Getting the correct bit for your horse is so important, as it’s one of the main lines of communication you will have with them. When it comes to finding the correct bit, we’ll admit it’s a minefield. A lot of the time its trial and error of course, and taking the time to see what your horse is comfortable in. Neue Schule are one of the market leading bit specialists due to their innovative engineering to create the perfect bit for your horse. But what makes their bits so special?
Firstly, there are 3 facts about the horses mouth that need to be considered:
So this means that the mouthpiece of material of the bit needs to be, soft, warm and neutral in taste for our horses to perform at their best.
Neue Schule have developed a unique material which is used on all mouthpieces of their bits. It’s called Salox Gold. This special material possesses a high thermal conductivity, which means the bit will warm to the horse’s mouth quickly, becoming ‘neutral’ to the horse in the process. The result of this, is that the horse is more comfortable, accepts the bit quickly and is less likely to fixate on the mouthpiece. With any luck, this means that the horse will be more likely to listen to the riders’ aids and focus on the action of the bit (we hope!).
Sometimes when we put the bit in the horse’s mouth, it may come into contact with the teeth – namely the incisors and premolars. When this does happen, we obviously would hate for any damage to be done to the tooth, or for our horse to be uncomfortable or in pain. Salox gold differs from the standard stainless-steel bits in that it’s a much softer, allowing it to safely absorb impact forces whilst also protecting the tooth enamel. Because of this, it can also make the mouthpiece easier to accept by the horse, which is particularly helpful when training young horses.
The overall aim is to keep the bit neutral but comfortable in the horse’s mouth. As riders, we don’t want our horses to fixate on the bit, but instead we want them to listen and be receptive to our aids. A mouthpiece that doesn’t taste or emit a smell is one that will remain neutral in the mouth. A problem that can sometimes occur when people use a sweet copper bit is that the horse will chomp and suck because it tastes nice – something we don’t want to happen! There isn’t any evidence to suggest that over salivating links to bit acceptance, and a horse cannot physically swallow excess saliva and breath at the same time. Therefore, over salivating could impact on a horse’s performance, especially during faster work such as showjumping.
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