“It’s important to keep it as simple as possible”

Ros Canter is an international event rider who has competed at Burghley and Badminton horse trials. “With a new or young horse, I start with a loose ring snaffle with a lozenge,” Ross tells us. “I then assess from that point. For instance, if I find the horse isn’t taking enough contact, I’ll try a Sprenger Eggbutt with lozenge, or a happy mouth straight bar, which is a comfortable, kind bit. For horses that aren’t very supple or are on the forehand, I find a loose ring bit useful as it has more movement and helps prevent leaning but, in all instances, it’s important to keep it as simple as possible.” Ros doesn’t change her bits regularly, although she finds that a session in a different bit can be useful. “If I feel the horse is starting to evade or resist I’ll try something different just for one session as it’ll make him think. I find it best to use the same bit in training and competing but sometimes, cross-country for instance, I may need to make a change. I much prefer to have a stronger bit and be able to ride with kind hands as this is better for the horse than sticking with a bit that isn’t working and then pulling unnecessarily. This is how horses become numb in the mouth.”

Is your bit still doing its job?

On deciding whether or not a bit is still working for your horse, Ros advises keeping a mental note of how it felt when you first rode in it, or even write it down. “If the bit is right, he’ll feel steady in the contact, flexible and responsive. Lock this in your mind when you find a bit that does all these things. When you’re riding, you’ll be able to check if you’re still getting that same feel. If not, then, as well as looking at other things, training issues for instance, you can decide if the bit is still doing its job and change it if not.”