Bits

Horse bits rest inside the horse’s mouth between a natural gap in the horse’s teeth, called the “bar.” A rider moves the bit by moving the reins. Depending on the bit’s design, rein movement will apply pressure to the horse’s lower jaw, sides of the mouth, tongue, or roof of the mouth.

"The purpose of a bit is not to inflict pain or “muscle a horse around” to force it to do what we want."

Through a proper training program, horses can learn how to respond to distinct movements of the bit, and riders with soft hands don’t need to do much more than close their fingers around the reins to elicit the correct response from a horse.