Medium High ported Dalehead Long Shank

by Neue Schule Bits

This is a very new bit, so the name is not yet widely known. The Dalehead, which has a sliding cheek and comes with a variety of mouthpieces, is part of Hilary Vernons Informed Bitting Collection from Abbey bits. The range is designed to compliment mouth conformation and improve communication, to promote humane control.

The bar of the Dalehead mouthpiece is attached to the cheek of the bit using a C sleeve design, to allow the cheek piece to slide a little without pinching the corners of the horse's lips; it can swivel freely sideways, but only moves up and down within a short range. There is a loop at the top of the Bit for the leather cheek piece of the bridle, and it has three rein options.

"As you attach the cheek piece of your bridle into the top slot of the bit ring, this sits the bit up in the horse's mouth and stabilises it, taking some of the weight off the horse's tongue," explains the bit's designer Hilary Vernon. "The top rein option on the bit ring itself just pulls the mouthpiece back in the mouth, without bringing any leverage to bear. If you choose to put the rein down into the bottom slot of the bit ring, you get a more defined signal, and a little poll pressure; the mouthpiece rotates down into the mouth to give a clear signal to the horse to yield to the action. The middle rein option, where the rein sits in between the loops, brings a little more leverage to bear than the top ring option."

A curb chain or strap must be used with the Dalehead to distribute even pressure on the horse's jaw, which will help stabilise the bit and prevent it rotating too far downwards into the mouth.