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Stainless steel is the most common metal modern bits are
made from, and for good reasons. It is very strong, easy and
cheap to produce. Unfortunately, the good reasons are only
really good for the pocket and the manufacturers! To the horse,
stainless steel is a tasteless, cold, metal that doesn't encourage
a soft mouth or salivation. If the horse tends to be tense,
fussy or just a general worrier, this doesn't help with achieving
a comfortable mouth.
In the past, some bits were made from copper/nickel alloys
which helped give the bit an attractive taste to most (but
not every!) horse , thus overcoming some of the problems of
stainless steel. However, the nickel used to strengthen the
soft copper had two potential problems. A reasonable number
of horses are allergic to nickel and it caused a rash, and
consequently sore mouth. Secondly, nickel has a nasty habit
of snapping when put under pressure. There are now a lot of
bits on the market, and very few (and certainly not the more
expensive brands) use nickel in the make up of the metal-
if the bit seems like an amazing bargain just make sure it
isn't at your horses cost! These bits are made from alloys
that are often closely guarded secrets, but generally include
large amounts of copper mixed with other stronger metals and
sometimes silicon to make a durable, warm and safe alloy.
Sweet iron is another ‘new' material widely used as it oxidizes
(rusts!) with use to produce a sweet taste. This is in fact
not a new idea at all as some of the earliest recorded bits
were made of iron, but this was not always primarily for the
horses benefit! When they became fashionable again around
7-8 years ago, some badly produced imported sweet iron bits
were prone to flaking shards of rust which caused sore and
cut mouths. Unfortunately this put a lot of people off of
using them, while the well made bits were proving to be a
very useful and gaining in popularity. Currently, there are
some very reasonably prices sweet iron bits, and the problems
of flaking have been rectified.
Space age and flavored plastic covered bits were widely regarded
at one time to be a very kind alternative to metal, yet stronger
and more chew resistant than rubber, also being softer and
cheaper to produce than vulcanite. They have been used a lot
for young horses to be started in, and also for soft mouthed
horses. There is no doubt that some horses do go well in them,
especially if they cannot tolerate a metal bit. However, I
feel that these bits have a few problems of their own, namely
they have a nasty habit of causing sore lips due to friction
burns if the bit is pulled suddenly through the horses mouth
or from side to side for any reason (a distinct possibility
with a wobbly youngster!). They can also be classed as fat
bits, which research has found can be less comfortable for
horses with big lips/tongue. This in turn can cause further
behavioral problems such as yawing (opening the mouth).
Some bit manufacturers have gone a stage further and use
a combination of copper and sweet iron, one of the most popular
bits we sell is a loose ring copper lozenge, sweet iron bit
as it seems to address a lot of the comfort and metal concerns,
and it isn‘t expensive! Obviously this is not a universal
wonder bit as ever horse (and rider) is an individual case,
but in a lot of cases a bit like this is a good place to start.
About the Author
Lucy Nicholas is one of the directors of a family run internet
tack shop, that is dedicated to providing helpful personal
service for customers by email and phone. An ever expanding
hand picked range of quality products from a variety of manufacturers
to suit all budgets and abilities and the contacts and knowledge
to source the more unusual products when required. Click here
to visit our site: www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk.
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