The Bridle Bits

As even a quick glance around a saddler shop or through a tack store catalog will show, the world of horse bits is both enormous and mystifying. The primary means of communicating with and controlling a horse, Western and English bits come in a bewildering assortment of materials, sizes, and shapes. Their descriptions—full-cheek snaffle, hackamore, high port, French link, Tom Thumb, spade, KK Ultra—are no less puzzling, and with new bits and refinements being produced every year, even the most experienced horseman must struggle to keep up with the state of the art. The Ultimate Book of Horse Bits will answer all your questions on the subject . . . and then some. Not only does the author and horsewoman Emily Esterson go into detail about all kinds of equine mouthware and how each is constructed, but she also explains how and why each works in the context of what the rider wants the horse to accomplish. Does your horse have difficulty bending or flexing? Suggestions and solutions to these and myriad other horse-and-rider problems will be found throughout these authoritative yet user-friendly pages. Whether a novice or expert horseman, every rider, trainer, or owner in any equestrian discipline will benefit from this book’s wide-ranging and practical information for years to come.

Choosing the right bit and bridle is a vital part of creating a partnership with your horse. This book explains everything you need to know about a complicated subject in easy-to-understand text and with specially taken photographs. It looks at: different types of bit and how to fit them correctly; mouthpiece and cheekpiece designs and how they work; traditional and modern material and how to choose the right combination for your horse; which type of noseband to use; and how to fit a bridle correctly. The book contains advice on a huge range of subjects, from solving problems to bitting young horses, and emphasises that choosing tack must always go hand in hand with correct management handling and schooling.

Excerpt from The Bridle Bits: A Treatise on Practical Horsemanship A long and varied experience with horses. in both civil and military capacities in different countries, gives Colonel Battersby the ability to be of essential service both to the horse and to his owner in this volume. The treatise is not on bits alone, but on breaking and training horses for every use to which they are respectively adapted, particularly to their use under the saddle and before the carriage. The important part played by the bit in its various forms in rendering the horse the docile, willing servant he is, in promoting man's profit and pleasure, leads to the adoption of the title of the book. It is at once specific and comprehensive. Tender consideration and respect for the horse is the impression the author makes and inculcates - that by proper mouthing, training, use and treatment he can be made all the more serviceable, and at the same time more agreeable to his rider or driver in the performance of his work. The position Colonel Battersby had as Assistant Inspector General in Sheridan's Cavalry Corps, and under the gallant Custer and his ever successful commander, is a guarantee that he may be considered authority oil what he says regarding cavalry bits and bridles. The characteristics of a large number of the animals used as carriage horses, as depicted by the author, together with his clear explanations as to the style to be sought and the method to secure it, are well worthy the attention of breeders, while no horseman can peruse the volume without profit to himself and essential benefit to the noble animal in whose interest the book is largely written. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.