16/ OCTOBER 2022 THE RIDER VISIT OUR WEBSITE


www.orha.on.ca


Ontario Reining Horse Association


President, Banquet Dan Fletcher president@orha.on.ca


1st Vice-President Rules & Disciplinary John Purdie


2nd Vice-President/ Treasurer Terri Purdie, finance@orha.on.ca


Past President Gary Yaghdjian


Elected Director - Secretary


Joanne Milton


Elected Director - Futurity Programs Leona McAtee orhafuturity@orha.on.ca / ob- bofuturity1991@gmail.com


Appointed Director - ORHA Futurity Programs Tracy Nelson nelsontracy@gmail.com


Appointed Directors - Professional Committee Loris Epis Jon Newnham


Appointed Director - Memberships


Janna Imrie - memberships@orha.on.ca


Appointed Director - Youth Advisor


Rebecca Nelles - oryha@orha.on.ca


ORHA News October 2022 What Does That Bit Really Do?


By: Alyssa VanKleek You’re walking through


A simple walk through of western bit styles, components, application and guidance Most ports can be found in


the 5th ride, and the day before the horse show, you are no longer ‘clicking’ with your horse.


your favourite tack store, when your eye is caught by the most beautiful bit you have ever seen. It has beautiful engraved silver shanks that at first glance look to be the same length as your cur- rent bit. You get closer. The mouthpiece is similar to the basic correction that has been in your horse’s mouth for the last year. After a quick consideration you decide that you have to have it - as your current bit is plain and you are getting ready to step into the ring for the new show season. The first show is only a week away - you don’t think anything of it - because the bit looks so similar to what you have been using. From the first ride in the new bit, something feels off. You chalk it up to a sudden rise in the temperature and a fresh horse. By


What you didn’t realize is: • The shank on the new bit is 1” longer than the bit you had been using • Besides the length - the new bit has an ‘S’ shank that gives it a completely different action • If it doesn’t look like a correc- tion mouthpiece - it likely is something completely different. In this case you chose a bit with a spoon port. `The best part of this hypo-


thetical situation. Is that it would never happen with the help of an experienced coach, trainer or friend.


Western Bit Basics There are two main styles


of bits used in western riding. First you have the snaffle bit, this


style of bit is actually seen in al- most every style of riding. Most snaffle bits are jointed


and have rings, although there are variations that are not jointed or that have a ‘cheek’ style instead of rings. Full cheek snaffles are rarely seen in western disciplines. The snaffle bit is designed to de- liver direct pressure to the horse’s mouth when the reins are pulled. The simplicity of this bit makes it a popular choice in all styles of riding as well as starting young horses and teaching new riders.


When you think of a horse


donning western gear, your mind in most cases imagines a horse wearing a large saddle with a horn and a large metal shaft pro- truding from each side of the horse’s mouth. This style of bit is called a shank bit or a curb bit. There are many more varieties in this style of bit, mostly because


there are more components com- pared to a snaffle style of bit. The three main components


of a shank bit are:


Mouthpiece This is the part of the bit


that goes in the horse’s mouth and lays across their tongue. There are many styles, each with its own specific use. You will most commonly see ports, rollers, jointed mouthpieces and even chain bits in the western rid- ing world. Before trying a new mouthpiece on your horse it is es- sential to understand the severity and function of the mouthpiece. Some of the softest bits can look harsh to the untrained eye, and vice versa. Curb Chain A shank bit is rendered al-


most completely useless when not used in conjunction with a curb chain or strap. The curb strap or chain is attached to the purchase rings of the bit and runs across the horse’s chin groove applying pressure. There are many different types of chains and straps, each with their own severity and function when used on a shank style bit.


Shank/Cheek Beautiful, graceful with a


defined degree of control. The shank or cheek of the bit is the part of the bit that sits outside the horse’s mouth.The shank can vary in length, style, size and shape. When used in conjunction with a curb strap, the shank pro- vides leverage and control. None of the above parts of


a shank bit work without the oth- ers.


