# Short shank snaffle bit



## GamingGrrl (Jan 16, 2013)

Snaffles don't have shanks. If it has shanks, it's a leverage bit.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tbcrazy (Sep 27, 2012)

morganandme said:


> Is it a harsh bit? I say no cuz.... I've rode with it my whole life!! But I'm switching a horse from a hack to a bit but someone told me it was a harsh bit:-( please help!!! Rate ther harshness on a sacle on 1 to 10!thanks!!!!!


Just because you've used it your whole life, that doesn't mean it's not harsh  why the change in bit?


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## morganandme (Feb 11, 2013)

Can't use hacks in shows


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## morganandme (Feb 11, 2013)

Coronet Training Short Shank w/Copper Snaffle Bit - 5"
This is the closest one I could find to mine....horse trainee recommended it also(that's what they use


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## morganandme (Feb 11, 2013)

Also a horse trainer recommended this bit 2


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## tbcrazy (Sep 27, 2012)

None of my trainers have ever recommended broken bits with shanks to me :/ I like Mylers or solid mouth pieces if shanks are involved


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

If you want swivel shanks on a leverage bit, go with a double jointed mouthpiece (maybe a roller), NOT the single one you pictured, basically a tom thumb.

I absolutely LOVE my three piece reiner by Reinsman, but I'd start out with a plain ol' snaffle. I don't use a leverage bit until I can move just about every part of their body without yanking (maybe they need a little reminder every once in awhile to neck rein) at their mouth or kicking as hard as I can. I get the swivel shanks unless a reminder is needed or I'm showing. I don't like neckreining around barrels/poles, so I like to still be able to have extra if my horse spazzes out of nowhere at a show (not enclosed or close to a road), but I still want to be able to neck rein when needed.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BornToRun (Sep 18, 2011)

Is this your bit? http://profchoice.com/images/F28071112.jpg


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## morganandme (Feb 11, 2013)

BornToRun said:


> Is this your bit? http://profchoice.com/images/F28071112.jpg


Not just it....there is a second loop in the middle here is mine
Coronet Training Short Shank w/Copper Snaffle Bit - 5"


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## morganandme (Feb 11, 2013)

tbcrazy said:


> None of my trainers have ever recommended broken bits with shanks to me :/ I like Mylers or solid mouth pieces if shanks are involved


I've always been told(and seen results that straight bits are really harsh) can ya post a pic plz


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

It isn't so much the bit that can be harsh, but the rider's hands that are controlling it. If you have light hands and a responsive horse, then even a very harsh bit will not do damage. On the other hand, a simple snaffle can do a LOT of damage if the rider is heavy handed and does a lot of jerking. The bit you posted in itself is not an overly harsh one (eg. twisted wire, bicycle chair, overly thin mouthpiece), as long as its being properly used. I'm assuming since a trainer suggested it to you, them the trainer must feel you are competent enough to use it without inflicting pain.


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## morganandme (Feb 11, 2013)

apachiedragon said:


> It isn't so much the bit that can be harsh, but the rider's hands that are controlling it. If you have light hands and a responsive horse, then even a very harsh bit will not do damage. On the other hand, a simple snaffle can do a LOT of damage if the rider is heavy handed and does a lot of jerking. The bit you posted in itself is not an overly harsh one (eg. twisted wire, bicycle chair, overly thin mouthpiece), as long as its being properly used. I'm assuming since a trainer suggested it to you, them the trainer must feel you are competent enough to use it without inflicting pain.


Thanks sooooo much!!!!!!!!!


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## tbcrazy (Sep 27, 2012)

morganandme said:


> I've always been told(and seen results that straight bits are really harsh) can ya post a pic plz


Myler Level 1 Sweet Iron Snaffle Flat Shank - Shank Bits from SmartPak Equine

That's a nice myler that i use regularly... Am I understanding correctly that you've been instructed that single jointed curb bits are not that harsh? Mult-way action, along with leverage, is what makes them harsh. I ride my retired wp gelding in this:
https://www.google.com/search?q=cur...hl=en&client=safari#biv=i|1;d|rwcbfplhyRzlBM:


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## jannette (Aug 24, 2011)

can you use a bitless bridle in show? if you can maybe that would be a good alternative to a hackamore if thats what your horse is use to. i use them on a few of our horses with great results.


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

A shanked bit with a broken mouth piece is one of the harshest bits you can use in a horses mouth.. Next to barbed wire.  

