02/13/2024
First off, stop putting children on horses they can't handle for both their safety and the horse's safety.
Now that we got that out of the way, how are these companies getting away with their wildly false information? Why do consumers eat it up? You can't always trust the word of a producer, especially large companies. Most of them just want to sell their product, even if that means lying. Always, always, ALWAYS do your research.
Let's talk about this bit. This bit isn't anymore special than any other gag bit. It isn't as harsh as some gags but it still has poor mechanics and isn't anatomically correct. The gag action will tell the horse head up by applying poll pressure and head down by stretching the lip. Gag action does not "lift the shoulders" as advertised by many companies. It is simply confusing and unfair to the horse. The straight cannons on this single jointed mouthpiece, combined with the leverage, will "nutcracker", causing the shanks to wrap around the jaw and the joint of the mouthpiece to jab into the horse's palate. In addition to this, the sharp edges of the mouthpiece will create pressure points which will dig into the bars of the horse's mouth. On top of everything, this bit is paired with a curb chain, which creates several direct pressure points when engaged.
I'm not even going to touch on the fact that this product is directly advertised for use by children as this bit shouldn't even be used by experienced adults. There is absolutely no reason to use a bit like this. It gives conflicting signals to the horse and covers holes in training. If you need a bit like this to control your horse then you need to take their training a few steps back and address this issue. Do better for your horse.
