Snaffle Bit Problems

Most horse-back riders and horse trainers should have some form of snaffle bit in the barn's tack room. The snaffle bit is differentiated from the "curb" or "leverage" bit by its design. In a snaffle bit, the rider attaches the rein directly to a ring that is on the side of the horse's mouth. The bit acts directly through pressure on the horse's mouth. Curb bits are designed so that the rein attaches to a "shank" that extends below the horse's mouth, and this extension causes pressure to be placed on the top of the horse's head and behind the horse's chin as well as on the mouth. Snaffle bits are often viewed as milder bits, but problems can arise from design aspects of individual snaffle bit types.

  1. Full-Cheek Snaffles

    • Using a full-cheek snaffle can be great for a horse with problems turning. The full-cheek snaffle has pieces that stick up above and below the ring, and these pieces press into the sides of the horse's mouth to encourage the horse to turn. Sometimes, though, these pieces can get caught on the horse's head, or on objects around the horse. To prevent this from occurring, you can buy keepers that attach to the bridle and the top piece on the bit.

    Rings Too Small

    • The rings on snaffle bits are designed to be big enough to prevent the bit from getting pulled by rein pressure into the inside of the horse's mouth. If you have a snaffle with very small rings called a bradoon, this is more likely to occur. Also, some cheap snaffles are sold with rings small enough to let this happen. Usually, a bradoon is used with a curb bit on a bridle called a "double" or "Weymouth" bridle. The curb bit's presence prevents the bradoon from being pulled into the mouth. If you are worried about the rings getting pulled into the horse's mouth, you can attach a leather strap from one ring to the other to stop the snaffle bit from moving so much.

    Single-Jointed Mouthpiece

    • Most snaffle bits have a place in the bit's middle where the mouthpiece is separated into halves. Researchers have discovered that on some horses with low palates in the mouth, the middle where the halves connect can rise up and bump into the horse's palate. If you suspect your horse has this problem, which will most likely cause your horse to lift his head whenever you use the bit, you can try using a "double-jointed" snaffle where the mouthpiece is separated into three pieces, or a "mullen-mouth" snaffle where the mouthpiece is solid. In the double-jointed snaffle, the mouthpieces don't lift as much.

    Bar Size

    • A snaffle bit mouthpiece that has a thick diameter is usually considered milder than thinner mouthpieces. However, some horses' mouths are too small to fit such a thick mouthpiece and the horse can have trouble closing his mouth around the bit. You can have the opposite problem, where the mouthpiece is so thin that it causes pain to a horse with a more sensitive mouth.

    Nickel Allergy

    • Nickel is often used as a material for producing bits, especially snaffle bits, but it can cause an allergic reaction in many horses that result in sores on the inside of the horse's mouth and the lips. Nickel is often seen used with copper. You can avoid nickel allergies by buying stainless steel or sweet iron bits. Many manufacturers now produce lines of bits in other alloys that are guaranteed nickel-free.