Im not against them, but i dont have a use for them either.. there are some trainers that still call a 'tom thumb' bit a 'breakin bit' or 'colt startin bit'-- really, you can train/ break a horse in with any bit you want.. I went straight from a halter to a straight bar curb bit on my mare, and thats fine, because she knows how to flex her neck correctly, and she breaks at the poll and collects instead of throwing her head in the air.. like a poster above said-- its all in the skill of the rider.. if you ride with a short shanked broken mouthed bit, so be it.. not that big a deal, but it is a harsh bit....... In the wrong hands!! 

A bitless bridle would be anything from a bosal to a hackamore, lol. (Yes, i know a bosal is a hackamore, btw) 

Depends on the discipline, and the class.. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Oldhorselady (Feb 7, 2012)

There are also other factors....not every bit is good for every horse. If you use this on a horse with a wide tongue or low palate they will gate it. The nutcracker effect in heavy hands can do a lot of damage....snaffle or leverage.


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## AllieJ333 (Nov 2, 2012)

That bit is NOT a snaffle, it's a leverage bit. A very harsh one at that.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

First question; has this horse ever been ridden in a bit before? If so, what level of training had they had?

If the horse has never had a bit on before...or if they had only ever been ridden in a snaffle before going to the hack, then I'd start with something like this
Amazon.com: JP KORSTEEL Copper Oval Link Loose Ring Snaffle Bit, 5.5": Sports & Outdoors.


Then, when they are trained enough and ready to move up to a curb type bit, I'd go with something like one of these...

I have bits identical to these and me and my horses both really like them




 





 


This one is very similar but has a full copper mouth instead of sweet iron with copper inlays.




 


As for your original question about the "harshness" of the broken mouth curb bit (it's not a snaffle with shanks, for more information, you might want to read this thread
http://www.horseforum.com/horse-tack-equipment/bit-information-curb-western-type-bits-69588/), it's not so much that the bit is harsh if the hands are good, but the bit is just ill-designed.

I have tried a TT and, while my horse didn't have a problem with it (I can ride him in just about anything), I hated the _lack_ of feel that it had. There was no subtlety with it, no nuances to my cues, it was all very blunt and rigid. I can compare it to trying to put in stitches with a sharp stick and kite string. You might get the job done if you _really_ know what you're doing, but it won't be pretty.

I greatly value the amount of feel my horses have and I expect a great deal from them. While the bits that I generally use aren't those big, expensive, custom jobs that some do, I make sure that the mechanics of my bits are suitable to the horses that I ride and the goals that I set for them.

This is strictly a personal preference, but I thoroughly dislike bits that have shanks and a broken "snaffle" mouth, just because I don't like the feel of them. I much prefer a good ported curb, either solid or with a barrel. I like being able to pick up _one _rein to fine tune a movement without the entire bit collapsing on the horse's face.


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## grayshell38 (Mar 9, 2009)

Is is an Argentine "snaffle"? (Not really a snaffle since it has shanks+uses leverage.)


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## morganandme (Feb 11, 2013)

jannette said:


> can you use a bitless bridle in show? if you can maybe that would be a good alternative to a hackamore if thats what your horse is use to. i use them on a few of our horses with great results.


Nope have to have a bit in mouth I think it's stupid


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## morganandme (Feb 11, 2013)

smrobs said:


> First question; has this horse ever been ridden in a bit before? If so, what level of training had they had?
> 
> If the horse has never had a bit on before...or if they had only ever been ridden in a snaffle before going to the hack, then I'd start with something like this
> Amazon.com: JP KORSTEEL Copper Oval Link Loose Ring Snaffle Bit, 5.5": Sports & Outdoors.
> ...



No bit training... Just hacks... What they prefer to ride with


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

You can do some showing in a hackamore no matter the age-- roping, and barrelracing to name a few.. you can actually ride western pleasure, and reining in a hackamore, but i do believe those have an age restriction.

If youre askin how to know what hackamore to choose-- put your horse in his/her regular bit, leave halter on, have another pair of reins attached to halter, see how the horse responds to just a halter (you can use a nylon, or rope, but i prefer to use nylon at first since rope is much harsher) if your horse is respondin well, (just for kicks) i would like to see how he/she responds with the reins tied to the bottom of the halter (like a bosal) and see how they respond that way..


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## jumanji321 (Dec 1, 2010)

You can only show in a bosal or snaffle bit if the horse is under 5 years old, sometimes 6 depending on what organization/show you are showing under. Not mechanical hacks or other bitless bridles though.


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