The five-minute bit check every rider should do

We know that our followers and customers love their horses, and it’s why they always want to make sure that bridles, saddles, rugs, bits and more all fit well. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a quick ride, lunging and long reining or a big day out competing, making sure kit fits properly is important. But we know that with dark mornings and short days on the horizon, your time with your horse in autumn and winter can feel rushed. That’s why we thought it would be handy to create a five-minute bit check that you can do every time you work your horse.

Before you tack up
Before the bit even goes near your horse’s mouth, give it a quick once-over. It only takes a minute or two, and it’s a good habit to get into every time you tack up.

Check the joints and moving parts
If your bit has joints, rollers or other moving parts, give them a quick check with your fingers and make sure everything is moving freely and smoothly. Look out for anything that feels rough, stiff or different to normal, particularly around areas where two pieces of metal meet.

Look for signs of wear and tear
Bits work hard, so have a good look for any sharp edges, notches, rough patches, holes or rust. Pay particular attention to areas around joints and rings, where wear can sometimes be less obvious at first glance. If something doesn’t look or feel right, don’t put it into your horse’s mouth until you’ve had a chance to investigate.

Make sure it’s clean
We’ve probably all finished a ride in a rush and promised ourselves we’ll definitely clean the bit before next time we ride. But once it dries, old grass or feed can become surprisingly hard and rough and could cause rubbing or discomfort. So, before you tack up, check that there aren’t any bits of dried grass, feed or other debris stuck to the mouthpiece.

Add bit butter or wraps if you use them
If bit butter is part of your usual routine, now is the time to apply it. The same goes for any wraps or guards you normally use. While you’re doing this, have a quick look at them too and make sure they’re still clean and doing the job you want them to.

Give your bridle a quick check too
While you’ve got it in your hands, take a few seconds to look over your bridle. Check the stitching, billets, keepers and buckles, and keep an eye out for any cracking, stretching or loose stitching. We know that a British autumn and winter bring plenty of rain, damp and mud with them, so it’s especially worth keeping an eye on the condition of your leatherwork at this time of year.

Once you’ve tacked up
Once the bridle is on, spend another couple of minutes checking how the bit is sitting in your horse’s mouth. This is particularly important if you’ve recently given your bridle a deep clean and taken everything apart. It’s easy to accidentally put something back a hole higher or lower than it was before and not notice straight away.

Check the height
You might have been taught to look for one or two wrinkles at the corners of the mouth, but (and yes, we’ve talked about this in other blogs and lots of social media posts!) that old rule doesn’t take individual conformation into account. Horses’ mouths and lips vary enormously, so wrinkles alone don’t tell us whether a bit is sitting in the right place.

Instead, gently open their mouth and look at where the mouthpiece is sitting in relation to the bars, tongue and teeth. You want to make sure there is enough room for the bit and that it isn’t going to contact the teeth when you pick up your reins.

Check the width
Next, look at how much room there is at either side of your horse’s mouth. There isn’t one rule that works for every bit, because loose-ring, fixed-ring and shanked bits are all designed to sit slightly differently.

What you’re looking for is a bit that can work as it is designed to without excessive movement from side to side or pinching at the lips. If you’re unsure how much room a particular style should have, that’s a good time to ask for advice rather than relying on the fit of a completely different type of bit.

Check the rest of the bridle
Now that everything is on your horse, take one final look at the whole bridle. Make sure straps are sitting flat, buckles and billets are secure and nothing is pressing on sensitive areas of the horse’s face and muzzle.

Your check continues once you get on
The bit looks good, the bridle is secure and you’re ready to ride, but your five-minute check doesn’t completely stop there. Your horse can tell you a lot about how comfortable they are once you start working.

Think about what you normally expect to feel down the reins. Are they picking up the contact happily? Are they suddenly reluctant to go forward, dropping behind the contact or feeling different in one rein? Perhaps they’re leaning more than usual, getting unusually strong or tossing their head.

One slightly different ride doesn’t automatically mean you need a new bit, of course. Horses can change in their way of going for all sorts of reasons, and teeth, tack, training, soreness and rider influence can all play a part. But a change in how your horse feels is worth paying attention to, particularly if you notice it happening repeatedly.

Five minutes well spent
We know you don’t need another lengthy job adding to your yard routine with the cold, dark weather on the horizon, which is why this check is designed to become a quick habit rather than a big undertaking.

If something doesn’t seem quite right, you don’t have to work it out on your own. The Horse Bit Bank team is always happy to talk through what you’re currently using, how it fits and how your horse is going, and help you decide what might be worth trying next.