Monday Morning Feed by SmartPak

One of my favorite Horse Nation columns (OK, I have a LOT of them) is “Bit of Advice,” a monthly column by Australian bitting expert Anita Marchesani. Even though I use the same plain, German silver D-ring 99-percent of the time, I’m still fascinated by the endless variety of bits that are out there.

This month’s column tackles the subject of snaffles. Even when it comes to snaffles, the most simple category of bits, there are about a thousand variations on the theme. And everybody has an opinion on which is best. My jump trainer is borderline religious about using full-cheek snaffles; I have some friends who wouldn’t dare use anything other than a KK loose-ring; and still other folks I know are adventurers, always trying out the latest snaffle incarnation on the market, looking for the one that’s going to give them “the edge.”

Which mouthpiece is best for your horse? Which type of cheekpiece? Understanding the function of the snaffle bit can help you make better educated decisions when it comes to deciding what to put in your horse’s mouth.

We’ll be posting Anita’s “Bit of Advice” column later this morning. In the meantime, in case you missed her first post about the history of bits, you can catch up on it here.

We’ve got lots of other fun stuff coming your way today, so stay tuned!

Go Riding.

Photo: HN