Leather Mouth Full Cheek Gag with Aurion Lozenge

Suitable for horses that:

• Are strong across country but sensitive about metal in the mouth

• Go flat and do not come back between fences

• Lower the head and run through the turn

• Are strong and losing a shoulder at the same time

How it works

Mouthpiece. 14mm finished, double jointed, with curved cannons angled forward to follow the shape of the tongue. The lozenge lies flat on the tongue rather than standing upright between tongue and palate, so tongue pressure is spread across the width of the tongue. There is no nutcracker action and nothing reaches the palate.

Cheek piece.On the bit ring it works as a full cheek, with the arms lying along the face to guide the head and hold the bit in position. On the gag rein the mouthpiece slides up the cheekpiece, raising the bit in the mouth, applying poll pressure and rotating the bit slightly onto the tongue and bars. Ridden on two reins with the gag rein brought into play only when it is needed. A leather mouthpiece takes the edge off a lifting action, which makes this a useful combination for a strong horse with a sensitive mouth.

8248

Material. The cannons are 12mm stainless steel bars wrapped in bark tanned leather to a finished 14mm. Leather carries no metal taste and does not draw heat from the mouth, so there is no cold metal contact at the start of work. Saliva softens the covering until it takes the shape of that individual mouth and holds it, and the surface gives slightly under load, spreading the bearing wider than bare steel of the same diameter. The stainless core keeps the geometry and the strength unchanged, so nothing is given up for the softness. The leather is hand stitched with the seam running along the front of the mouthpiece, away from the tongue, and tapered down to a smooth finish where it meets the joints. Colour comes from vegetable oil and deepens with use. The centre lozenge is Aurion, a high copper concentrated alloy, which adds a taste stimulus that leather alone does not give.

Fit closely, with the lip gently brushing the cheek. Leather does not slide across the lips the way polished steel does, so do not fit tight. Gag cheekpieces are required and are not supplied with the bit. Keepers are not used on this cheek, as the gag cheekpiece must run freely.

Size and fit

4.5"

5"

5.5"

115 mm

125 mm

140 mm

Mouthpiece

14 mm

14 mm

14 mm

Core

12 mm

12 mm

12 mm

Cheek arm

150 mm

150 mm

150 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.