A Bit Above Equine Bit & Bridle Fitting, LLC

06/01/2025

Bit Materials - Salox Gold

Salox Gold falls into the category of Copper Alloys. Salox Gold is made up of 71% copper, 21% zinc, 6.5% aluminum and 1.5% tin. This material is a comparatively soft metal, which means that it is gentle on tooth enamel. Salox Gold has a high thermal conductivity so it reaches the horse's mouth temperature quickly. This, combined with its neutral taste makes it a readily accepted material.

Other copper alloys include:

Aurigan is made up of 85% copper, 11% zinc and 4% silicone. This material has a different rate of oxidation from copper or other alloys. Aurigan is known to help with salivation.

German Silver is 60% copper, 20% zinc and 20% nickel. German Silver is a more durable material than other copper alloys. Due to its nickel content it is believed to contribute to allergic reactions. However, there is very little research evidence of this.

05/30/2025

Bit Materials - Rubber

Natural rubber is a softer bitting option because it adds some protection for the horse's tongue, bars and teeth. Rubber has a high elasticity which can make it good for horses with sensitive mouths. Typically rubber for bits is vulcanized with sulphur, which hardens it.

When choosing a rubber bit, remember to consider the thickness of the mouthpiece. Many rubber bits have thicknesses greater than 18mm, which can be too thick for many horses. Eco Pure bits are great options. I love this brand because they're made from natural rubber, and respect is given to the thickness of the mouthpiece. You're horse gets all the benefits of rubber, while fitting more comfortably in the mouth.

05/28/2025

Bit Materials - Titanium

Titanium is a light-weighted metal that is known for its strength. Many horses appreciate the lightness titanium offers, anecdotally quieting the mouth. It warms up to the body's temperature quickly which increases acceptance.

As it relates to bitting, titanium is a hypoallergenic metal. This means that horses that are allergic or sensitive to other metals will probably do well with titanium. Metal sensitivities usually manifests as sores or cracks in the corners of the horse's mouth, and they appear regardless of what's done to prevent them.

05/26/2025

Bit Materials - Sweet Iron

Sweet Iron is recognizable by its blue/purple tint. The sweet iron base material can be either iron or stainless steel. The color is achieved by heating up the metals to a point where a chemical reaction occurs.

Sweet Iron is thought to have a sweet taste, which encourages horses to salivate and leads to acceptance. Sweet iron reaches the mouth temperature quickly, helping with acceptance too.

Looking for a sweet iron bit to try? Check out and !

05/24/2025

Bit Keepers or no Bit Keepers?

(This series seems never ending, amiright?)

Okay, but hear me out -- if a full cheek without keepers rotates clockwise (from the LHS) under rein tension, but when keepers are used there isn't any rotation, where does that force go?

I'm so glad you asked!

To back up a step, it's important to know that when riding there are 2 forces acting on the bit: cheekpiece force and rein force. Rein force is what generates rotation.

Once rein tension is taken up, the bit keepers "catch" the force and change the action of the bit. The greater the rein tension the more the "lift" the bit will have. This is where the action similar to that of a Baucher comes in. Since the keepers attach above the mouthpiece of the bit, the rotation - if there was any - would be counterclockwise, like that of a Baucher.

Insane how two tiny pieces of leather can completely change how a bit functions.

05/20/2025

Bit Keepers or no Bit Keepers? Part 56

Just kidding... it's like Part 4

In picture 2, we have a full cheek with keepers and without rein tension. In picture 3, rein tension is applied to the full cheek with keepers and the bit hasn't really rotated compared to picture 2. Based on the calculation of angles, it seems that the keepers "keep" the bit at an angle as if there was always rein tension applied, regardless if there is or not. The blue line represents the bore axis of the bit, and the red line represents the approximate tongue line. **Picture 3 isn't taken directly from the left hand side, its slight angle does shift the measurement a tad.

So what does this mean in terms of riding?
Since the bit can't rotate, it stays more still in the horse's mouth meaning the pressures on the horse's oral tissues stay uniform. Horses that tend to be inconsistent in the contact or green horses learning to accept contact may benefit from a full cheek bit with keepers.

05/18/2025

Bit Keepers or no Bit Keepers?

Yep, we're still on this topic because it affects Full Cheek mechanics more than equestrians realize.

Looking at picture 2, this shows a full cheek without keepers and no rein tension. The blue line represents the bore axis (defined as the angle of the hole the bit cheekpiece attaches to the bit mouthpiece). The red line represents the approximate angle of the tongue. Without rein tension, the bit sits at about 90* to the tongue.

In picture 3, the bit has rotated clockwise with rein tension. This picture isn't perfectly direct from the left hand side, so it's a little hard to tell but the bit is sitting +/- 125* to the tongue.

The direction and amount of rotation are important when considering bits, because those two things tell us the amount of pressure being applied and to what oral tissues.

Do you ever use a Full Cheek without keepers?

05/17/2025

Bits I'm loving right now...

🩷 Loose Ring Barrel Joint - this bit is great for flatting or jumping. It works with many mouth shapes and horses like the stability the mouthpiece offers. The barrel joint offers the ability to focus on one rein aid while maintaining a soft feel.

🩷 Loose Ring Happy Tongue - A great option for horses that prefer tongue relief. Some horses may like the Mullen mouth option, but get heavy with a fixed cheekpiece. The loose ring happy tongue gives the horse substance to hold onto while discouraging leaning.

🩷 Beval Turtle Top - I love this bit for sensitive horses that need a slight amount of leverage. Sporting my most popular mouthpiece, the double jointed turtle top is accepted by many horses. The bevel cheekpiece also allows you to choose from 2 rein option, on the main ring, or the smaller loop below increasing the leverage.

05/15/2025

Do you hack and show in the same bit and bridle set up, or do you have different tack for shows?

Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers have as much variation as you would expect and also probably much more similarity.  This week...

05/15/2025

The Baucher Bit

The name indicates the type of cheekpiece, notably with the ring for the bridle cheekpiece above the ring for the reins, which is equivalent to the bit mouthpiece.

Under rein tension (when viewed from the left hand side) the cheekpiece rotates counter-clockwise which is similar to a leverage bit. Up until recently, many thought that the Baucher did induce poll pressure.

Due to the angle of rotation, you can see when riding, the bridle cheekpieces tend to "pop out" with a Baucher bit. Due to this action it offers a poll relief effect rather than adding pressure behind the ears.

05/13/2025

Bit Keepers or no Bit Keepers?

Opting to ride with keepers adds stability to the bit, and avoids it from potentially getting hooked on its surroundings.

Keepers also remove the clockwise rotation that occurs to the bit under rein tension. This keeps the bit surfaces in aligned with the oral tissues regardless of whether there is rein tension or not, the initial angle (no rein tension) and working angle (with rein tension) are the same.

Since there's no real rotation happening, this creates an effect similar to a baucher cheekpiece.