Sweet Iron Kimblewick Ported Mullen

Suitable for horses that:

• Have a large tongue and need more control than a snaffle gives

• Come above the bit and get high in the neck

• Are strong out hunting or around a course

• Are ridden by someone who cannot manage two reins

How it works

Mouthpiece. An unjointed mullen bar formed from a single piece of sweet iron, tapering from 14mm at the cheek to 10mm through the centre. The port measures 80mm wide by 10mm high, low and broad rather than tall and narrow, so the tongue is given room across a wide span while the bar stays well clear of the palate. The mouthpiece is swept forward to follow the arch of the tongue. With no joint there is nothing to close on the bars and no nutcracker action, and port relief moves the load off the centre of the tongue and out onto the bars.

Cheek piece. The action depends on the position of the rider's hands. The rein slides on the Dee shaped bit ring, so if the hands are lowered before pressure is applied the rein travels about an inch and the bit takes up roughly a 45 degree angle in the mouth, acting downward and backward on the lower jaw with downward pressure on the poll. The result is a lowering action rather than a lifting one. Three rein positions increase or decrease the pressure, so the range of a Pelham is available from a single rein.

8240

Material. Sweet iron is low carbon steel with no chromium in it, so it is meant to rust. That surface rust is the working part of the bit. It tastes warm and sweet, which draws the horse to mouth the bit and salivate into a softer, wetter mouth. Ours is solid iron right through rather than a coating, and this mouthpiece is formed from a single bar with no joints in it at all. Supplied blue, fading to brown grey as it oxidises in work. 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. Re-check the curb chain at every change of rein position, as a chain adjusted for the ring will be loose on the lower hook.

Size and fit

4.5"

5"

5.5"

115 mm

125 mm

140 mm

Mouthpiece

14 mm

14 mm

14 mm

Port

80 x 10 mm

80 x 10 mm

80 x 10 mm

Cheek ring

70 mm

70 mm

70 mm

Wipe dry after use and apply a light food safe oil. Surface oxidation after a period of storage lifts with a damp cloth.