Barrel Racing Bits

A barrel racing bit is a horse's mouthpiece that can improve the performance of your horse runs during competition. Click to learn more about barrel racing bits, which ones the Best Ever Pads team uses, what works, and why to use them.

[@alonnadelane8873]

I prefer a sidepull or hackamore

[@finnbott1334]

I personally think that hackamores are just as bad as all of these bits. If you study the mechanism that it uses, it’s quite harsh

[@alonnadelane8873]

@@finnbott1334 yes I agree it's really just how heavy handed you are

[@rodeorose6299]

I use the o ring snaffle

[@brianwideman2342]

Very well explained

[@jorgerodriguez9108]

Hola

[@FernandoRamos-ln6vh]

🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🙏🙏🙏

[@rcbarrelhorseshall8116]

Thank u

[@sandrajenkins6822]

Try no bit, I started to use the Orbitless last year after owning my horse for 15 years and haven't noticed any difference apart from he is very relaxed schooling and hacking out.

[@slgymnastics2077]

Cool

[@andreaberry703]

Some of these are so mean

[@abbiholz9274]

How?

[@abbiholz9274]

@@teddybear5788 1. leverage doesn't affect tongue pressure, leverage creates poll and curb pressure. 2. A bit shouldn't climb 5 inches if the bridle is adjusted correctly and your hands shouldn't be so harsh as to make that happen. 3. A hack can be as cruel as a bit when either are in the wrong hands. At least a too loose bit becomes useless. A too loose hack becomes dangerous. 4. A bit is as light or harsh as the hands that use it. It doesn't matter what I put on a horse if I jerk on the reins as hard as I can. But I can put a but that's considered hard on that horse and keep my hands light as a feather and it will be fine. A lot of people hate chain bits and think they're the cruelest thing in the world. Most horses I've ridden have been more comfortable ina chain than anything else. But, chains can't nutcracker and they have many breaking points. I'll use my project horse as a perfect example. Gunner is a 17 year old blown up barrel and pole horse. In his prime, he was a 1 and 2d barrel horse and a consistent 21-22 second pole horse. But when he was about 14, a girl bought him and she absolutely could not ride. Her parents paid for her to go to different trainers for lessons. They all said the same thing, get out of his face and use your legs. Shed then say she was as she was jerking on the reins going around the barrel. So Gunner starts running by first barrel all the way up the fence till he made it to third. Gunner's a big guy and he wasn't going to deal with her being heavy handed. So her parents assume something is medically wrong with him. They take him to my dad, an equine (and human) chiropractor and he works on Gunner. The next run, he runs up the fence again, so they call back and say Dad didnt do anything. They bring Gunner to our place and Dad checks him and there was nothing wrong. Since the girl that rode him wasn't there, in jumped on him and ran him. Since Gunner had started blowing up, they bit him up to high heaven and came up with these stupid rules. "You can only ride him in the arena once a week; you can only make 1 practice run on him a day or he'll start blowing up in the practice pen" I ran him through barrel 5 times that day and he never blew up. Her parents finally realized that her trainers were right. They decided to sell Gunner and a friend of mine bought him. She wasn't any better. When gunner tried to run up the fence, she'd try to manhandle him, and that doesn't work. He also started developing gate, tying and trailer issues. I bought him in February of last year. He got about 6 month off this winter and spring while I worked some colts, but I've never been prouder of a horse when he quit running up the fence. 1.5 months ago, we started clocking 1.5 second off the top at a high lope. He was turning first right and was excited to go in the gate. He jumps on the trailer as soon as the door opens. He quit pulling back. So why did I include this long story? To make a point. Gunner has every right to hate bits. All of his trouble came from two girls pulling way to hard. But do you know what this horse is most uncomfortable in? Hackamores. He gets agitated if I ride him in one. Do you know what he doesn't hate? Bits. He drops his head and opens his mouth without any fuss when I go to bridle him. If in put a hack on him, he throws his head around and fights me (if he'll even let me put it on). Now, I don't put a 7 inch shank with a spade on him. We usually ride in a o-ring chain. Or a gag bit with a leather bit to just ride around in. If he hated the bit, if it caused him pain, he would continue to fight it. He would still run up the fence. But he doesn't. When I drop my outside rein and grab the horn, he turns. The difference isn't the bit I use, it's the fact that u have light hands and ask him to turn, not tell him. Bits aren't evil, it's the hands that use them poorly.

[@sarahirene2152]

Yeah, I'm sure a bit is only as harsh as the hands that hold it. You keep on thinking that and try sticking a jawbreaker bit in your horse's mouth. I'm sure it'll be *real* soft.

[@hmperformanceridingcoachtr8152]

Hanna Schreyer you must not have watched the video clearly

[@northidaho]

Any bit can be "mean", it depends on who uses it. You can abuse a horse with a snaffle. Please don't forget, any tool in horse back riding can be abusive, it doesn't have to be harsh.

[@gerrycoleman7290]

Barrel racing is horse abuse. Use of bits is horse abuse.

[@Jinxzai]

Tell me you know nothing about horses and are uneducated without telling me that

[@gerrycoleman7290]

@@Jinxzai You best look in the mirror when talking about knowing nothing about horses.

[@gerrycoleman7290]

Your site has no content. Not credible. An idiot.