The Ultimate Book of Horse Bits: What They Are, What They Do, and How They Work

by Emily Esterson

The hundreds of available bits and their variations present a bewildering choice to a rider looking for the most effective way of controlling and communicating with a horse. However, help is now available in this most authoritative and upto-date work. In an increasingly sophisticated horse world that blurs the line between English and Western tack, this book answers questions for horsemen who are involved in all English and Western equestrian activities. Most usefully, the reader learns not only how snaf?es, curbs, pelhams, and other “mouthware” operate, but also how speci?c ones can be used to correct problems arising out of both competitive and pleasure riding.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published August 11, 2010

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of great, basic information

This book informed me, a rider of nearly 15 years of some of the reasons why we use the bits we’ve used. However, because the subject is so vast, the book is relatively generalized. The author did a great job with an extremely broad topic.

[Barbara Schmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful book to understanding bits

I learned that each horse deserves the most comfortable bit or bit less bridle that will help the rider communicate better with them. Comfort is the key to finding a bit that works for both the horse and rider. I find that I have more questions after reading this book am still searching for the correct bit for my granddaughter's horse.

[P G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice layout — good advice and well organized content — a must have for coaches and riders who want to understand how bits/bit-less headgear affects their horse and how to chose appropriate gear for tour horse

[Holland Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything you could possibly want to know about bits. I highly recommend it to any equestrian or any individual interested in how bits interact with horse anatomy to produce the results observed in the arena. It will definitely be staying on my shelf for future references.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a pretty good introduction to bits and how they work

[Deanna Longoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ultimate

This is a book replete with all the information you ever wanted to know about bits and their relation to horses...what they are made of, the different constructions, what types of bits for what types of horses, the construction of a horse's mouth, how the bit should fit. Any horse lover will want this book in their library. Outstanding research and detail.

[Johanna C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a decent book. Got things wrong about Californio horsemanship and definitely more geared towards English riding than Western. But still overall very informative.