Horses generally experience discomfort if their bit doesn’t suit them. For this reason you should ensure that the bit matches the mouth of the equine. A very good indication that the horse is comfortable in his bit is whenever there are two soft creases on bith sides of his face. He is also comfortable if he doesn’t show warning signs of irritability and mouth pain.
The mouth of an equine has many nerves. An inadequately picked bit may transform every ride in a harmful and unpleasant experience for the horse. In case this carries on without your realizing, the horse might turn out displaying a much more negative behavior. He may not obey you. If you do not understand that your four-legged friend is hurting, you tend to use punishments which, regrettably, only raise his disobedience and his agony. Comes worst scenario, you could even have a major accident.
Those are the main reasons why as a horse trainer you continually have to make certain that the bit is properly placed on your equine’s bars. You do not want to induce your animal discomfort, unless of course you are a terrible, heartless rider.
So how can you know if a bit fits an equine?
The very first thing you must do would be to establish how big is your horse’s mouth area. Moreover, you may need to identify the full dimension of your mount and specify if he is a draft, a cob or just a pony. The size of his mouth should match the size of his entire body.
Make sure you also understand that horse bits range in shapes and sizes; and these dimensions have various purposes and are appropriate for different kinds of horses. For a short-sized equine, a 3 inch bit is normally used. Draft horses are at ease with a six-inch bit. A five inch bit, on the other hand, is proper to an average-sized horse.
A lot of horse bit suppliers allow buyers to test first if the bit suits the animal. You may ask the proprietor about the store’s return strategy.
As soon as you’re prepared, you can set the bit on the horse’s bridle. Be sure that the cheek pieces are nearly the same to the buckle. And then bridle your horse. The bit should be in the mouth of the equine after the cheek pieces had been let down. Also, test the hinges on each side of the bit. These hinges must be a quarter inch away from the corner of the equine’s mouth.
Adjust the bit. If it fits well, two soft lines may appear on the corners of the mouth. To accomplish this, gently elevate the bridle on the cheek pieces. Do it hole by hole. Once this is done, you may conduct riding exercises with the horse. In case he or she reacts properly and he seems to be comfortable, then it’s advisable to suppose that the bit is correctly positioned.
It’s always necessary to make horses feel at ease. The tough equestrian bits could harm the responsiveness of the horse. That’s why novice horse riders must use mild tools, for instance the snaffle bit, at least until they learn all the subtleties of transmitting commands to the creature without harming or annoying him.