Full Leather Pelham Short Curb with Straight Bar

Suitable for horses that:

• Need more than a snaffle but will not take a metal mouthpiece

• Come high in the neck and become unsteady

• Come above the bit in downward transitions

• Are new to a curb bit

How it works

Mouthpiece. An unjointed bar at 18mm, the widest bearing surface in the range. With no joint there is nothing to close on the bars, nothing to rise towards the palate and nothing to pinch at the lips, and rein pressure is spread across the full width of the tongue. A stainless steel wire core runs through the whole length, so under contact the bar takes a shallow curve and follows the shape of the tongue.

Cheek piece.A short shank engages quickly and remains forgiving if the rein is held rather than given, which makes it the one to start with. The arms above and below the mouthpiece are close to equal, so poll pressure is loaded as much as bar pressure and the horse is asked to drop and settle rather than draw the nose in. Ridden on the top rein it acts as a fixed cheek snaffle; on the bottom rein the curb chain enters the curb groove, poll pressure is applied and the horse comes into an outline. With a leather mouthpiece the curb action arrives without a hard surface in the mouth.

8257

Material. Built in layers over a 2mm stainless steel wire core. The core is sleeved in nylon webbing, built up with a suede layer that also carries over the cheek bushings, then wrapped in 1mm bark tanned leather and hand stitched with the seam running along the front, away from the tongue. The nylon sleeve means the horse never meets bare wire, and taking the suede across the bushings removes any hard junction where the mouthpiece meets the cheek. Leather carries no metal taste and does not draw heat from the mouth, and saliva softens it until the bar takes the shape of that individual mouth. Colour comes from vegetable oil and deepens with use. Cheeks are stainless steel. Curb chain supplied.

Fit closely, with the lip gently brushing the cheek. An unjointed mouthpiece does not draw up under contact, so the width you measure is the width you need. Leather does not slide across the lips the way polished steel does, so do not fit tight. Adjust the curb chain so it engages as the shank reaches approximately 45 degrees, and check it is lying flat before every ride.

At 18mm the bar is tall as well as wide, so check there is room between the upper and lower bars when the mouth is closed. Leather does not slide across the lips the way polished steel does, so do not fit tight.

Size and fit

4.5"

5"

5.5"

115 mm

125 mm

140 mm

Mouthpiece

18 mm

18 mm

18 mm

Core

2 mm wire

2 mm wire

2 mm wire

Cheek

110 mm

110 mm

110 mm

Wipe dry after every use. Treat with a food safe oil if the leather dries out. Do not soak, do not store wet, and do not leave the bit on a horse standing or travelling in the bridle. The covering moulds to one mouth, so keep the bit to one horse.