Bits for sensitive horses

What is the most gentle and kind bit?

What is a kind and gentle bit? This is a question we get a lot. The answer will be different depending on what type of bit your horse prefers.

This is what you need to consider when you choose a bit for your sensitive horse:

Which pressure is my horse the most sensitive to?
Is my horse more comfortable with flexible or stable bits?
Which material will my horse prefer?

Which pressure is my horse the most sensitive to?

When choosing a bit, it's important to know what part of the mouth your horse is the most sensitive to. You can also get help from your horse's dentist to see how your horse looks in the mouth. Does your horse, for example, have sharp bars, a low palate, or a big tongue? These factors can be important when choosing a bit.

Most horses are more sensitive to tongue pressure, but it's still essential to have a bit with bar relief to vary between.

How do I know if my horse wants tongue relief or bar relief?

Common signs of sensitive bars:

Your horse can throw its head up
Your horse can chew hard on the bit
Your horse put its tongue out on the side of the mouth
Your horse can overreact when you take the reins

Common signs of a sensitive tongue:

Your horse can pull the reins down/forward
Your horse can open its mouth
Your horse plays with the tongue, and/or puts the tongue over/behind the bit
Your horse can be on and off in the contact

Is my horse more comfortable with flexible or stable bits?

Some horses get calmer and more comfortable with stable bits like straight bits and get uncomfortable with jointed bits, while some horses are the other way around.

We have both straight bits, jointed bits, and lockup bits.

Straight bit, no flexibility

Lockup bit, limited flexibility

Jointed bit, full flexibility

Which material should I choose?

Most sensitive horses prefer a sweet-tasting material like Sweet iron or Sweet gold. Leather bits are also very popular for overly sensitive horses. Titanium bits are good if the horse has sensitive skin and allergies, but do not make the horse seek as much contact with the bit as the other materials.