SNAFFLES.
A snaffle is a bit which acts on a horse’s mouth by direct pressure, and not by leverage.
A bridoon is the term applied to the snaffle of a double bridle, which is a bridle that has a curb and a snaffle. A double bridle is often called a “bit and bridoon.”
Fig. 42.—Chin-strap unbuckled. | Fig. 43.—Chin-strap buckled. |
The best kinds of snaffles are the half-moon snaffle which has an unjointed and slightly curved mouth-piece ([Fig. 33]); and the chain snaffle ([Fig. 34]). The objection to the jointed snaffle ([Fig. 35]), which is the kind generally used, is that it has a nut-cracker action on the animal’s mouth, instead of exerting a direct pressure, as shown respectively in Figs. [36] and [37]. A chain snaffle should always have a Hancock’s “curl bit mouth cover,” which is a roll of india-rubber that curls round the mouth-piece, and prevents it hurting the mouth. In the absence of this india-rubber arrangement, we may cover the mouth-piece with two or three turns of wash-leather, which can be kept in its place by sewing.
In all cases a snaffle should be thick and smooth, so that it may not hurt the horse’s mouth.