Bits

The first edition of this remarkable book was published in 1810. Bracy Clark was a Veterinarian, 1771-1860. He wrote no less than 20 treatise on various disorders of the horse.

The age of this bit is hard to know it has some age on it. It is a Newmarket with the two rings. It has a serrated edge, with a curved mouth piece so it would be severe.  Provance: South Hatch Museum, the Pitt collection

This bit is very unusual. It is very small so was for a pony, It has leather biscuits at the sides. the bar is straight and covered with leather. The brass sides would ave reins attached to the end of shank and the cheek pieces to small loop near the

The bridoon is part of the double bridle, it raises the head whereas the Pelham or Banbury , lowers it. This bit is of some age. More than 100 years old. It is beautifully made by hand. I would love to know who made it.

The mouth with the rubber mouthpiece is what I call a very dead bit. If you have a horse with highly sensitive bars or a tongue, then it may well do the trick. When I was out in california working for Monty Roberts I used to ride Son’s Party Girl

The Kimblewick is a kind bit. It allows control with a curb chain, a port to allow the tongue room and has no poll pressure like a Banbury.  I use to gallop Jack the Dolphin on the Chantilly racecourse  and he was easy to hold, but pulled like a train

These old iron bits are an extraordinary collection of odd bits with various types of port. the wide port might have been designed to trap the horse’s tongue. They are very heavy and I would think most uncomfortable for the horse to manage. Their age is considerable. Notice two have

These two bits have a lot of age on them. over 100 years. They are pretty basic and would have a direct pull on the lips of the horse.  The top one has a serrated edge which makes it quite nasty and has also the two rings so it is

All the above snaffles fall into the category of old late 19th century.  They are not much different, but made of various alloys.  The top one is a Newmarket with the two rings, but there is no sign of the nose piece. Two reins would be used and would have

  This bit is much the same as a Pelham but with a longer canon, it would be more severe than the shorter canon. This one has a typical curved mouth piece without a port which would be more typical of a Banbury, but I am not sure if the