What kind of bit accessories are available?
Minimalism is also a good approach in equestrian sports to get rid of unnecessary burdens. This also applies to riding equipment. But every now and then, one or two accessories can be quite useful. Also when it comes to bits, there are accessories that are necessary on the one hand for the well-being of the horse and on the other hand for the correct use of the equipment.
Curb Chains
Not every bit needs a curb chain. With loose ring snaffle bits and all other bits without shanks, a curb chain is unnecessary or even a hindrance. A curb chain is absolutely necessary for bits with shanks, such as a weymouth bit or a pelham. This limits the leverage for the safety of the horse and directs most of the forces away from the neck to the chin and tongue.
Correctly buckled, it acts from an angle of 45° between the mouth and the lower shank. On the one hand, it should not be hooked in too loosely so that the leverage effect does not come too late and come as a surprise to the horse. Because if the shank is already tilted far and the curb chain only acts at an angle greater than 45°, the force of the lever suddenly arrives with great force in the horse’s mouth. Secondly, the curb chain should not be fastened too tightly so that the bit does not squeeze the tongue and injure it. This further leads to blue, badly perfused tongues. To protect the horse’s chin, a rubber or leather curb chain guard is highly recommended.
Bit Guards
Under certain circumstances, the continuous rings can pinch the lips of some horses, which can be the case especially with horses with thick mouth corners. To protect the horse, rubber bit guards can be placed between the bit rings and the corners of the mouth. They are soft and stretchy and made of durable rubber. Furthermore, there are also gel bit guards.
Especially with loose ring snaffle bits, bit guards prevent the bit rings from being pulled through the mouth when the reins are pulled on one side. At the same time, however, remember that the pull on the bit should never be so strong that the bit is pulled through at all.
Another advantage of bit guards is that bits that are too long can be made a few millimetres smaller.
Bit guards are extremely stretchy so that you can pull them over the bit rings. To save muscle power, you can attach both reins to one bit ring. Then thread the bit guards over the reins first. Once you reach the bit ring, pull the reins apart so that the bit guards is pressed over the ring.
Pelham Roundings
A pelham or kimblewick is correctly ridden with two pairs of reins in order to be able to give differentiated aids. Then the pelham works similar to a weymouth bit, with the difference that the pelham usually has a jointed mouthpiece. This is especially important during dressage lessons. However, if you use the pelham for controlling strong horses, for example while hacking, you can switch to one pair of reins. For this purpose, pelham roundings are buckled to the bit ring and the lower shank ring, into which the reins are in turn buckled. In this way, a strong weymouth bit effect is avoided.
Remember!
Riding with pelham roundings is a temporary alternative. In the long run, however, the problem of the horse getting strong or grabbing the bit should be solved by a solid basic training.
Cleaning paste for bits
After riding, saliva and feed residue stick to the bit, but this can be washed off with water without any problems. However, over time oxidation can occur, superficial rust forms or the bit tarnishes and loses its shine. With some bits, however, rust can be the goal in order to encourage the horse to chew more because of the sweet taste. This is the case with bits with copper inserts or sweet iron bits.
For horse bits where this is not desired and where water alone is no longer sufficient for cleaning, a metal polish is recommended. There are special cleaning pastes for horse bits that clean the material thoroughly, but do not damage the surface and are also non-toxic.