Roller Mouth Half Cheek Bit versus the Mullen Mouth Half Cheek

It seems like I have been answering a lot of bit related questions these last few weeks. I love talking about bits and helping people trouble shoot some of the issues they are having with their horses and ponies. It’s so interesting to hear how one type of bit works for one horse or pony and another, completely different bit works for another horse or pony.

One thing I would like to touch on is how we, as humans, think about bits. We often are drawn to the shiny bits with all the bling and rollers and chains and dangly bits. I’m not sure why, but the busier the bit the more WE like it. However, most of the time our horses and ponies don’t really appreciate all the extra “shiny” things. Most of the time I have found, they appreciate a quiet, stable bit. That is why I usually recommend people use a mullen mouth half cheek when they are starting a green driving horse or pony. You can read about what bit I recommend over on this blog: What bit should I start my horse with?

Often simple is best.

Onto the two style of roller mouth bits we sell.

The Coronet Style of roller mouth is a bit bigger and much busier than the Bowman Comfort Snaffle Low Barrel w/ Roller Half cheek. Both of these bits have independent cheeks, which means the cheeks move independently from the mouth piece.

When your hands aren’t even and level when handling the lines, this transfers to the horse or pony’s mouth in a much stronger and more direct way than a stable cheek will.

Most of us aren’t always exactly even when handling our lines. Practicing without our equine is the best way to get better with your lines. A rein board can really help with this! You can read about using a rein board on this blog: A Simple Rein Board.   (And yes I know when driving our “reins” are called lines. But these are called rein boards so please forgive that name!)

Below is a video where I show each bit and talk about the pros and cons: