Help with making a horse bit

[Misterben]

Hi all,

Looking for someone to please point me in the right direction with regards to having a horse bit made up that is a new design. If successful I would like more to be made up for me but not sure who would be able to help with this.

Any ideas?

 

[Wildman]

see your local farrier or blacksmith.

 

[Misterben]

Really? It's quite an intricate bit

 

[sunnybob]

a blacksmith would be offended if you said that to him.
A REAL blacksmith is a very skilled person, but whether you would find one locally is another matter.
If it can be done in a machine shop (engineering company) then there are a lot more of those around, or you could find the local model engineers club. theres a lot of skilled retired men in those clubs, all with giant lathes in their garages.

 

[Misterben]

Yes apologies. The chap that has made a start designing it on paper is over complicating it so I want to make some headway myself to at least get a prototype to trial. It's so frustrating trying to find these skilled people hidden away!

 

[sunnybob]

I'm not a "horse person" by any stretch of the imagination but surely a bit is a straight steel bar with twirly ends?
How complicated can that be?
Make it in balsa wood, carve it yourself, then take that to a model engineer meeting.

 

[Misterben]

Similar to the picture I've hopefully attached!

 

[sunnybob]

Thats not a horse bit, thats a tiara!
I take it the chain goes under the mouth and connects to the strap that stops the horse lifting its head?
Or am I showing too much interest in bondage here?

 

[Misterben]

Haha!! The chain can be easily purchased elsewhere but yes it goes behind the horses chin to apply pressure it is detachable and fits a twirly hook. The alteration I want to make is minor but significant...

 

[Inspector]

Chain goes over the top of the nose so when the reins attached to the lower rings are pulled back, the bent part of the bar is pushed up into the roof of the horses mouth, the "discomfort" reminding the horse to obey.

Pete

Sorry, under the chin but the effect is still the same. A holdover from older days when there were much bigger pieces to put pressure to the mouth.

 

[sunnybob]

yep, thought so, far too much dungeons and dragons information.

 

[Misterben]

No Pete that's not right. The bend is to give the horses tongue more space and nothing goes over the nose.

 

[Inspector]

It was designed to put pressure to the mouth for control. look at bits over a hundred years old and you will find even more extreme examples. We have not always been kind to our animals. Google old spade bits and you can see where the modern ones are just toned down versions of old. And yes in days of old when I was a kid we had hay burners.

Pete

 

[Wildman]

I still think you need a blacksmith they are very skilled people. Who do you think made them in the first place.