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

by Emily Esterson

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.

177 pages, Kindle Edition

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.