Bit guard

Last updated August 30, 2019

A bit guard (cheek guard in Australia) is a specialty piece of horse tack: a washer, usually made of flexible rubber, that is sometimes used in pairs on a bit.

Tack is equipment or accessories equipped on horses and other equines in the course of their use as domesticated animals. Saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, harnesses, martingales, and breastplates are all forms of horse tack. Equipping a horse is often referred to as tacking up. A room to store such equipment, usually near or in a stable, is a tack room.

Washer (hardware) thin plate with a hole, normally used to distribute the load of a threaded fastener

A washer is a thin plate with a hole that is normally used to distribute the load of a threaded fastener, such as a bolt or nut. Other uses are as a spacer, spring, wear pad, preload indicating device, locking device, and to reduce vibration. Washers often have an outer diameter (OD) about twice their inner diameter (ID), but this can vary quite widely.

A bit is a type of horse tack used in equestrian activities, usually made of metal, or a synthetic material. It is placed in the mouth of a horse and assists a rider in communicating with the animal. It extends from one side of the mouth across to the other and rests on the bars of the mouth, which are a region, between the incisors and the molars, where there are no teeth. It is held on a horse's head by means of a bridle and has reins attached for use by a rider.

Bit guard on pelham bit Cabalo044eue.jpg — Bit guard on pelham bit

Reasons for using a bit guard include:

to protect the horse's lips from chafing or pinching by the bit rings
to provide a better fit when the bit is too wide for the horse's mouth
to prevent the bit rings from being pulled through the horse's mouth

A pair of bit guards is placed on a bit by stretching them to pass over one bit ring. Then the bit is attached to a bridle. The bridle is then put on a horse so that the bit guards lie outside of the horse's mouth. Bit guards are used with loose ring snaffle bits, gag bits, and pelham bits. Bit guards are used more often in jumping events, such as eventing and show jumping, and in polo. They are not permitted in competitive dressage, and are not used in horse show hunt seat competition.

A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, the "bridle" includes both the headstall that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit.

A snaffle bit is the most common type of bit used while riding horses. It consists of a bit mouthpiece with a ring on either side and acts with direct pressure. A bridle utilizing only a snaffle bit is often called a "snaffle bridle", particularly in the English riding disciplines. A bridle that carries two bits, a curb bit and a snaffle, or "bradoon", is called a double bridle.

The gag bit is a type of bit for a horse. Because the cheek piece and reins attach to different rings there is leverage action. Severity of leverage action depends on where the reins attach. For example, in a Dutch Gag, the further the rein attachment from the mouthpiece the greater the leverage. The gag bit is related to a Pelham bit and a double bridle but the gag bit has no curb strap.

A pair of bit guards with an integral forked strap, to suspend them from the browband or crownpiece of the bridle, are known as cheekers (see Frentera).

Frentera component of horse halters and bridles

A frentera is a part of some halters and bridles, usually on a horse. It is a cord, strap, or chain on the face of the horse that is attached to the crownpiece or browband and runs down the horse's face to the noseband or bit rings. A frentera can be split at the top to pass on either side of the forelock, or on either side of the ears. In the latter case, the frentera usually substitutes for a browband. A frentera can also be split at the bottom into two or more parts to support and stabilize a heavy noseband or bit.

Bit burr

Resembling a bit guard is a bit burr (sometimes burr bit, also bubble cheeker in Australia), which has teeth laid against the horse's cheek. The burr bit was for a time widely used on coach horses in New York City, until the use was stopped in part through the efforts of Henry Bergh circa 1879.^[1] Bubble cheekers are approved for use in thoroughbred racing in Australia.^[2]

Henry Bergh founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in April, 1866, three days after the first effective legislation against animal cruelty in the United States was passed into law by the New York State Legislature. Bergh also prompted the formation, in 1874, of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC).

Thoroughbred horse racing is a sport and industry involving the racing and hound racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: flat racing and jump racing, called National Hunt racing in the UK and steeplechasing in the US. Jump racing can be further divided into hurdling and steeplechasing.

Related Research Articles

Halter headgear that is used to lead or tie up livestock and, occasionally, other animals

A halter or headcollar is headgear that is used to lead or tie up livestock and, occasionally, other animals; it fits behind the ears, and around the muzzle. To handle the animal, usually a lead rope is attached. On smaller animals, such as dogs, a leash is attached to the halter.

Noseband A part of a horses bridle that encircles the nose and jaw of the horse.

A noseband is the part of a horse's bridle that encircles the nose and jaw of the horse. In English riding, where the noseband is separately attached to its own headstall or crownpiece, held independently of the bit, it is often called a cavesson or caveson noseband. In other styles of riding, a simple noseband is sometimes attached directly to the same headstall as the bit.

Pelham bit A type of bit which has elements of both a curb bit and a snaffle bit.

