07/12/2024
I am seeing these more and more in the show jumping arena. This is some good information about their action and use and I especially want to highlight the part about how it’s important to have an on/off contact with this bit.
Another nerdy bit post. This one is about ring gag bits used almost exclusively in polo. A ring gag is different from many bits today that are called gag bits. I'm writing this to elaborate on a post about how the horse-are-pets people want to ban what they believe are "torture" equipment like draw reins and gag bits.
These ring gags are very specialized training tools that require education and experience to be used correctly. Their misuse is what has the horses-are pets crowd wanting to ban them when education is the solution.
The #1 image is a horse pulling on their tied lead rope and reacting intensely to poll pressure. Poll pressure will cause this extreme reaction unless a horse is trained out of this instinctual reaction. The #2 image shows a ring gag in a horse's mouth with some rein pressure. The yellowish rope is called a gag-round that is attached to the reins. You can see how when rein pressure is applied the ring rotates. As the ring rotates, the rein pressure goes up to the bridle's crown piece and applies the rein pressure there.
The mouthpiece seen in image #2 stays in the same place in the mouth as the ring rotates in a sort of "clutch" action that allows the mouthpiece to stay where it is without much increased mouth pressure even when rein pressure is increased. The mouthpiece slides freely on the ring until the ring's rotation reaches the place on the ring where the round goes through the ring. At that point, when the mouthpiece reaches the round, the ring engages the mouthpiece and then increased pressure is put on the mouthpiece from the reins.
This simple ring mechanism first isolates the poll pressure from the mouth pressure and as the reins are pulled harder, the mouthpiece pressure is added into the poll pressure at a specific point in the ring's rotation.
Why do we want to isolate the poll pressure at first? Because this isolated poll pressure can tap into the impulse we see in image #1 but to a much lesser degree. This action on the poll is a quick warning or alert of things to come, sort of a wakeup call.
When the mouthpiece action gets added into the poll pressure, a rider "has a hold of the head" and a rider must use this hold very briefly because the poll pressure is an unusual pressure or warning, and eventually the added ring gag's mouthpiece action acts like any other bit except the poll pressure is used in sequence and combination with it. If a rider hangs on a ring gag without release, a horse can get used to it and the impact of this type bit is diminished. Therefore, using ring gags requires specific and delicate on-and-off contact, which suits the stop, turn and go nature of polo.
Image #3 is a ring gag with a small ring. This means that the "clutch" action of the ring engages the mouthpiece sooner than a ring gag with a larger ring. This bit has a double snaffle offset mouthpiece called a Barry gag after its inventor. In my view, the combination of its small ring and the intense mouthpiece make this a pretty intense bit requiring very soft hands.
By comparison, the #4 ring gag with its larger ring and simple mouthpiece is a more typical ring gag. The rotation of the larger ring provides more poll pressure and slower mouthpiece engagement as well as less intense mouth action than the Barry gag mouthpiece. The #4 is a very common polo ring gag.
The #3, #4 and #5 images show the different sizes of rings used in ring gags. A smaller ring, like #3, has less rotation and thus it provides less poll pressure and quicker mouthpiece engagement. #5 is the opposite. The rotating large ring can multiply the poll pressure while it delays the engagement of the mouthpiece. And like with the three bears, #4 is usually just right for the average horse.
Bits #6 and #7 have medium size rings and very different mouth pieces. The #6, with the Barry double offset snaffle mouthpiece, is the one of the most intense mouths of all ring gags. The #7 with the link snaffle mouthpiece might be one of the least intense ring gag mouth pieces.
Hopefully this will explain the possible variations in ring gags, a somewhat obscure specialized bit type. These bits can be challenging to understand and difficult to predict how they will affect a particular horse. In fact, in about one out of ten prospects, when the horse feels the poll pressure from a ring gag, they will duck their head down, not lift it up as seen in image #1. This is because they have been trained to release against poll pressure.
From these pictures you can imagine the countless possible variations of the combinations of ring sizes and mouthpiece types available with ring gags. Therefore, selecting a ring gag bit for prospects requires a lot of experience and a pile of ring gags to pick from. The process of selecting a ring gag is part experience and part trial and error. Some horses do not go well in a ring gag and polo players then tend to use pelham bits.
I want to thank my friend Jim Groesbeck Horsemanship for his comment on my other post about how the horse-are-pets people think gags and draw reins are the work of the devil. It inspired this post. I hope this explanation explains ring gags better.
Link to former post that included ring gag info & comments -
www.facebook.com/BobWoodHorsesForLife/posts/pfbid02jopGj4arRj377d6wp4hDzj7BS6bt3i7zNqkYLs9naxQDa3fCY15FjFA3CfK5rmral
