Snaffle Bit/s

Below you will find information aboutmany kinds of Snaffle Bits. Information I have gathered fromdifferentBit Catalogs.
SNAFFLE MOUTHPIECEThe "snaffle" mouth piece features a flexible joint in the center of the bit that allows the bit to be soft and supple in the horse's mouth with little or no severity. They are generally used on young horses to introduce them to carrying something in their mouth and they share the advantage of tremendous lateral, or side-to-side action and may be used with two hands to help teach a young horse to respond correctly to a bit.
SHANK SNAFFLESAll shank snaffles share many of the same features as most regular snaffle bits. The additional advantage to a leverage cheek or 'shank' coupled with a snaffle mouthpiece is a bit that does all the above while introducing pressure on the horse's lowerjaw. Many horses continue in this type bit for many years. The length of the cheek, the type of material the mouthpiece is made of, the severity of the mouthpiece and finally, the thickness of the bar pieces will dictate the results for the rider in teaching, correcting, or just plain riding the horse.
RING AND DEE BITSThe ring and dee type bits are among the oldest styles still in use today. They are used virtually everywhere and on all types of horses. Ring and dee bits are generally used on young horses in transition to introduce them to carrying a mouthpiece before moving on to a shank type bit. They are used in a two handed style with lateral pull only since there are no cheeks to apply leverage. The dee bit and the butted ring bit has a short bar at the mouthpiece to prevent the bit from sliding through the horse's mouth, and provide a wide platform to apply pressure to the face. Ring snaffles are widely used and show classes have been introduced to allow only ring snaffles to be used In the arena, which led to the creation of the fancy engraved ring snaffles.
THE ARGENTINE SNAFFLEThe Argentine bit was originally developed in Argentina and hence it's name. It Is a very popular bit that is found In many top trainer's tack rooms. The short cheeks have a characteristic shape with loose rein rings and fixed rings attached at the mouthpiece. The reins can be moved, as in a double rein bit, when more lateral pull is desired. A strap may be connected to the ring located midway down the cheek to prevent the horse from biting the bit. The Argentine bit is available with a variety of mouth pieces from the regular snaffle to the very thin "Bradoon" snaffle and the "Corkscrew" snaffle that are more severe.
TOM THUMB BITSThe Tom Thumb bit is a very basic shank snaffle that has been in use for many years. It is perhaps the granddaddy of all shank type snaffle bits and gets it's name from the characteristically short shanks. The Tom Thumb is an excellent transition bit from the ring snaffle to the more severe leverage type bit for the young horse. It produces very little curb pressure with almost no leverage to allow young horse to make the transition to a shank type bit. The loose cheeks provide signal and the snaffle mouth is very mild.
DOUBLE REIN BITThe "Double Rein" bit or the "Four Rein" bit, as it is sometimes called, is a carry over from the English Pelham style bit and has also been called a "Western Pelham". It is characterized by the dee rings attached to the shanks at the mouthpiece. This will allow the rider to change the rein position from the shanks to the dees when more lateral pull is desired without altering the head position. It functions as a dee bit and a shank bit rolled into one and is very popular with many professional trainers. The Double Rein bit can be obtained with a variety of mouthpieces in both loose shank or fixed shank styles.
KIMBERWICK BITSKimberwick bits are a traditional English type bit used in Hunter Hack and Hunter under saddle events traditionally. They allow a small amount of leverage with most of the force of the rider's pull duplicating that of a normal snaffle bit. Slots in the cheek loops are for the rein position..the lower the reins, the more leverage.
HINGED SNAFFLEThe hinged snaffle gets its name from the "hinge" joint in the center of the mouthpiece. It is different from the normal snaffle in that it will only bend in one direction instead of any direction. The result is more of a "pinching" action applying pressure to the bars for more control. The hinged snaffle is a relatively new concept that has gained favor with many of today's top trainers.