Posted: 23rd March 2020 | Back to news feed
Bitting experts, Abbey England, make thousands of bits in their UK foundry every year. Designed and produced by highly skilled craftsmen, every bit is individually handmade and can be customised to suit your requirements.
The possibilities are endless, even for traditional bits, as they can be lightweight, normal weight or made with a variety of mouth and cheek pieces.
The double bit combination of a Weymouth and a Bradoon is a popular choice for showing and dressage and is known as the double bridle. A double bridle is made up of a slim snaffle known as a Bradoon and also a curb bit, known as a Weymouth.
The Bradoon part of the double has just two really clear signals to the horse, mainly because it is jointed it gives the clearest turning signal and a small lift upwards. As the cheek of the Weymouth turns (providing the curb chain is set correctly) you should get a perfect balance of three pressures, the mouthpiece rotates applying downward mouth pressure, then you get downward pressure on the poll and then the chain moves against the jaw as the cheek of the bit reaches 45 degrees stopping the mouth and poll pressure from dominating by balancing the bit giving equal pressure in the mouth on the jaw and the poll, which gives you your degree of head tilt and brakes and way of helping the horse to transfer weight.
The reason to consider two bits is to improve what the horse can already do. The right double bridle bits should promote refinement, communication, definition, elegance and lead towards collection.
The fit of a double bridle is crucial. On the outside of the horse’s face the Bradoon should fit neatly into the corner of the lips with the Weymouth just below, with the Bradoon ring sitting behind the cheek of the Weymouth. Spend some time adjusting the height of the bits so that the lips look natural and are not pulled out of shape. You will find that when you look inside the mouth the horse will push the Bradoon over the top of the Weymouth so that the Weymouth is sitting against the tongue. This seems to be the most comfortable way of carrying them. The Bradoon should be ¼” bigger than the Weymouth because the Bradoon has a joint or two joints in the middle and will bend downwards inside the mouth. This way of sizing allows for there to be approximately ¼” of both bits out of the horse’s mouth on both sides.
Abbey England makes Bradoons with a variety of mouthpieces to suit the individual and the outer rings are available in different sizes to complement the size of the horse’s head. Weymouths also come in a variety of sizes to suit the size of the horse’s head, and the shank length can be long of short to achieve the desired action.
Abbey England hosts one of the largest collections in the UK and as a bitting expert understands the importance of both performance and comfort. All their bits have been designed and manufactured to the highest standards using only the best quality materials.
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