Now that we’ve gone over


the basic parts of a bit we can start to get into the nitty gritty of it all. Why did that minor mouth- piece change seem like such a big deal? What happens when you go with a bit that has a longer shank?


Types of Port Bits These are the mouthpieces


that have an inverted U shape in the middle of the bit that gives the horse reduced pressure on their tongue. You might think that is a bad thing for control, but it actually means that the horse can’t use their tongue against the bit to lessen its effect. Ported mouthpieces come in an array of styles - but don’t be fooled - two ported bits that look very similar can have two very different ac- tions.


three sizes, a low port (less than 1”), a medium port (1-2”) and a high port (2” or more). High ported bits enact pallet pressure, the bit sits against the horse’s tongue until it is engaged with rein pressure. It is important to read through the rules of the dis- cipline you compete in to ensure your port is within the rules.


Ported Link Sometimes called a double-


joint port, a ported link mouth- piece has a center port that is linked on both sides to the


bar. Cathedral Most often seen as a high


port style bit, a cathedral bit is flat in appearance. This style of bit is made to exert pallet


pressure inside the horse’s mouth in conjunction with bar, chin and poll pressure from the


action of the curb strap. Cathedra bits are meant for the hands of an experienced


rider or trainer and are consid- ered a harsher style of bit.


Spade The spade bit originates


from vaquero (Spanish and Mex- ican cattle drivers). Often re- ferred to as the ‘signal bit’ , the spade bit’s shape, add-ons and joints send many different mes- sages to the horse depending on how the rider uses it. Oftentimes a spade bit is paired with a cop- per roller to encourage the horse to salivate and keep his mouth soft and supple. Similar to the cathedral bit, a spade bit is also considered a more advanced bit and should only be used in expe- rienced hands and on highly trained horses.


Spoon A spoon bit gets its name


from its appearance. The port on a spoon bit is flattened, making it gentler on the horse’s mouth. The main objective of a spoon bit is to create softness through the horse’s poll while still regaining control through gentle pallet pressure. The spoon bit is most commonly used on well-broke, highly trained horses doing ad- vanced maneuvers.


Shank Functionality Now that we’ve gone


through the basic mouthpieces we can move on to the shank styles. When I say style I am not referring to the colour of the metal or the intricate engraving -


instead we are going to go through the length, shape and de- sign with the functionality in mind.


Leverage Ratio A snaffle bit has a leverage


ratio of 1:1. This means that for each pound of pressure exerted on the reins, the horse feels one pound in his mouth. Shank style bits create more leverage with less pressure on the reins making it easier to look effortless. The ratio of a leverage bit can be found by measuring the length of the shank and the length of the purchase. If you measure the length of


the shank and get 2, then measure the purchase and get 1, the bit that you are measuring has a ratio of 1:2, this means that every 1 pound you exert on the reins, the horse will feel 2 pounds in their mouth. A change in the ratio of purchase to shank will change how the bit works and where it puts the most pressure.


Shank Length The length of the shank is


the easiest component to spot when deciding on how severe a bit is. As you can imagine, the shorter the shank, the less aggres- sive the action of the bit is in the horse’s mouth. This all comes down to how much leverage you can achieve with a shank. A shorter shank has less action, which in turn gives you less leverage. A longer shank gives more leverage. As you put pres- sure on the reins the shank rotates the bit in the horse’s mouth put- ting pressure on the horse’s poll, pallet and chin depending on which type of mouthpiece you have.


Shank Angle Length isn’t everything,


even when it comes to shank style bits. One general rule of thumb when looking at the shank angle is that the straighter the shank, the less warning the horse has before they start to feel the action of the bit as it is engaged. This means that a straighter shank is going to be more harsh than a shank that is swept back allowing your horse more time to react to what is coming. A swept back shank is less severe because you must have more contact and pickup more on the reins to en- gage the action of the bit. As you start picking up on the reins your horse has time to react to the slow action of the bit.


Appointed Director - Social Media


Alyssa VanKleek - socialmedia@orha.on.ca


Elected Director – Shows Mike Munroe, shows@orha.on.ca


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