The subject of selecting the correct horse bit for ones horse is a well acknowledged minefield of confusion.  The up to date horse bit range that can be observed from a lot respected sellers offers incredible variety but therein lies most of the difficulty.  How can one determine the correct remedy when you are working with so much variety and the object of the difficulty being your horse which are well known to be shall we say tough to read.

Even so it can be beneficial to realize that there are a relatively small number of rules at play here and it is achievable for a lot of these possibilities to be implemented in one bit type. The American Gag is such a bit .

The American Gag has a distinctive look with long side shanks  which commonly are sized at 8.5″.  It also has rings that allow two sets of reins to be used allowing the bit to function  as a snaffle bit or a gag.  The gag rein is connected to the lowest ring on the cheek and engaging this will put pressure on the horse’s poll.  

The snaffle ring is close to the mouthpiece and so supplies classic snaffle functionality.  The mouthpiece can move up the curved sides of the bit when the reins are taken up.  This will put pressure on the corners of the mouth so encouraging the horse to elevate its head

A great bit manufacturer can provide good flexibility in the mouthpiece types so including a lot of variety to the previously discussed functionality.  

The mouthpiece could be one solid item or a jointed item. Solid mouthpieces can be in stainless steel or come in moulded rubber or vulcanite  which is somewhat kinder to the horse’s mouth, and commonly employed for young horses in the course of training of both horse and rider.  The mouth can also be jointed.  The jointed bit is designed so that the  mouth “breaks” in the middle when the rider pulls the reins.  When the mouthpiece is single jointed it will induce a “nutcracker” effect on the horse’s tongue which give a strong signal.  The single break mouthpiece forms a “V” form in the mouth while the double break forms a “U” shape.  This modification can give the tongue additional space and can additionally suggest it won’t stab into the palate .

These different mouthpieces can be additionally modified by the introduction of spinners and multi-link segments such as with the Waterford type mouth.  Including different metallic content material such as copper and sweet iron will possibly permit this possibly obtrusive bit to be a lot more acceptable to the horse.  

The American Gag is like the Swiss army knife of gag bits and the professional rider can find a lot of choices that may go well with their requirements.  Be sure to come across a good traditional bit producer to get the most out of these choices.