Chifney?

[solomon]

Just been browsing on ebay, didn't buy anything honest! Saw one of these bits, I know people use them for leading rearing horses but what do they do\/ How do they work and why?

[fleabitten]

ive always wondered how the horse wears them

[haffyfan]

There horrible things in my opinion.

I heard a few stories about people breaking horses jaws with them.

They are basically circular (ish) with 3 rings attached at points to circumferance- two at sides for a sliphead to be attached and the rear one for leading from. The front of it goes in horses mouth with the rest going behind the jaw. the front has like a v shape...this digs in horses tongue when you apply pressure to the leadrope as it makes it tilts in the horses mouth.

[kitcat]

Thanks Haffy. I always wondered how they worked too.

[scattymare]

I think they're like a lot of things, a last resort when it's unsafe to use anything else and in the right hands they can be effective and turn a dangerous situation safer -never used one myself but a stud I helped at many moons ago used one on the more excitable stallions and they seemed to know when it was fitted and respected it - but in the wrong hands can be extremely harsh and potentially cause a lot of damage.