Sweet Iron Tom Thumb with Aurion Lozenge

Suitable for horses that:

• Are forward going and need an immediate, clear signal

• Compete in speed events and must come back quickly

• Are trained and being reminded of aids they already know

How it works

Mouthpiece. 14mm, 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 mouthpiece runs on the centre ring rather than being fixed to it. The first part of the rein aid slides the bit up the ring and raises it in the mouth before the cheek has finished rotating, so the horse is given a clear signal before the full pressure arrives. The lift raises the shoulders and brings the horse back onto its hocks, with poll pressure following behind it. A backstrap should always be fitted, as it stages the action and keeps poll pressure controlled.

8214

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, so it keeps producing it for the life of the mouthpiece. Supplied blue, fading to brown grey as it oxidises in work. The centre lozenge is Aurion, a high copper concentrated alloy. Cheeks, eyelets and joints are stainless steel.

Allow 2 to 5mm clearance at each side. Aim for one to two soft wrinkles at the corners of the mouth. Always use this bit with a backstrap fitted.

Size and fit

4.5"

5"

5.5"

115 mm

125 mm

140 mm

Mouthpiece

14 mm

14 mm

14 mm

Cheek

150 mm

150 mm

150 mm

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