Ask H&H: adjustable bits
Q: I tend to use the same bits on my two horses, but they have slightly different sized mouths. I have heard there is an adjustable bit that could help solve my problem. Can you tell me what it is and where I can get one?
LS, Cheshire
EQUIPT UK has just launched the Adjusta Bit to the UK market, but it has been widely sold and used in the US for a while.
What is it?
The adjustable bit is available in a full cheek snaffle, jointed gag, eggbutt snaffle and rubber mouth Dee. If your horse’s mouth falls just outside the traditional sizes, or you want to use the same bit on more than one horse, the bit can be adjusted to fit and will not pinch, says the manufacturer.
“Not every animal has the perfect five-inch mouth,” says John Craven from Equipt UK’s supplier Intrepid International in Pennsylvania.
How does it work?
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The innovative new bits can be adjusted to fit any sized mouth from 4 3/8in to 5 1/2in. The length of the mouthpiece is altered by simply twisting the shanks in opposite directions.
Who uses it?
John Craven says the bit was designed for “riding schools, a trainer on a budget, or a rider with a few different horses in their yard who need different sizes of bit.”
Surrey livery yard manager Lorna Thompson says: “It is useful for horses with in-between sized mouths as most bits only come in half-inch measurements.”
Where can I get one?
Price: from £20
Equipt UK Tel: 01543 483262 www.equiptuk.co.uk
This Q&A was first published in Horse & Hound (27 March, ’08)
