Leo's Bit History

I've gone through a number of bits for both jumping and flat...it's all been trial and error. Over the past 3 years, I have tried 8 different bits for jumping Leo and 7 different bits on the flat. I've learned that Leo doesn't like elevator action which rules out pelhams, american gags and other elevation bits. He runs away with me in snaffles and even in the waterford - doesn't matter that he can't grab that bit. Right now, we're moving forward with a Corkscrew and hopefully that will work for the foreseeable future.

Here's a look at everything we've tried for jumping...

Rubber Snaffle

Rubber Snaffle Bit
When I got Leo in 2010, this was my go-to bit. It's kind and gentle, but Leo would continually run away me while jumping so we moved to a slow-twist snaffle for jumping and kept the rubber snaffle for flatwork.

Slow-Twist Snaffle

Slow-Twist Snaffle Bit
I started using this in the winter of 2010-2011. It gave me slightly more control jumping but didn't over power Leo. We used through 2011 while competing beginner novice and novice.

Citation Bit

Citation Bit
Because I didn't have a lot of control in the slow-twist, Lesley Stevenson recommended I try the citation bit which she used with her upper level horse. It is comprised of 2 snaffle bits, one whose rings are linked via a leather strap that goes over the top of the nose and applies nose pressure when engaged. The first ride was good, but subsequent rides were horrible. Leo started refusing fences and we quickly lost our confidence. Things got worse and worse as we tried to make the bit "work." It took me a couple of weeks, but I finally dumped the bit and that was the best decision I could have made. It was simply too much bit for Leo. I've since learned not to force equipment to work - but that was a slow lesson to learn.

Copper  Center Roller Dee Snaffle

Copper Center Roller Dee Snaffle
I actually bought this bit early on based on the reviews at DoverSaddlery.com, but never used it because the construction was so odd to me. The mouth-piece is hinged, versus double-jointed, eliminating the nutcracker effect. After giving up on the citation bit at the end of 2011, I tried this and Leo loved it. He was a lot steadier in the bridle and more accepting of the contact, so from that point on I started avoiding single-jointed snaffles in favor of french-links, rollers, etc. It's not legal for dressage but can be used jumping. We used it throughout 2012 at novice and training level for both stadium and cross country.

Waterford bit 

Waterford Bit
Towards the end of 2012, I tried the waterford because Leo was quite strong and it was still taking me a lot of time to slow him down on xc when I needed to. I schooled xc in this bit once and I had less control than the the copper roller. I haven't used it since.

Myler Comfort Bit

Myler Comfort Bit
At the beginning of the 2013 competition season I started jumping Leo in the Myler Snaffle, which is his primary flat bit. His education and strength had progressed a lot over the winter and I thought I could get away with a super mild bit finally. I ran him xc in it at MCTA and he was phenomenal. It was our best xc ride at Training level. I then took him to Fair Hill in it and he ran away with me on xc - he was dangerously leaving out strides. That's when I made the decision to bump up to the elevator bit.

3-Ring Elevator Bit

3-Ring French-Link Elevator Bit
I choose this bit so that I could have different options depending on where the reins were set. I wanted a milder bit for show-jumping and a stronger bit for xc. Time is a hard thing for Leo and I to make at training even though he is a fast horse. I've since learned that you can't ride a horse forward that you can't slow down. I spend so much time slowing Leo down that we end up behind the clock. Initially, this bit worked for us. We did notice that Leo didn't use his head and neck as well in this bit and would drop his hindquarters and have rails in stadium if I tried to ride on the second ring. Reins were kept on the snaffle ring in stadium and then lowered to the second ring for cross country. Unfortunately, Leo started backing off in this bit - both in stadium and on xc - over the course of 3-months. It was a slower negative response than the citation bit, but we headed in a negative direction regardless. I schooled xc with Sally after getting eliminated at Maryland HT and she immediately had me dump the bit after seeing how Leo was going in it.

JP Corkscrew D-ring

Corkscrew D-ring

I was initially worried about introducing a single-jointed snaffle again because Leo has always gone better with bits that don't have the nutcracker effect. I picked up a JP corkscrew which is curved. They say it stops the bit from hitting the roof of the mouth, making it more comfortable for the horse. I immediately liked how Leo went in this bit. He was forward but responsive and jumped really well. I'm now using this bit for both stadium and xc. I don't have as much control as the elevator and it still takes me a while to slow Leo down, but it seems to be a happy medium for us. 

Videos from our first jump school with the corkscrew: