This message is from: "Sam Banks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Jean, I didn't know it was you who came up with the Glory Riding Bit - Thanks! The Glory bit shape is a curved mouthpiece, and it is angled differently than other bits with curved mouth pieces. There is the Arch bit, where it curves up between the cheeks and the Mullen Mouth bits, where it curves forward between the cheeks (a 90 degree difference). The Glory bit is somewhere in-between, and is supposed to give the tongue relief from pressure when there is light contact on the bit. So it is designed to be "more" comfortable for the horse when there is light contact with the reins.
One of my Fjords, Lilly, loves the Glory bit. I had a Glory butterfly bit I used for driving, and I used it on Lilly at home in early driving training, but then I started doing ridden dressage. She had always done well enough in French links and KK's to show up through First Level, but like Brenning, she didn't want to allow good contact with the other bits. She did learn to stretch with releasing contact, but never wanted to stretch into the contact until I got the Glory Bit. As I was trying to learn Second Level, and teach it to Lilly at the same time, I felt like a mullen type mouth would be easier on my horse than feeling the mistakes I made with my hands and lateral bending was not an issue at her stage of training, so I started riding her in the Butterfly Glory with the curb strap removed until I got my riding bit. She was so much more accepting. Now I am just foxhunting with both my horses, and I use either the Glory Butterfly bit as a pelham when I occasionally ride in company of the field, or the Glory Riding bit for whipping in, my usual position in my hunt. I am looking for another Glory bit. I believe Mr. Johnson has retired due to health reasons. So if anyone out there has a 5 to 5-1/2 inch Glory bit with either riding or butterfly cheeks they want to sell, contact me. I get tired of switching my bits from my Camptown synthetic bridles for weekday riding to my leather bridles for formal weekend hunts. Sue Banks =========================== Carol Riviore writes -My opinion is that it's the mullen mouth configuration that Brenning likes. Jean Ernest writes - I wanted a riding bit however, so sent Ray Johnson, the creator of the Glory bit, a Baucher snaffle and suggested that the riding bit could be designed with cheek pieces like the Baucher: The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
