happening.  I
have seen a lot of riding horses get chin or skin
pinched between curbstrap and bit sides.  Loosejaw
bits may grab skin as the horse mouths the bit.  With
some horses bit rings prevent grabbing bit sides and
pulling it into the mouth.
  Bit rings prevent the pinching of lip when swivel
sided Liverpool bit is used on the ring setting,
behind the mouthpiece.  When ring pulls out from the
side, the bit guard pads and protects the front of
face from front ring pressure.  We find horses
lighter, more responsive, bendable, with the swivel
sides.  Pull is changed because the whole bit is not
moving in mouth like a fixed sided bit.  For us, the
swivel sides are nicer.

I actually have the bit guards on all our bits, ridden
or driven.  No chance of pinches from any part of the
bit.  I order the bits a fraction larger, 1/4", of
measured mouth sizes.  Guards are unobtrusive in black
on bay horses, never a factor in using the horse.  Who
knows how many pinches have been prevented over the
years?  Pretty inexpensive insurance.

Get the guards very warm by soaking before trying to
put them on bits.  Microwave is not as successful as
very hot water soaks.

Horses will work with whatever bit driver/rider wants
to use.  We have just been much happier with horses
going in swivel sided bits over the years, ridden or
driven.  We think the greater finesse possible, with
moving sides, is the reason.

Kathy Robertson


> 
> you both have confirmed my own thoughts on loose
> cheek liverpool bits  
> with multiples.  actually, i didn't want to put my
> opinion forward  
> first because i am such a newbie to this pair thing
> .... i didn't  
> want to get flamed in public <G>.  i "enjoy" the
> engineering aspect  
> of things and it just made sense to me that if you
> pull the inside  
> ring of the bit towards the pair mate then the front
> of the bit rings  
> would pinch the front of the horses lips.  it just
> can't be comfortable.
> 



 
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