A pelham bit is a type of bit used when riding a horse. It has elements of both a curb bit and a snaffle bit. In this respect a pelham bit functions similar to a double bridle, and like a double bridle it normally has "double" reins: a set of curb reins and a set of snaffle reins. Because it has a bit shank and can exert curb-style pressure on the horse, it is considered a curb bit. Like all curb bits, a pelham bit has a mouthpiece, shanks with both purchase and lever arms, a ring for rein attachment at the bottom of the shank, and a curb chain. But like a snaffle bit, a pelham bit also has a bit ring on either side of the mouthpiece. Like some curb bits, a pelham bit usually has "loose" shanks - hinged at the mouthpiece in the same way that the rings of a snaffle bit are hinged. When two sets of reins are used, the snaffle rein generally is wider, to help distinguish it from the curb. A "cowboy pelham" is a western style of loose-jawed curb bit with additional rings at the mouthpiece allowing a second set of reins to be added.

A curb bit is a type of bit used for riding horses that uses lever action. It includes the pelham bit and the Weymouth curb along with the traditional "curb bit" used mainly by Western riders.

Double bridle A bridle that has two bits and four reins

A double bridle, also called a full bridle or Weymouth bridle, is a bridle that has two bits and four reins. One bit is the bradoon, is a modified snaffle bit that is smaller in diameter and has smaller bit rings than a traditional snaffle, and it is adjusted so that it sits above and behind the other bit, a curb bit. Another term for this combination of curb and snaffle bit is a "bit and bradoon", where the word "bit" in this particular context refers to the curb.

A martingale is any of several designs of tack that are used on horses to control head carriage. Martingales may be seen in a wide variety of equestrian disciplines, both riding and driving. Rules for their use vary widely; in some disciplines they are never used, others allow them for schooling but not in judged performance, and some organizations allow certain designs in competition.

Reins are items of horse tack, used to direct a horse or other animal used for riding. They are long straps that can be made of leather, nylon, metal, or other materials, and attach to a bridle via either its bit or its noseband.

Blinkers, sometimes known as blinders, are a piece of horse tack that prevent the horse seeing to the rear and, in some cases, to the side.

Hackamore type of animal headgear which does not have a bit, but it has a special type of noseband that works on pressure points on the face, nose, and chin

A hackamore is a type of animal headgear which does not have a bit. Instead, it has a special type of noseband that works on pressure points on the face, nose, and chin. It is most commonly associated with certain styles of riding horses.

The bit shank is the side piece or cheekpiece of a curb bit, part of the bridle, used when riding on horses. The bit shank allows leverage to be added to the pressure of the rider's hands on the bit. Shanks are usually made of metal, may be straight or curved, and may be decorated in some disciplines. The headstall and curb chain or curb strap of the bridle is attached to the top of the shank, and the reins are attached at the bottom. Shanked curb bits are used in western riding for nearly all adult horses, and are seen in English riding disciplines primarily as part of the double bridle used by advanced dressage riders, and on the hybrid pelham bit that includes a ring for a second rein attached at the bit mouthpiece.

The bit ring is the ring on the side of a horse's bit, particularly on a snaffle bit. It is used as a point of attachment for the cheekpieces of the bridle and for the reins. It also has an effect on the action of the bit. Therefore, the design of the ring is something to consider when choosing a bit for a horse, even though the bit mouthpiece generally has a greater effect than the ring.

Horse harness horse tack to pull carriages, wagons or sleighs

A horse harness is a type of horse tack that allows a horse or other equine to be driven and to pull various horse-drawn vehicles such as a carriage, wagon or sleigh. Harnesses may also be used to hitch animals to other loads such as a plow or canal boat.

Bitless bridle Type of horse equipment that is worn on the head and has no parts in the mouth that is used to direct the horse

A bitless bridle is a general term describing a wide range of headgear for horses or other animals that controls the animal without using a bit. Direction control may also be via a noseband or cavesson, if one is used. The term hackamore is the most historically accurate word for most common forms of bitless headgear. However, some modern bitless designs of horse headgear lack the heavy noseband of a true hackamore and instead use straps that tighten around a horse's head to apply pressure in various ways. These are often specifically patented and marketed as "bitless bridles", usually referencing a particular type of headgear known as the cross-under, though other designs are sometimes also given similar names.

A ring bit is a horse bit that includes a ring passed through the horse's mouth and encircling the lower jaw. There are three primary designs. The most common ring bit design today, sometimes called a Dexter ring bit, is used in conjunction with a snaffle bit, while a historic ring bit design was also used on some spade bits in certain vaquero traditions originating in Mexico. A third style is a simple ring, the Tattersall or yearling bit, used alone on a bridle, usually for use in-hand.

References

↑ Wood, John George (1885) Horse and Man: Their Mutual Dependence and Duties, Longmans, Green, 339 pages, page 221.
↑ Dion Villella. "Register of Nationally Approved Gear" (PDF). Racing Victoria Limited. Retrieved 2010-12-03.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Wood, John George (1885) Horse and Man: Their Mutual Dependence and Duties, Longmans, Green, 339 pages, page 221.

[2] Dion Villella. "Register of Nationally Approved Gear" (PDF). Racing Victoria Limited. Retrieved 2010-12-03.