Leather Mouth Loose Ring with Aurion Lozenge

Suitable for horses that:

• Will not accept a metal mouthpiece

• Rub or mark at the corners of the mouth

• Are showing wear on the front teeth from the bit

• Tense the moment the bit goes in

• Lean on the hand and need a bit that will not stay still for them

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. The bit rings run through the mouthpiece rather than being fixed to it, so the mouthpiece can move and the horse can carry the bit slightly higher or lower in the mouth. Pressure comes off the moment the rein is given and the bit returns to a neutral position. Loose rings suit a horse that is stiff or hard in the hand, because there is no fixed surface to set against.

8245

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.

Allow 2 to 5mm clearance at each side so the ring can rotate. Leather does not slide across the lips the way polished steel does, so do not fit this bit tight. Aim for one to two soft wrinkles at the corners of the mouth.

Size and fit

4.5"

4.75"

5"

5.25"

5.5"

6"

115 mm

120 mm

125 mm

135 mm

140 mm

150 mm

Mouthpiece

14 mm

14 mm

14 mm

14 mm

14 mm

14 mm

Core

12 mm

12 mm

12 mm

12 mm

12 mm

12 mm

Ring

65 mm

65 mm

70 mm

70 mm

70 mm

70 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.